Africa's aviation market
Monthly airline data updates for the African market
August 2026
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How much airline capacity does Africa have in 2026?
Monthly scheduled capacity: August 2025 vs August 2026
Capacity to/from North Africa is the largest market with 7.9m seats, growing by 751,400 seats vs last year.
Capacity to/from Central/Western Africa grew by 15.9% - 472,200 additional seats.
Are low cost carriers growing in Africa?
Mainline carriers represent 80% of the market and capacity increased by 8.1% vs Aug 25. LCCs grew by 9.8% vs last year to 5.6m seats.
Mainline vs low-cost
Which African country has the most airline seats?
Egypt remains the largest country market in Africa with 3.2m seats in Aug 26, an increase of 12.1% vs last year.
With the Top 10 countries, capacity grew at the fastest rate again in Nigeria, with a 37% increase vs Aug 25 (330,700 additional seats).
Top 10 countries by seat capacity
Capacity changes by country · August 2025 vs August 2026
| Country | Aug 2025 seats | Aug 2026 seats | Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 2,851,200 | 3,196,300 | +345,100 | +12.1% |
| Nigeria | 893,700 | 1,224,400 | +330,700 | +37.0% |
| Morocco | 2,032,900 | 2,212,400 | +179,500 | +8.8% |
| Ethiopia | 1,362,200 | 1,475,300 | +113,100 | +8.3% |
| Algeria | 1,097,100 | 1,206,900 | +109,800 | +10.0% |
| Tanzania | 695,400 | 785,100 | +89,700 | +12.9% |
| South Africa | 2,277,800 | 2,339,000 | +61,200 | +2.7% |
| Tunisia | 889,600 | 931,300 | +41,700 | +4.7% |
| Ghana | 277,100 | 302,000 | +24,900 | +9.0% |
| Kenya | 898,100 | 897,100 | −1,000 | −0.1% |
Which African country has the most domestic flights?
South Africa remains the largest Domestic market in Africa, with 1.6m seats this month.
Domestic capacity increased by 42.6% in Nigeria to 907,600 seats in August 26 - 271,000 additional seats.
Domestic capacity grew by 25.2% in Egypt and 44% in Congo vs last year.
Domestic capacity in Kenya reduced again this month by 11.2%, 48,800 fewer seats.
Top 10 domestic markets by seat capacity
Which is the biggest airline in Africa?
Ethiopian Airlines remains Africa's largest carrier, operating 2.2m seats in August 26, an increase of 10.9%, 215,200 additional seats.
Within the Top 10, Air Algeria grew at the fastest rate in the region of 16.8% (119,000 additional seats), followed by Royal Air Maroc increasing by 13.2% (101,000 seats) vs last year.
Seat capacity by airline
| No | Airline | Aug 2025 seats | Aug 2026 seats | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ethiopian Airlines | 1,970,700 | 2,185,900 | +10.9% |
| 2. | Safair | 995,900 | 984,700 | −1.1% |
| 3. | Egyptair | 853,200 | 922,600 | +8.1% |
| 4. | Royal Air Maroc | 767,100 | 868,100 | +13.2% |
| 5. | Air Algerie | 706,900 | 825,900 | +16.8% |
| 6. | Airlink | 526,300 | 560,700 | +6.5% |
| 7. | Ryanair | 470,800 | 506,100 | +7.5% |
| 8. | Emirates | 404,400 | 430,200 | +6.4% |
| 9. | Transavia.com France | 379,900 | 419,300 | +10.4% |
| 10. | Kenya Airways | 380,300 | 373,700 | −1.7% |
Air Peace drops out of the top 10 in August. Kenya Airways re-enters at #10 with 373,700 seats, though it declined by 1.7% vs August 2025.
What is the busiest airport in Africa?
Cairo remains the largest airport in the continent with 1.9m seats in August 26, capacity increased by 8.4% vs August 25.
Fastest growth within the Top 10 largest airports in Africa came from Lagos, with an increases of 25.6% (98,400 seats). Followed by Hurghada, Egypt, where capacity grew by 18.6% (75,300 seats).
| No | Code | Airport | Seats | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | CAI | Cairo | 1.85m | +8.4% |
| 2. | ADD | Addis Ababa | 1.25m | +8.4% |
| 3. | JNB | Johannesburg | 1.15m | +3.5% |
| 4. | CMN | Casablanca | 0.80m | +10.1% |
| 5. | ALG | Algiers | 0.68m | +7.2% |
| 6. | NBO | Nairobi | 0.57m | +10.5% |
| 7. | CPT | Cape Town | 0.56m | +6.5% |
| 8. | TUN | Tunis | 0.53m | +7.3% |
| 9. | LOS | Lagos | 0.48m | +25.6% |
| 10. | HRG | Hurghada | 0.48m | +18.6% |
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 10.8m seats (664,600 additional seats vs Aug 25).
Capacity by destination region
Capacity to the Middle East is the second largest market with 4.9m seats, increasing by 8.1% in Aug 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 8.4% vs Aug 25 to 27.3m seats. International capacity represents 79% of total capacity and is up by 7.8% vs Aug 25. Domestic capacity increased by 11%.