- African airlines record 11.7% passenger growth.
- Cargo demand surges 18.2%, fastest globally.
African airlines began 2026 with double-digit passenger and cargo growth, outpacing global averages and recording the strongest freight expansion of any region, industry data showed.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), African carriers posted an 11.7% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in January compared with the same month in 2025. Capacity rose 10.1% over the period, pushing load factor to 77.4%, up 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier.
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