African airlines led global international air travel growth in January 2026, recording an 11.7% year-on-year increase in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), according to a report released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday and obtained by ENigeria Newspaper.
The surge marks the highest growth among all regions, reflecting strong demand for cross-border travel and a solid recovery in the African aviation sector. Capacity, measured as available seat kilometers (ASK), rose 10.1%, while the load factor, the percentage of seats filled by paying passengers, reached 77.4%, up 1.1 percentage points from January 2025.
Globally, international air travel demand grew 5.9% year-on-year, with an overall load factor of 82.5%, a record high for the month. Domestic travel growth was more modest, with demand up 0.1% and capacity slightly down 0.4%.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh noted that African carriers’ performance continues a trend of strong recovery in the region, building on December 2025, which saw a 10.3% increase in passenger traffic.
For the full year 2025, African airlines recorded 7.8% growth in passenger demand and 6.5% growth in capacity, with the load factor reaching a record 74.9%.
While Africa led international demand growth, other regions also posted increases. Latin America saw 11.4% growth, the Middle East 7.2%, Europe 6.3%, Asia-Pacific 4.4%, and North America 3.4%. Walsh cautioned, however, that geopolitical tensions and rising fuel costs could affect the pace of growth in the months ahead.
