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
6. Houari Boumediene Airport – Algiers, Algeria (ALG): 102 flights daily
- 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
Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG), located in Algiers, is the largest and busiest airport in Algeria. It connects passengers to 80 destinations through 25 international and regional airlines, making it a central hub for both domestic and global travel.
In 2024, the airport ranked eighth in Africa with an average of 100 daily flights, a figure that has now risen slightly to 102 per day.
The most frequently departed route is the route to Paris (CDG) in France, with an average of 69 flights from Houari Boumediene Airport every week, which is 9% of all weekly departures.
Air Algérie dominates operations at the airport with about 515 scheduled take-offs weekly nearly 12 times more than the second-largest operator, Transavia France.
Top most frequented routes
- Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) – Paris, France: 11–14 flights per day
- Orly Airport (ORY) – Paris, France: 8–10 flights per day
- Istanbul Airport (IST) – Istanbul, Turkey: 7–8 flights per day
- Es Senia Airport (ORN) – Oran, Algeria: 5–7 flights per day
- Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport (CZL) – Constantine, Algeria: 4–7 flights per day
6. Houari Boumediene Airport – Algiers, Algeria (ALG): 102 flights daily
- 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
