African airlines recorded a 5.3% year-on-year increase in international passenger demand in September 2025, reflecting steady recovery across the continent’s aviation sector, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The IATA’s September 2025 global air travel report showed that Africa’s load factor — a key measure of seat occupancy — rose slightly to 74.7%, up 0.1 percentage points from the same period in 2024. The improvement was supported by a 5.1% expansion in capacity, which refers to the total number of available seats for sale.
The modest rise in load factor suggests that demand growth slightly outpaced capacity, signaling efficient route optimization and stronger passenger volumes, particularly on intra-African routes and business and leisure travel corridors connecting major regional hubs.
“African airlines saw a 5.3% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 5.1% year-on-year. The load factor was 74.7% (+0.1 ppt compared to September 2024),” the IATA report noted.
The data underscores a broader post-pandemic recovery trend in international air travel, with African carriers steadily regaining traffic levels amid rising connectivity and tourism demand.
On a global scale, IATA reported that total passenger demand grew by 3.6% in September 2025 compared to a year earlier, while capacity rose 3.7%. The global load factor stood at 83.4%, slightly lower by 0.1 percentage points year-on-year.
International demand globally was up 5.1%, with capacity up 5.2%, maintaining a high load factor of 83.6%, while domestic markets posted modest gains of 0.9% in demand and 1.1% in capacity, achieving a load factor of 83.0%.
IATA said the figures point to “continued resilience in passenger travel demand” despite economic pressures, with the strongest growth coming from regions like Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific where cross-border connectivity continues to expand.
