None of Nigeria's nine scheduled domestic airlines — including Air Peace, Arik Air, and Ibom Air — appeared in the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards' top 10 for Africa, with industry experts pointing to a damaging cycle of high operating costs and unaffordable airfares that suppresses passenger demand. Aviation stakeholders warn that foreign exchange shortages, steep fuel prices, and charges levied by multiple regulatory bodies are forcing some carriers to ground large portions of their fleets, with airlines that nominally hold 20 aircraft sometimes flying fewer than half. The rankings, won for the ninth consecutive year by Ethiopian Airlines, highlight a structural crisis in Nigeria's domestic aviation market, where an estimated 15 million annual passenger journeys are generated by roughly one million repeat travellers — a base that industry experts say cannot grow until air travel becomes significantly more affordable.