African airlines post 9.5% surge in passenger traffic, top load factor gains

BY CHUKWUEMEKE IWELUNMO

African airlines recorded a 9.5 per cent year-on-year increase in international passenger traffic in May 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), marking one of the strongest growth performances globally.

While the Asia-Pacific region led overall demand growth, African carriers achieved the highest improvement in load factor across all regions, rising by 2.2 percentage points to 74.9 per cent. This reflects a significant uptick in seat occupancy and highlights the continent’s growing importance in international air travel.

Driving this performance was a sharp increase in demand on the Africa–Asia route, which surged 15.9 per cent year-on-year in May, making it the fastest-growing international corridor worldwide for the month.

To support this growing traffic, African airlines expanded capacity by 6.2 per cent, effectively matching supply with rising demand and avoiding oversupply challenges.

“African airlines saw a 9.5 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 6.2 per cent year-on-year. The load factor was 74.9 per cent, up 2.2 percentage points compared to May 2024. Africa–Asia is the fastest-growing international corridor, with an expansion of 15.9 per cent,” IATA stated in its report.

Globally, international passenger traffic rose 6.7 per cent year-on-year in May 2025, while capacity increased by 6.4 per cent. The resulting international load factor climbed to 83.2 per cent, a new record for the month of May. Across both international and domestic markets, global air travel demand and capacity each rose by 5.0 per cent, while the average load factor dipped slightly to 83.4 per cent.

IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, noted that growth in May was uneven across regions, with Asia-Pacific leading overall, and Africa demonstrating notable strength in international markets. He warned that geopolitical instability, particularly in the Middle East, remains a concern, though oil prices remained low during the period.

Despite such risks, strong forward bookings for the Northern Hemisphere summer season signal continued momentum, with Africa’s performance reflecting a broader recovery trend driven by improved demand, stronger intercontinental connectivity, and more efficient airline operations.

Other global regions reported varied performances in May 2025. Asia-Pacific led with a 13.3 per cent increase in demand and a 10.6 per cent capacity rise, resulting in a load factor of 84.0 per cent, up 2.0 percentage points from May 2024. Latin America saw demand climb 8.8 per cent, but a sharper 11.0 per cent rise in capacity led to a lower load factor of 83.6 per cent.

In the Middle East, demand and capacity grew at 6.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively, with the load factor holding nearly steady at 80.9 per cent. European carriers posted a 4.1 per cent rise in demand and a 4.8 per cent capacity increase, resulting in a slightly lower load factor of 84.0 per cent.

North America recorded the weakest performance, with international demand rising just 1.4 per cent against a 1.7 per cent capacity increase, bringing the load factor down to 83.8 per cent, a 0.3 percentage point decline from May 2024.