Africa's aviation market
Monthly airline data updates for the African market
September 2026
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How much airline capacity does Africa have in 2026?
Monthly scheduled capacity: September 2025 vs September 2026
Capacity to/from North Africa is the largest market with 7.4m seats, growing by 766,400 seats vs last year.
Capacity to/from Western Europe is the second largest market with 4.5m seats and has increased by 250,600 seats vs last year.
Capacity to/from Central/Western Africa grew by 16.1% (457,900 additional seats).
Are low cost carriers growing in Africa?
Mainline carriers represent 80% of the market and capacity increased by 8.9% vs Sept 25. LCCs are growing faster, up by 11.5% vs last year to 5.3m seats.
Mainline vs low-cost
Which African country has the most airline seats?
Egypt remains the largest country market in Africa with 3.1m seats in Sept 26, an increase of 13.4% vs last year.
With the Top 10 countries, capacity grew at the fastest rate again in Nigeria, with a 37.4% increase vs Sept 25 (322,800 additional seats). This is driven by currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement, and growing confidence from airlines looking to fly to Nigeria, as highlighted in OAG's recent African focused webinar.
Top 10 countries by seat capacity
Capacity changes by country · September 2025 vs September 2026
| Country | Sept 2025 seats | Sept 2026 seats | Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 2,718,100 | 3,082,900 | +364,800 | +13.4% |
| Nigeria | 864,100 | 1,186,900 | +322,800 | +37.4% |
| Morocco | 1,884,000 | 2,072,000 | +188,000 | +10.0% |
| South Africa | 2,276,900 | 2,428,100 | +151,200 | +6.6% |
| Tanzania | 655,900 | 733,000 | +77,100 | +11.7% |
| Algeria | 980,200 | 1,054,800 | +74,600 | +7.6% |
| Ethiopia | 1,323,100 | 1,406,600 | +83,500 | +6.3% |
| Tunisia | 765,300 | 789,800 | +24,500 | +3.2% |
| Ghana | 267,500 | 302,100 | +34,600 | +12.9% |
| Kenya | 826,200 | 833,100 | +6,900 | +0.8% |
Which African country has the most domestic flights?
South Africa remains the largest Domestic market in Africa, with 1.7m seats this month.
Domestic capacity increased by 44.8% in Nigeria to 877,000 seats in Sept 26 (271,400 additional seats).
Domestic capacity grew by 20.4% in Congo and 19.1% in Algeria vs last year.
Domestic capacity in Kenya reduced again this month by 10.5%, 42,300 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 Sept 26, an increase of 10% (189,600 additional seats).
Within the Top 10, Air Peace grew at the fastest rate in the region of 54.7% (125,400 additional seats), followed by Royal Air Maroc increasing by 19.2% (127,800 seats) vs last year.
Seat capacity by airline
| No | Airline | Sept 2025 seats | Sept 2026 seats | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ethiopian Airlines | 1,897,820 | 2,087,386 | +10.0% |
| 2. | Safair | 1,005,189 | 1,076,166 | +7.1% |
| 3. | Egyptair | 834,956 | 890,773 | +6.7% |
| 4. | Royal Air Maroc | 665,434 | 793,257 | +19.2% |
| 5. | Air Algerie | 667,810 | 756,627 | +13.3% |
| 6. | Airlink | 511,989 | 538,052 | +5.1% |
| 7. | Ryanair | 448,952 | 472,839 | +5.3% |
| 8. | Emirates | 390,579 | 427,100 | +9.3% |
| 9. | Air Cairo | 313,611 | 360,502 | +14.9% |
| 10. | Air Peace | 229,412 | 354,804 | +54.7% |
Air Cairo enters the top 10 at #9 with 360,502 seats (+14.9%) and Air Peace returns at #10 with 354,804 seats (+54.7%). Transavia.com France and Kenya Airways drop out of the top 10 this month.
What is the busiest airport in Africa?
Cairo remains the largest airport in the continent with 1.8m seats in Sept 26, capacity increased by 11.2% vs Sept 25.
Fastest growth within the Top 10 largest airports in Africa came from Lagos, with an increases of 24.1% (90,600 seats). Followed by Casablanca, Morocco, where it grew by 13.5% (87,500 seats).
| No | Code | Airport | Seats | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | CAI | Cairo | 1.79m | +11.2% |
| 2. | ADD | Addis Ababa | 1.19m | +6.5% |
| 3. | JNB | Johannesburg | 1.16m | +5.0% |
| 4. | CMN | Casablanca | 0.73m | +13.5% |
| 5. | CPT | Cape Town | 0.59m | +11.3% |
| 6. | ALG | Algiers | 0.58m | +3.8% |
| 7. | RAK | Marrakech | 0.53m | +10.5% |
| 8. | NBO | Nairobi | 0.52m | +11.9% |
| 9. | LOS | Lagos | 0.47m | +24.1% |
| 10. | TUN | Tunis | 0.46m | +8.2% |
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 9.8m seats (619,500 additional seats vs Sept 25).
Capacity to the Middle East is the second largest market with 4.7m seats, increasing by 10.8% in Sept 26.
Capacity by destination region
Capacity to the Middle East is the second largest market with 4.7m seats, increasing by 10.8% in Sept 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 9.4% vs Sept 25 to 25.8m seats. International capacity represents 78% of total capacity and is up by 8.9% vs Sept 25. Domestic capacity increased by 11.6%.