Domestic and International Airports in the country have recorded a total of 6,420,820 passengers travelling through them between January and June this year.
This represents 50.5 per cent increase over 4,267,409 recorded same periods in 2020.
According to the Passengers Traffic Statistics Report by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the figure comprised of 5,513,098 domestic passengers and 907,722 international travellers.
Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos recorded the highest number of international travellers with 670,938 passengers, followed by Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja with 225,985 in the first half of 2021.
The chart however was topped by NAIA Abuja for domestic air travellers with 1,974,249 passengers, closely followed by Lagos airport with 1,786,236. Others are Port Harcourt 377,679 passengers; Enugu 231,669; Kano 225,870.
The report also indicates that Lagos and Abuja airports alone accounted for 3,760,485 out of a total of 5,513,098 or 68.2 per cent of all domestic arrivals and departures, and 896,923 out of a total of 907,722 or 98.8 per cent of all international passengers.
Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport came a distant third with only 10,119 international passengers in the first half of the year.
On cargo, the five major international airports in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt handled a total of 126.4 million kilogrammes of cargo between January and June this year, about 106 per cent increase over the 61.2 million recorded same periods in 2020.
Lagos alone accounted for the highest share of 113.9 million kilogrammes or over 90 per cent of the total cargo throughput of the five international airports.
The report showed that Lagos also accounted for 18.8 million kilogrammes out of 18.9 million kilogrammes or 98.9 per cent of all mails handled at the five international airports.
