• African airlines increased passenger traffic 11.7% year-on-year in January 2026, among the strongest growth rates globally.
• Airlines increased capacity 10.1%, while the load factor reached 77.4%.
• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects global traffic to grow 4.4% in 2026, reaching 5.2 billion passengers.

African airlines increased passenger traffic by 11.7% year-on-year in January, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Airlines also expanded overall capacity by 10.1%, while the load factor increased by 1.1 percentage points to 77.4%.

This performance highlighted strong momentum across the African aviation industry. Airlines also reported solid cargo activity, as air freight volumes rose 18.2% in January.

Africa and Latin America recorded the strongest traffic growth among global regions.

Latin American airlines increased passenger traffic 11.4%, closely matching the growth seen in Africa.

Other regions reported more moderate gains. Airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and the Middle East posted traffic growth of 4.4%, 6.3%, 3.4% and 7.2%, respectively.

At the global level, passenger traffic increased 3.8% year-on-year in January 2026, while the global load factor reached 82.0%, up 0.2 percentage points and marking a record for the month of January.

However, IATA said the overall January growth rate appeared weaker due to calendar effects linked to the Lunar New Year. “The Lunar New Year typically creates a peak in demand as families reunite to celebrate the holiday,” the association said. “The year-on-year comparison therefore makes January 2026 demand appear slightly weaker.” The holiday fell in January 2025 but shifted to February 2026, which distorted the comparison.

Despite this temporary distortion, most indicators suggest that demand could remain strong through 2026. For example, airline scheduling data shows that global seat capacity could rise 5.2% by March, which would mark the fastest expansion since April 2024. However, geopolitical risks could affect traffic and fuel costs. “The events of the weekend have introduced some uncertainty regarding traffic developments and fuel costs,” said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.

“We all hope for a quick peaceful resolution to the current hostilities. In the meantime, states must respect their obligation to ensure the safety of civilians and civil aviation,” Walsh added. The tensions stem from the armed conflict between the United States and Iran, which has raised concerns across the aviation sector.

IATA expects global air passenger traffic to increase 4.4% in 2026 compared with 2025, reaching a total of 5.2 billion travelers. In 2025, the global aviation industry recorded traffic growth of 5.3%.

Henoc Dossa