Africa’s domestic flights hit 28.4% share, surpassing intra-African travel in 2025 surge – Afraa

AFRICA – Africa’s aviation sector has witnessed domestic routes claim 28.4% of passenger traffic in 2025, up from 28% in 2024, overtaking intra-African flights at 26.7% (down from 32%), while intercontinental travel rose to 44.9%, per African Airlines Association (Afraa) data.

Total passengers reached 98 million, a 15% jump from 85 million, with 115 million projected for 2026.

Shifting Traffic Patterns

Domestic passengers in the continent grew modestly by 200,000 to 18.7 million, while intra-Africa numbers plunged to 17.6 million from 21.2 million, hampered by high taxes, visa barriers, and geopolitical tensions.

Intercontinental dominance reflects carriers’ reliance on lucrative long-haul revenue amid regional constraints.

Key Carrier Performances

South Africa’s Safair and Nigeria’s Air Peace, major domestic players, did not report, likely understating totals.

Kenya’s Jambojet boosted domestic load by 3% to 1.234 million; Kenya Airways dipped slightly to 618,000; Precision Air fell to 240,000; RwandAir held steady at 22,000.

Boeing predicts fleet expansion from 715 to 965-1,680 aircraft over 20 years, with 76% single-aisle jets for short-haul demand.

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka blames slow Single African Air Transport Market rollout for fragmentation among small national airlines.

Broader Implications

Turboprops and regional jets fuel local growth, contrasting global widebody orders like Ethiopian’s Dubai Air Show deals.

The surge is fueled by low-cost carriers (LCCs) like FlySafair and Jambojet offering affordable fares on underserved routes.

LCC capacity jumped 9.4% to 2.4 million seats in May 2025, capturing 16% market share as rising middle-class incomes and economic growth boost demand for short-haul connectivity.

Key drivers include LCC route incubation, e.g., Jambojet scaling Eldoret from 108,000 to 267,000 passengers (2014-2024), and high load factors (83.5% domestic).

Infrastructure improvements in hubs like Johannesburg and Cape Town, plus tourism recovery, enable efficient turboprop/regional jet operations amid intra-regional barriers like taxes and visas.​

South Africa’s 60% LCC domestic penetration exemplifies success, with carriers like FlySafair achieving 93.82% on-time performance.

Policies supporting LCCs, economic diversification, and AfCFTA potential further accelerate this trend, positioning domestic flights as aviation’s “silent driver” despite global widebody focus.

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