Africa’s aviation sector is in the middle of a powerful rebound, with airports across the continent recording sharp increases in passenger numbers and flight activity.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), African airlines saw a 9.5% year-on-year growth in international passenger demand in May 2025, outpacing most global regions.
A key driver of this growth was the sharp increase in traffic on the Africa–Asia corridor, where demand surged 15.9% year-on-year, making it the fastest-growing international route worldwide for the month.
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) projects traffic to hit 113 million passengers in 2025, a leap from 98 million in 2024, representing a 15.3% increase. This increase highlights the industry’s resilience and positive trajectory.
This list highlights the busiest airports in Africa, measured by the number of scheduled daily departures. It includes only scheduled passenger flights and excludes freighters or chartered flights. The data is sourced from FlightsFrom.com, a travel tool website that publishes airline routes and schedules worldwide.
Here is the ranking of Africa’s top ten busiest airports by flight traffic as of July 2025
9. Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ): 92 flights every day
- 10. Dar Es Salaam (DAR): 84 flights every day
- 9. Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ): 92 flights every day
- 8. Murtala Muhammed Airport (LOS) – 99 flights daily
- 7. Cape Town International Airport (CPT) – 102 flights daily
- 6. Houari Boumediene Airport – Algiers, Algeria (ALG): 102 flights daily
- 5. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – (Nairobi): 108 flights every day
- 4. Mohammed V International Airport (CMN): 114 flights every day
- 3. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) – 190 flights every day
- 2. Cairo International Airport (CAI) – 242 flights every day
- 1. Johannesburg International Airport (JNB) – 249 flights every day
Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ), the main gateway to the Zanzibar archipelago in the United Republic of Tanzania, handles an average of 92 flights every day.
The airport connects passengers to 21 destinations served by 27 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.
In 2024, Zanzibar ranked as the 13th busiest airport in Africa, operating around 70 daily flights. The busiest route from Zanzibar is to Dar es Salaam (DAR), accounting for an average of 269 flights weekly, which represents 43% of all departures.
Auric Air remains the largest carrier by departures, with about 131 scheduled take-offs every week.
Top most frequented routes
- Dar es Salaam (DAR), Tanzania – 34 to 39 flights per day
- Arusha (ARK), Tanzania – 14 to 15 flights per day
- Pemba (PMA), Tanzania – 8 to 9 flights per day
- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), Nairobi, Kenya – 7 to 8 flights per day
- Moi International Airport (MBA), Mombasa, Kenya – 1 to 6 flights per day (new airline begins operations December 1, 2025)
Key international connections include Nairobi, Kenya (NBO) and Mombasa, Kenya (MBA).
9. Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ): 92 flights every day
- 10. Dar Es Salaam (DAR): 84 flights every day
- 9. Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ): 92 flights every day
- 8. Murtala Muhammed Airport (LOS) – 99 flights daily
- 7. Cape Town International Airport (CPT) – 102 flights daily
- 6. Houari Boumediene Airport – Algiers, Algeria (ALG): 102 flights daily
- 5. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – (Nairobi): 108 flights every day
- 4. Mohammed V International Airport (CMN): 114 flights every day
- 3. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) – 190 flights every day
- 2. Cairo International Airport (CAI) – 242 flights every day
- 1. Johannesburg International Airport (JNB) – 249 flights every day
