Africa’s airline capacity grows to 24.8m seats in March 2026 – Report 

Africa’s airline capacity rose to 24.8 million seats in March 2026, representing a 10.4% rise compared with the same period in 2025.

The data was contained in OAG’s Africa Aviation Market: Monthly Airline Data Updates for the African Market.

The report highlighted expansion across both international and domestic routes, signalling a continued rebound in air travel demand across the continent.

What they are saying 

The report stated that growth in airline capacity was largely driven by international routes, which continued to dominate the market.

Domestic travel also recorded notable gains, reinforcing the overall upward trend in aviation activity.

• “Total airline capacity across Africa this month is 24.8 million seats, up 10.4% compared with March 2025. 
• “International capacity represents 77% of total capacity and is up by 10.2% vs March 2025. Domestic capacity increased by 10.8%,” the report read.  

The report further noted that mainline carriers accounted for 79% of total capacity, posting a 10.4% growth, while low-cost carriers grew by 10.1% to reach 5.2 million seats.

More insights 

The data showed a breakdown of airline performance across the continent, highlighting key players driving capacity growth. Ethiopian Airlines maintained its position as the leading carrier by seat capacity, while several other airlines recorded double-digit growth.

• Ethiopian Airlines led with 1,970,341 seats, representing a 4.0% year-on-year increase.
• Safair recorded 1,082,610 seats, growing by 13.4%, while Egyptair followed with 848,102 seats, up 7.5%.
• Air Algérie and Royal Air Maroc recorded strong increases of 17.9% and 26.6%, respectively.
• South African Airways recorded a 25.5% increase, while Kenya Airways declined by 1.3%, making it the only airline in the top 10 to record a drop.

The data also showed the growing role of international carriers such as Ryanair and Emirates, highlighting Africa’s increasing connectivity to global markets.

What you should know 

Recent figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlighted strong growth in Africa’s aviation sector. The data showed consistent increases in passenger demand, capacity, and cargo activity across key routes.

• African airlines recorded a 10.3% increase in international passenger traffic in December 2025.
• For the full year 2025, international passenger demand rose by 7.8%, while capacity increased by 6.5%, pushing load factor to 74.9%.
• In January 2026, African carriers recorded an 18.2% surge in demand alongside a 6.5% rise in capacity.
• The Africa–Asia cargo route recorded a 41.6% year-on-year increase in January 2026.

Overall, the latest IATA data aligned with OAG’s findings, confirming that Africa’s aviation sector is recording sustained growth driven by rising demand, improved connectivity, and increased airline capacity.