NCAA: Air Peace, United Nigeria Record Highest Flight Delays In August

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed that domestic airlines recorded 4,765 delayed flights and 36 cancellations in August 2026, with Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines accounting for the highest number of delays during the period.

The figures were contained in the NCAA’s summary of domestic airline flight disruption operations released on Sunday.

According to the report, the airlines covered in the assessment operated a combined 7,961 flights in August, out of which 4,765 were delayed, representing approximately 59.9 per cent of the total operations recorded.

Air Peace recorded the highest number of delayed flights, with 1,330 delays out of 1,864 operations, representing about 71.4 per cent of its flights.

United Nigeria Airlines followed with 943 delayed flights from 1,231 operations, giving the airline a delay rate of approximately 76.6 per cent. It also recorded eight cancellations, the highest number among the airlines listed.

Enugu Air recorded 582 delays out of 878 flights, while ValueJet had 435 delayed flights from 767 operations.

Other airlines affected included Ibom Air, which recorded 254 delays from 560 operations; Aero, 246 from 469; Rano Air, 216 from 503; Max Air, 204 from 336; and Arik, 188 from 301 operations.

Overland recorded 139 delayed flights from 239 operations, while Green Africa had 114 delays from 226 flights.

Umza Air recorded the lowest proportion of delays among the operating carriers, with 52 delayed flights out of 403 operations, representing approximately 12.9 per cent.

The NCAA data further showed that the majority of the delays lasted between 16 minutes and one hour, accounting for 2,801 of the 4,765 delayed flights.

A total of 1,322 flights were delayed for between one and two hours, while 407 experienced delays lasting between two and three hours.

Another 235 flights were delayed for three hours or more.

Air Peace accounted for 108 of the flights delayed for at least three hours, followed by Enugu Air with 46 and United Nigeria with 41.

The three airlines therefore accounted for approximately 83 per cent of the flights that experienced delays of three hours or more during the month.

On cancellations, United Nigeria recorded the highest number with eight, followed by Air Peace with seven.

Enugu Air and Max Air cancelled four flights each, while Green Africa, Ibom Air, Rano Air and ValueJet recorded three cancellations apiece. Arik recorded one cancellation.

The NCAA report showed that Aero, Binani, Overland, Umza Air and Xe Jet recorded no cancellations during the period.

NG Eagle, meanwhile, had no flight operations captured in the August report.

Overall, the figures indicate that nearly six out of every 10 domestic flights covered by the NCAA’s August assessment experienced some form of delay, highlighting the continued challenge of flight disruptions within Nigeria’s domestic aviation sector.