African airlines recorded the highest growth in international air travel demand in January 2026, with revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) rising 11.7% year-on-year.
This data comes from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) global passenger demand report released on Monday, March 2, 2026.
The growth shows that African carriers led global international demand expansion, surpassing all other regions and reflecting strong momentum in cross-border travel.
What the data is saying
African airlines saw an 11.7% increase in international RPK in January 2026, with capacity, measured as available seat kilometers (ASK), rising 10.1% year-on-year. The load factor, which measures the percentage of seats filled by paying passengers, reached 77.4%, up 1.1 percentage points from January 2025, showing more efficiently filled flights.
- “African airlines saw an 11.7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 10.1% year-on-year. The load factor was 77.4% (+1.1 ppt compared to January 2025),” the IATA report stated.
Globally, international demand rose 5.9% year-on-year, with an overall load factor of 82.5%, a record high for the month.
- Domestic travel grew modestly, with overall demand up 0.1%, capacity down 0.4%, and load factor at 81.2%, up 0.4 percentage points from January 2025.
- The data confirms that African carriers outperformed all other regions in international travel demand for January 2026, highlighting the region’s strong recovery trajectory.
Regional performances beyond Africa
While Africa led international air travel growth, other regions also posted notable increases, though none matched the continent’s pace. Latin American airlines saw demand rise 11.4% year-on-year, with capacity up 8.9% and a load factor of 86.5%, marking a 2.0 percentage point increase.
- Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 7.2% growth in demand and a slight decline in load factor to 83.2%, while European airlines recorded 6.3% demand growth and a load factor of 79.4%.
- Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand grow 4.4%, with capacity rising 5.2% and a load factor of 85.9%, slightly lower than January 2025.
- North American carriers experienced the slowest growth, with demand up 3.4%, capacity increasing 2.6%, and load factor improving to 82.3%.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh noted that global seat capacity is projected to increase 5.2% by March 2026, the fastest expansion since April 2024, but geopolitical tensions could introduce uncertainties for traffic and fuel costs.
What you should know
African airlines have maintained strong growth momentum, with passenger traffic rising 10.3% in December 2025, one of the region’s best monthly performances in recent history.
- For the full year 2025, African airlines recorded 7.8% growth in passenger demand and 6.5% increase in capacity, with the load factor climbing to a record 74.9%.
- December 2025 marked the largest monthly growth for African carriers, reflecting strong seasonal travel.
- Asia-Pacific airlines posted 10.9% full-year international traffic growth, with the highest regional load factor at 84.4%.
European carriers recorded 6.0% full-year growth, Middle Eastern airlines 6.7%, North American 2.1%, and Latin American 8.6%.
The strong start to 2026 for African airlines reflects continued recovery from the pandemic, robust demand for international travel, and efficient capacity management across the region.
