All ten of Nigeria's domestic airlines suspended flight operations on 28 March 2015 as the country went to the polls to elect a president and members of the National Assembly, in a vote that ultimately saw Muhammadu Buhari defeat incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
The federal government imposed a nationwide restriction on movement for the duration of polling, a routine security measure for Nigerian elections intended to curb violence and unauthorised movement of personnel and materials. While the restriction technically applied to road movement rather than aviation directly, airlines opted to halt scheduled domestic services entirely rather than risk operating with skeleton ground staff and minimal passenger uptake.
An Estimated N200 Million Lost
Using 2013 revenue figures published by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority as a baseline, industry observers estimated that the one-day shutdown cost Nigerian domestic carriers in the region of N200 million in lost revenue. The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) stressed throughout the period that the airspace itself remained technically open and safe for flight operations, with air traffic control services staffed as normal, even as commercial schedules collapsed for lack of passengers and logistical support.
A Slow Restart
Airlines resumed limited operations the following day, but uptake remained subdued as polling was extended into a second day in some areas because of delays with biometric card readers, and as the public remained cautious about post-election unrest. The episode set a precedent that would recur in subsequent Nigerian election cycles, with domestic carriers routinely factoring election-day shutdowns into their scheduling around future national polls.