African Airlines Buck Global Trend with 8% Demand Surge in September
African airlines recorded an 8.0% year-on-year increase in international passenger demand in September 2026, making the continent one of the strongest-performing regions globally at a time when overall air passenger demand fell 0.5%. Capacity across African carriers rose 8.8% year-on-year, reflecting continued investment in seat supply, while Africa's share of global revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) stood at 2.2% - with the region posting a 5.0% RPK growth against a total market contraction.
Despite the positive demand trajectory, Africa's load factor dipped 0.6 percentage points to 74.8% for international routes, and 73.5% overall - the lowest of any region tracked by IATA. This indicates that capacity additions are currently outpacing passenger uptake, a trend worth monitoring as global scheduled seat capacity is expected to remain above 2025 levels through October and November. IATA's Chief Economist, Marie Owens Thomsen, noted that growth rates globally "remain weak and highly unbalanced between regions" amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and volatile fuel prices.
Source: IATA
