Africa's aviation market
Monthly airline data updates for the African market
July 2026
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How much airline capacity does Africa have in 2026?
Monthly scheduled capacity: July 2025 vs July 2026
Capacity to/from North Africa remains the largest market with 7.4m seats, growing by 558,000 seats vs last year.
Capacity to/from Europe is the second largest market with 4.9m seats and growing by 245,900 seats vs last year.
Capacity to/from Central/Western Africa grew by 17.4%, an additional 498,000 seats.
Are low cost carriers growing in Africa?
Mainline carriers represent 80% of the African market with 20.9m seats, growing by 7.8% vs July 2025. Low cost carriers hold 20% of the market with 5.3m seats, growing by 6.6% year on year.
Mainline vs low-cost
Which African country has the most airline seats?
Egypt remains the largest country market in Africa with 2.9m seats in July 26, an increase of 6.9% vs last year.
With the Top 10 countries, capacity grew at the fastest rate again in Nigeria, with a 44.5% increase vs July 25 (376,800 additional seats).
Top 10 countries by seat capacity
Capacity changes by country · July 2025 vs July 2026
| Country | July 2025 seats | July 2026 seats | Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 847,200 | 1,224,100 | +376,900 | +44.5% |
| Morocco | 1,974,300 | 2,180,200 | +205,900 | +10.4% |
| Egypt | 2,739,100 | 2,929,200 | +190,000 | +6.9% |
| Ethiopia | 1,314,300 | 1,450,300 | +136,000 | +10.3% |
| South Africa | 2,252,300 | 2,378,200 | +125,900 | +5.6% |
| Tanzania | 684,500 | 756,200 | +71,700 | +10.5% |
| Algeria | 1,059,900 | 1,114,700 | +54,800 | +5.2% |
| Tunisia | 853,500 | 886,800 | +33,300 | +3.9% |
| Ghana | 273,800 | 292,500 | +18,700 | +6.8% |
| Kenya | 874,100 | 859,800 | −14,400 | −1.6% |
Which African country has the most domestic flights?
South Africa continues to be the largest Domestic market in Africa, with 1.6m seats this month.
Domestic capacity increased by 54.8% in Nigeria to 921,100 seats in July 26 - 326,200 additional seats.
Domestic capacity grew by 26.8% in Egypt and 22% in Congo vs last year.
Domestic capacity in Kenya reduced by 13.3%, 56,100 fewer seats.
Top 10 domestic markets by seat capacity
Which is the biggest airline in Africa?
Ethiopian Airlines remains Africa's largest carrier, operating 2.1m seats in July 26, an increase of 12.1%, 230,000 additional seats.
Within the Top 10, Air Peace grew at the fastest rate of 50.6% (121,000 additional seats), followed by Royal Air Maroc increasing by 16.4% (120,100 seats) vs last year.
Seat capacity by airline
| No | Airline | July 2025 seats | July 2026 seats | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ethiopian Airlines | 1,906,200 | 2,136,300 | +12.1% |
| 2. | Safair | 992,900 | 1,014,200 | +2.1% |
| 3. | Egyptair | 795,500 | 870,800 | +9.5% |
| 4. | Royal Air Maroc | 732,200 | 852,300 | +16.4% |
| 5. | Air Algerie | 691,200 | 758,900 | +9.8% |
| 6. | Airlink | 526,300 | 557,000 | +5.8% |
| 7. | Ryanair | 468,200 | 505,700 | +8.0% |
| 8. | Emirates | 394,300 | 429,400 | +8.9% |
| 9. | Transavia.com France | 370,600 | 393,200 | +6.1% |
| 10. | Air Peace | 239,200 | 360,200 | +50.6% |
Turkish Airlines declined by 7.7%, taking it out of the Top 10 Airlines in Africa.
What is the busiest airport in Africa?
Cairo remains the largest airport in the continent with 1.7m seats in July 26, capacity increased by 5.5% vs July 25.
Fastest growth within the Top 10 largest airports in Africa came from Lagos, with an increases of 29.6% (109,400 seats). Followed by Casablanca, Morrocco, where it grew by 13% (91,200 seats) and Addis Ababa, where it grew by 12.1% (133,600 seats).
| No | Code | Airport | Seats | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | CAI | Cairo | 1.73m | +5.5% |
| 2. | ADD | Addis Ababa | 1.24m | +12.1% |
| 3. | JNB | Johannesburg | 1.16m | +6.2% |
| 4. | CMN | Casablanca | 0.79m | +13.0% |
| 5. | ALG | Algiers | 0.62m | +1.4% |
| 6. | CPT | Cape Town | 0.57m | +10.6% |
| 7. | NBO | Nairobi | 0.55m | +10.5% |
| 8. | TUN | Tunis | 0.50m | +8.8% |
| 9. | LOS | Lagos | 0.48m | +29.6% |
| 10. | RAK | Marrakech | 0.47m | +9.0% |
Source: OAG · hover chart or click a table row to cross-highlight
Where do African airlines fly internationally?
Capacity to Europe remains the largest International destination region, with 10.5m seats (572,200 additional seats vs July 25).
Capacity by destination region
Capacity to the Middle East is the second largest market with 4.6m seats, increasing by 6.1% in July 26.
Africa aviation: frequently asked questions
How much airline capacity is there in Africa? Find out with new data each month. Data is sourced from OAG's Schedules Analyser.
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Total capacity across Africa this month has increased by 7.5% vs July 25 to 26.3m seats. International capacity represents 79% of total capacity and is up by 6.6% vs July 25. Domestic capacity increased by 11.1%.