(Posted 24th May 2026)
Airline capacity across Africa continues to expand, with total seats reaching 23.9 million, up 6.7% year-on-year.
Domestic travel surged 10.8%, while international routes grew 5.6%, reflecting renewed confidence in regional and global connectivity.
Highlights
Ethiopian Airlines remains Africa’s largest carrier with 2 million seats, growing 7.3% year-on-year.
Royal Air Maroc (+16%) and easyJet (+20%) show the fastest growth.
Emirates (-2.5%) and Kenya Airways (-1.1%) saw slight declines.
Airport Performance
Cairo International remains Africa’s busiest airport (1.7 million seats).
Addis Ababa Bole International ranks 2nd, reinforcing Ethiopia’s central hub status.
Lagos is the fastest-growing airport (+26.7%), though it ranks 8th overall.
Hurghada (+11.3%) and Marrakech (+10.1%) also show strong growth momentum.
Capacity Breakdown
Domestic: 5.4M seats (+10.8% vs May 2025)
Domestic Capacity Update
Ethiopia and Ghana remained static in their domestic capacity compared to May 2025.
Nigeria saw the highest growth, elevating its overall performance. All other countries recorded average to marginal growth in domestic capacity.
International: 18.4M seats (+5.6%)
LCC proportion:
Mainline carriers: 19.0M seats (+6.8%)
Low-cost carriers: 4.9M seats (+6.4%)
Regional Trends
Europe remains Africa’s top destination region (9.3M seats).
Intra-Africa flights rose 8.3%, signaling stronger continental integration.
North Africa leads in total capacity (6.7M seats), while Central and West Africa record the fastest growth (+428,700 seats).
?? At the heart of this growth stands Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s most connected carrier, and Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the continent’s second-busiest hub and a model of operational excellence.
Together, they embody Africa’s aviation renaissance, combining operational excellence, cultural warmth, and strategic connectivity that continues to elevate Ethiopia’s role in global air travel.
Source: OAG / Addis Ababa Bole on LinkedIn
