African airlines saw passenger traffic soar 10.3% in December 2025, marking one of the strongest monthly performances for the region in recent history.
This is according to the International Air Transport Association 2025 full-year and December passenger market performance report.
The increase highlights growing demand for air travel within Africa and reflects a robust recovery driven by holiday travel, improved connectivity, and rising interest in both domestic and regional flights.
What the report is saying
For the full year 2025, African airlines recorded 7.8% growth in passenger demand compared to 2024, while capacity rose 6.5%.
The region’s load factor, which measures seat occupancy, climbed 0.9 percentage points to 74.9%, setting a record high for Africa.
December 2025 alone saw the largest monthly growth for African airlines, reflecting strong seasonal travel and sustained recovery momentum.
“African airlines’ annual traffic rose 7.8% in 2025 versus the prior year. Full year 2025 capacity was up 6.5% and load factor climbed 0.9 ppt to 74.9%.
“This was the lowest load factor among regions, but a record high for Africa and the strongest load factor increase of any region. December 2025 traffic for African airlines rose 10.3% over December 2024,” the report read in part.
- Globally, 2025 saw record-high air travel demand. Total passenger traffic rose 5.3% over 2024, with capacity up 5.2%, pushing the global load factor to 83.6%, a full-year record.
- International travel led growth, with demand up 7.1% and capacity up 6.8%, while domestic demand grew 2.4% and load factor edged down 0.1 percentage point to 83.7%. December 2025 saw overall demand rise 5.6%, capacity increase 5.9%, and load factor reach 83.7%.
Regional performances beyond Africa
Asia-Pacific airlines posted 10.9% growth in full-year international traffic, with capacity up 10.2% and a load factor of 84.4%, the highest of any region. December demand for the region grew 7.5% year-on-year.
- European carriers saw 6.0% full-year international traffic growth, with capacity rising 5.9% and load factor improving 0.1 percentage point to 84.1%. December demand climbed 8.4% compared to the previous year.
- Middle Eastern airlines experienced 6.7% traffic growth for the full year, with capacity up 5.8% and load factor rising 0.7 percentage points to 81.6%. December demand jumped 9.5% year-on-year.
North American carriers recorded the slowest growth, with 2.1% full-year traffic growth, capacity up 2.4%, and load factor down 0.2 percentage points to 83.9%. December traffic rose 3.5%.
Latin American airlines saw 8.6% growth in full-year traffic, with capacity expanding 10.2%, resulting in a 1.2 percentage point decline in load factor to 83.6%. December demand grew 8.2%.
More insights
The strong 10.3% growth in African passenger traffic in December 2025 was reflected in outbound seat concentration at the continent’s major hubs.
Cairo International Airport ranked first, recording 1,687,283 departing seats during the month.
- It was followed by O.R. Tambo International Airport in second place with 1,224,799 seats, while Addis Ababa Bole International Airport ranked third with 1,173,631 seats.
- In fourth place, Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport handled 684,337 departing seats, closely followed by Cape Town International Airport, which ranked fifth with 663,879 seats.
Marrakech Menara International Airport placed sixth, recording 587,925 seats, while Houari Boumediene International Airport ranked seventh with 552,147 seats.
Rounding out the top ten, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ranked eighth with 505,114 departing seats, Murtala Muhammed International Airport placed ninth with 495,635, and Hurghada International Airport ranked tenth, recording 469,149 seats.
What you should know
In November 2025, African airlines posted the strongest growth in global air cargo demand, with volumes rising 15.6% year-on-year. Available cargo capacity for African carriers increased 18.1%, the largest growth of any region for the month.
- Globally, air cargo demand grew 5.5%, with international shipments up 6.9%. Global capacity rose 4.7%, and 6.5% for international operations, reflecting strong seasonal demand and strategic trade re-routing.
- Other regions recorded mixed results. Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand rise 10.3% and capacity increase 8.4%. European carriers posted 5.8% growth in demand with 4.1% higher capacity.
Middle Eastern airlines grew demand 7.4% and capacity 11%. In contrast, North American carriers faced a slight decline, with demand down 1.6% and capacity down 2.3%, while Latin American and Caribbean airlines recorded demand falling 4.8% and capacity decreasing 3.0%.
