Africa’s airlines recorded a 6.7% increase in international passenger demand in February 2025, while capacity grew by 4.0%, pushing the load factor to 75.3%, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The demand surge reflects growing air travel appetite in Africa, while the higher load factor shows more occupied seats than in 2024.
Capacity growth signals airlines expanding seating to meet demand.
The disclosure was contained in IATA’s February 2025 global passenger demand report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of air travel trends across different regions.
“African airlines saw a 6.7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 4.0% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 75.3% (+2.0 ppt compared to February 2024),” the IATA report read in part.
Globally, IATA reported a 5.6% rise in international passenger demand for February 2025, with capacity (ASK) up 4.5%. The average load factor hit 80.2%, up 0.9 ppt from February 2024.
Across both international and domestic markets, total capacity rose 2.0% year-on-year, with a load factor of 81.1% (+0.4 ppt).
Meanwhile, domestic demand fell 1.9%, as capacity declined 1.7%, bringing the load factor down to 82.6% (-0.2 ppt).
More insights
Beyond the performance of African airlines in February 2025, the IATA report also highlighted trends across other regions.
Asia-Pacific airlines led international passenger growth, with demand rising 9.5% year-on-year. Capacity in the region grew by 8.3%, while the load factor reached 85.7%—the highest among all regions.
- European carriers recorded a 5.7% increase in demand, with capacity expanding 4.9% and a load factor of 75.5%.
- Middle Eastern airlines saw a 3.1% rise in demand, with capacity up 1.3%, resulting in a load factor of 81.9%.
- Latin American airlines posted a 6.7% increase in demand, but a 9.9% rise in capacity caused the load factor to decline to 81.7%.
- North American airlines were the only region to record a decline in international passenger demand, which fell 1.5%. Capacity in the region dropped 3.2%, but the load factor improved to 78.9%.
While global traffic growth slowed in February, IATA attributed this to seasonal factors. “Much of this can be explained by the leap year and Lunar New Year falling in January instead of February this year,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
He also pointed out that February traffic reached an all-time high, with scheduled flights expected to increase in March and April. However, he cautioned that developments in North America warrant close monitoring, as the region experienced declines in both domestic and international traffic.
