In a significant achievement for Nigeria's aviation sector, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has secured a spot among the continent's top ten busiest airports. This ranking is based on the number of departing seats available in December 2025, according to a new industry report.
Lagos Stands Alone Among Nigerian Airports
The December 2025 report from the Official Airline Guide (OAG), a leading global provider of flight schedule and analytics data, placed Lagos Airport in sixth position across Africa. The airport recorded 485,005 departing seats for the month. Notably, it was the sole representative from Nigeria's 26 federal government-owned airports to make the prestigious list.
Egypt led the regional representation with two airports featured: Cairo International Airport, which topped the continent as the busiest with 1,587,888 seats, and Hurghada Airport, which came in tenth with 395,694 seats.
Continent-Wide Aviation Growth
The OAG data reveals a positive trend for African air travel overall. The total capacity across the continent for December 2025 reached 25.2 million seats. This figure marks a substantial increase of 6.8 per cent compared to the same month in 2024.
The breakdown shows that international travel, which constituted 77 per cent of the total capacity, grew by 7.6 per cent year-over-year. Domestic capacity also saw a rise, albeit more modest, at 4.4 per cent.
Carrier Performance and Market Share
The report further dissected the market dynamics between different types of airlines. Traditional mainline carriers continued to dominate, accounting for 79 per cent of the market. Their capacity grew by 6.1 per cent compared to December 2024.
However, low-cost carriers (LCCs) demonstrated more rapid expansion. Their capacity surged by 9.9 per cent year-over-year, reaching 5.2 million seats for the month. This indicates a shifting competitive landscape and growing consumer appetite for budget air travel options within Africa.
The full list of Africa's top 10 airports by departing seats for December 2025 is as follows:
- 1. Cairo International, Egypt (1,587,888)
- 2. Addis Ababa Bole, Ethiopia (1,121,204)
- 3. Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, South Africa (1,082,813)
- 4. Cape Town International, South Africa (592,227)
- 5. Casablanca Mohammed V, Morocco (581,635)
- 6. Lagos Murtala Muhammed, Nigeria (485,005)
- 7. Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya (500,755)
- 8. Algiers Houari Boumediene, Algeria (493,940)
- 9. Marrakech Menara, Morocco (465,060)
- 10. Hurghada International, Egypt (395,694)
