The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has published its performance report for the third quarter of 2025, highlighting the domestic airlines with the highest rates of flight delays and cancellations. The data, covering July to September 2025, shows a mixed picture of industry performance amidst growing passenger numbers.
United Nigeria and Max Air Record Highest Cancellation Rates
According to the regulator's findings, United Nigeria Airlines recorded the highest flight cancellation rate at 0.63% for Q3 2025. This figure, however, represents a slight improvement from the 0.70% rate it posted in the same period in 2024.
Closely following was Max Air with a cancellation rate of 0.42%, which also showed progress from its 0.60% rate the previous year. The report indicates an overall positive trend in cancellations across the sector.
A total of 80 domestic flights were cancelled in Q3 2025, a dramatic decrease from the 251 cancellations witnessed in Q3 2024. This improvement occurred even as the total number of operated flights rose significantly from 15,989 in 2024 to 17,731 in 2025.
Air Peace Tops the List for Flight Delays
While showing remarkable improvement in cancellations, Air Peace recorded the highest rate of flight delays at 6.87% in the reviewed quarter. This is still a reduction from the 8.07% delay rate it had in Q3 2024.
Max Air followed on the delay list with a rate of 3.75%, down from 4.11%. United Nigeria Airlines posted a delay rate of 3.42%, a marginal drop from 3.48% in the prior year.
The NCAA data revealed that a total of 765 domestic flights were delayed in Q3 2025. This number marks a fair improvement compared to the 843 delays recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024.
Notable Improvements and Warnings from Regulator
Several airlines demonstrated significant progress. Air Peace slashed its cancellation rate from 1.70% in 2024 to just 0.09% in 2025. Ibom Air also cut its cancellation rate sharply from 0.80% to 0.12%.
Other carriers like NG Eagle, Overland Airways, Rano Air, and ValueJet each recorded a minimal cancellation rate of 0.03% for the quarter.
The NCAA's report comes after the authority issued stern warnings to domestic airlines notorious for excessive delays and poor passenger care. The regulator had threatened sanctions against airlines that fail to provide timely information and refreshments to passengers during extended delays.
The comparative analysis shows that despite increased operational volume, the Nigerian domestic aviation industry is making strides in reducing cancellations, though the challenge of punctuality remains for some key players.
