Nigeria’s growing business aviation sector is preparing to raise its profile with a relaunched trade show next year. The Nigerian Business Aviation Conference (NBAC) will be staged in the country’s main commercial city, Lagos, from May 4 to 5, 2027—10 years after the event was last held.
Business aviation services group EAN Aviation is organizing NBAC 2027 under the theme “One Sky, Many Stakeholders.” The event is expected to attract around 200 senior industry executives from aircraft operators, manufacturers, and finance/leasing groups across the continent, as well as regulators and prospective investors.
According to the WingX Global Market Tracker, Africa was the world’s fastest-growing business aviation region in 2025, with departures increasing by 15% versus 5% global growth. Nigeria recorded 49,586 business aviation departures between January 2019 and May 2026, representing 19% of the African total.
Lagos Murtala Muhammed International (DNMM) and the capital's Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International (DNAA) ranked as the continent’s two busiest airports. Overall, 80% of Nigerian business aviation flight activity has been domestic.
“We have seen a lot of business activity happening in the West African region,” EAN chairman Segun Demuren told AIN. “We felt that it is a very good time to reassemble and discuss the growth of business aviation.”
Beyond Oil and Gas
According to Demuren, the oil and gas industry used to be the sole driving factor of the growth of business aviation market in Nigeria. However, this has changed in recent years.
“While the oil and gas industry remains to be a critical sector, we have noticed a strong demand growth coming from the entertainment industry, tech industry as well as financial institutions. We now have a healthy mix of industries contributing for the growth of the business aviation sector.”
African industry leaders are concerned that inadequate airport infrastructure and a lack of clear regulation and finance are the critical bottle necks that hinder the growth of business aviation in the region. “Not only [insufficient] places to park your jet but there need to be a hangars to do maintenance, and places to offer full-garage FBO services,” Demuren commented. “We have to work more on that in Abuja, Port Harcourt and other cities.”
In fact, Demuren gave Nigeria’s aviation ministry considerable credit for having improved its approach to processing applications for air operators certificates. However, he maintained that traveling across the African continent remains a challenge due to difficulties in getting flight permits and visa issues. In his view, countries still need to take bold measures to address these challenges hindering the growth of business aviation.
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