In March 2024, African airlines experienced an 8.1% year-on-year increase in international passenger demand, signaling robust growth in international passenger markets during that period.
This information is sourced from the March 2024 International Air Transport Association (IATA) Air Passenger Market Analysis report, as published on the IATA website.
Additionally, the report noted that the capacity of African airlines increased by 11% year-on-year to meet the rising passenger demand.
However, the load factor of African airlines in March 2024 dropped to 70.3%, indicating that, on average, flights were 70.3% full during this period, reflecting a slight 1.9 percentage point decline compared to March 2023.
- “African airlines saw an 8.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 11.0% year-on-year. The load factor fell to 70.3% (-1.9ppt compared to March 2023),” the report read in part.
Comparing the 8.1% year-on-year increase in international passenger demand of African airlines to other regions across the world in March, Asia-Pacific airlines recorded the highest increase at 38.5%. European carriers experienced an 11.6% rise in demand, while Middle Eastern airlines saw a 10.8% increase. North American carriers reported a 14.5% growth in demand, and Latin American airlines witnessed a surge of 19.7% in international passengers.
In terms of the capacity and load factor of airlines in other regions for March 2024, Asia-Pacific airlines experienced a 37.4% capacity growth with an 85.6% load factor, while European carriers saw an 11.4% capacity increase and a 79.9% load factor. Middle Eastern airlines had a 13.9% capacity growth and a 77.5% load factor; North American airlines reported a 14.8% capacity growth and an 84.7% load factor, while Latin American airlines maintained an 84.3% load factor.
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More insight
- In March 2024, the global airline industry’s total Revenue Passenger-Kilometers (RPK) maintained a robust growth trajectory, increasing by 13.8% annually, primarily fueled by strong international traffic. Although this growth rate was slightly lower than in February 2024, it reflects the industry’s achievement of record levels of passenger traffic, surpassing the historical peak set in 2019.
- Passenger load factors (PLF) exceeded 2023 levels, while available seat capacity continued to align with rising demand, the IATA report also noted.
- International traffic exhibited resilient momentum, with RPK growing by 18.9% year-on-year (YoY) across the entire industry. Particularly noteworthy was the rapid surge in traffic from the Asia Pacific region, while other regions maintained consistent performance compared to the previous month.
Recommended reading: African airlines see 20.7% year-on-year increase for international passenger traffic
