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
5. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – (Nairobi): 108 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
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), located in Nairobi, is the largest airport in Kenya and serves as a key aviation hub in East Africa.
The airport operates about 108 flights daily, connecting travelers to 64 destinations with 39 airlines in scheduled passenger traffic.
In 2024, Jomo Kenyatta International was not listed among the top 15 busiest airports in Africa. Instead, Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, Morocco (CMN) ranked 5th with approximately 104 daily flights.
The busiest route from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is to Mombasa, which records an average of 105 flights every week, making it account for 13% of all weekly departures from the airport.
Kenya Airways is the leading carrier at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, operating about 310 scheduled departures each week. The second-largest operator at the airport is Jambojet Limited.
Top most frequented routes
- Moi International Airport (MBA), Mombasa, Kenya – 13 to 17 flights per day
- Kisumu International Airport (KIS), Kisumu, Kenya – 7 to 10 flights per day
- Entebbe International Airport (EBB), Uganda – 5 to 7 flights per day
- Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ), Tanzania – 5 to 8 flights per day
- Kigali International Airport (KGL), Rwanda – 5 to 6 flights per day
The top international destinations from here are Zanzibar and Entebbe in Uganda.
5. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – (Nairobi): 108 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
