The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed that Air Peace and United Nigeria topped the list of domestic airlines with the most flight disruptions in August 2026, as carriers nationwide delayed 4,765 flights and cancelled 36 others.
The NCAA made this revelation on Sunday in a post on its official X handle, giving a summary of domestic airline flight disruption operations for the month.
According to the agency, 15 carriers, representing 59.9 percent, operated a total of 7,961 flights during the period, with roughly six out of every 10 flights failing to run on schedule.
The regulator disclosed that Air Peace operated the highest number of flights among all carriers, recording 1,864 flights in total. However, the airline also logged 1,330 delays, representing a staggering 71.4 percent of its total operations for the month.
In its further breakdown, the NCAA revealed that United Nigeria recorded the worst delay rate among all the carriers, with 943 of its 1,231 flights delayed. The agency also noted that the airline cancelled eight flights, the highest cancellation figure recorded in August.
Enugu Air followed closely, logging 582 delays out of 878 flights operated, alongside four cancellations during the same period.
Breaking down the delay durations, the NCAA disclosed that about 2,801 of the delayed flights were held up for between 16 minutes and one hour, while another 1,322 flights experienced delays ranging from one to two hours.
The agency further noted that 407 flights were delayed by between two and three hours, while 235 flights suffered delays of three hours or more. Air Peace accounted for 108 of these longest delays, followed by Enugu Air with 46 and United Nigeria with 41.
On a brighter note, the NCAA commended Umza Air for recording the best performance in August, logging just 52 delays out of 403 flights, with zero cancellations. XeJet followed with 40 delays from 127 flights operated.
Other airlines mentioned in the report include Aero, with 246 delays from 469 flights; Arik, 188 from 301; Ibom Air, 254 from 560; Max Air, 204 from 336; Rano Air, 216 from 503; Value Jet, 435 from 767; Green Africa, 114 from 226; Overland, 139 from 239; and Binani, 22 from 57.
The NCAA added that NG Eagle recorded no operations throughout the period under review.
Behind The Numbers: Nigeria’s Domestic Aviation Sector Under Pressure
Flight delays and cancellations have remained a persistent challenge within Nigeria’s domestic aviation industry, often linked to factors such as aircraft maintenance issues, weather disruptions, operational inefficiencies, and airport congestion.
The NCAA’s monthly disclosures have become an important accountability tool, giving air travelers insight into airline performance and helping to shape public expectations around service reliability.
With Air Peace and United Nigeria posting some of the highest disruption figures despite operating significant flight volumes, industry watchers say the latest report reinforces long-standing calls for stronger regulatory oversight and improved operational efficiency across Nigeria’s aviation sector.
