African airlines saw a 13.6% rise in international passenger demand in April 2025 compared to April 2024, showing steady recovery and growth in Africa’s aviation market amid a global rebound.
This data was obtained from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s April 2025 report, which also showed African carriers increased international passenger capacity by 8.9% year-on-year.
Despite this growth, Africa recorded the lowest load factor among regions at 76.3%, meaning fewer than eight in ten seats on international flights were filled.
Passenger demand measures paying passengers multiplied by distance flown, capacity counts available seats times distance, and load factor is the percentage of seats occupied—a key measure of airline efficiency and profitability.
The report noted, “African airlines saw a 13.6% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity rose 8.9% year-on-year. The load factor reached 76.3%, a 3.1 percentage point increase from April 2024.”
Following two months of decline, this rebound signals a positive recovery for African carriers. However, the region’s comparatively low load factor points to continued opportunities for market growth and improved operational efficiency.
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Looking at the global landscape, international passenger demand grew by 10.8% in April 2025, with every region showing growth except Latin America, which experienced a slight dip in its load factor.
The Asia-Pacific region led this expansion, posting a remarkable 14.4% increase in international passenger demand, supported by a 12.7% capacity rise and an 85.3% load factor—one of the highest worldwide. European carriers followed, with a 9.4% increase in demand and an 84.5% load factor.
- Middle Eastern airlines also performed strongly, growing international passenger demand by 11.2%, capacity by 6.6%, and improving their load factor by 3.4 percentage points to 83.1%.
- North American carriers recorded a 5.4% increase in passenger demand but faced challenges in premium travel segments, evidenced by a 26% drop in First and Business class demand. Nevertheless, their load factor increased to 83.4%.
- Latin American airlines saw a 13.9% rise in international passenger demand, with capacity growing even faster at 14.6%, though their load factor fell slightly by 0.6 percentage points to 83.2%.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, highlighted the positive momentum for airlines worldwide, noting that April was a strong month for travel with growth strengthening, particularly in international demand and record load factors for the month.
He pointed out the encouraging return of growth in the transatlantic market but also cautioned about signs of fragile consumer and business confidence, highlighted by continued weakness in the US domestic market and a sharp decline in North American premium class travel.
