Africa’s Aviation Sector in Q3 2024: AFRAA’s Insights

AFRAA Air Transport Report Q3 2024: Passenger Growth, Connectivity, and Market Trends

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The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has released its Q3 2024 Air Transport Report, providing a detailed overview of the continent’s airline industry performance amidst a backdrop of global recovery and ongoing challenges.

Global Airline Industry: Recovery with Challenges

According to AFRAA, the global airline industry experienced continued recovery in Q3 2024, marked by:

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  • $112 billion in revenue, a 4% year-on-year increase (OAG data).
  • Growth in passenger demand, driven by higher ticket prices and strong international travel.
  • The ASK (Available Seat Kilometers) metric reached 105.2% of Q3 2023 levels, while RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers) hit 103.5%, demonstrating capacity growth.
  • North America and Europe remain the strongest-performing regions, fueling global air traffic.

Despite growth, airlines face fuel price volatility, labour shortages, and geopolitical instability, impacting profitability.

“Europe remains the top destination region for African airlines, with traffic to Europe represenng 36% of the total. Egypt is the leading country of origin, while France is the primary destination.”

African Airlines Performance

African airlines have seen notable progress, with:

  • Passenger revenue increasing by 3% year-on-year in Q3 2024.
  • ASKs growing by 8%, while RPKs rose by 7.4%, signalling strong demand.
  • International travel in Q3 2024 accounting for 37% of total traffic, with intra-African flights at 31% and domestic flights at 32% (OAG Data).

Regional Insights

AFRAA’s report reveals notable trends in different African regions in Q3 2024:

Northern Africa

  • Leads the continent with 44.1% of total traffic.
  • 92% of travel is intercontinental, mainly to Europe and the Middle East.
  • Morocco is the top source of traffic to Europe—France, UK, Germany, and Italy (Source: OAG).
  • The Middle East is the third most popular destination region, with Egypt as the leading contributor (key destinations: Saudi Arabia and UAE).

Southern Africa

  • Accounts for 19.4% of Africa’s air traffic, with domestic travel making up 64%.
  • Intra-African travel leads international demand (56% share), with South Africa–Zimbabwe and South Africa–Namibia as primary pairs.
  • Outside Africa, Europe (27%) and America (8%) were leading intercontinental destinations (Source: OAG).

Eastern Africa

  • Represents 18.5% of total traffic, with Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda driving 40% of intra-African movement.
  • Traffic to Europe is significant at 32%, with the Middle East accounting for 14%.

Central & Western Africa

  • Together account for 18% of Africa’s total traffic, with 44% intra-African movement.
  • Europe is the primary external destination (39%), followed by America (8%) and Middle East (7%) (Source: OAG).
  • Domestic market accounted for 43%.

African Airline Rankings

AFRAA ranks airlines by estimated passenger traffic Q3 2024 (OAG Estimates), with Ethiopian Airlines leading:

  1. Ethiopian Airlines
  2. EgyptAir
  3. Air Algérie
  4. FlySafair (predominantly domestic passengers)
  5. Royal Air Maroc
  6. Airlink
  7. Kenya Airways
  8. Air Cairo
  9. Tunisair
  10. Air Arabia Maroc

AFRAA notes the data here are estimations and have not been confirmed by airlines

Busiest Routes

Top 3 Intra-African Routes by Passengers Carried in Q3 2024 (OAG Estimations):

  1. Johannesburg – Maputo
  2. Johannesburg – Mauritius
  3. Accra – Lagos

Top 3 Intercontinental Routes by Passengers Carried in Q3 2024 (OAG Estimations):

  1. Paris – Tunis
  2. Cairo – Damman
  3. Marrakech – Paris Orly

Airport Rankings

African Airports Rankings by Passenger Numbers (OAG Estimates)

AFRAA highlights Africa’s busiest airports in Q3 2024, led by:

  1. Cairo
  2. Johannesburg
  3. Addis Ababa
  4. Algiers
  5. Casablanca
  6. Cape Town
  7. Tunisia
  8. Nairobi
  9. Lagos
  10. Abuja

Airport Charges: Impact on Traffic

AFRAA’s comparative study on B737 aircraft charges (most popular aircraft type in the region) reveals:

  • Luanda has the highest airport charges, while Algiers has the lowest.
  • Johannesburg and Cairo maintain below-average airport fees, suggesting that lower costs can boost passenger traffic.

Intra-African Connectivity

AFRAA reports that 7 out of Africa’s 54 countries offered direct flights to more than 20 other African nations in Q3 2024.

Ethiopia leads with the most extensive intra-African flight network, followed by Morocco and Kenya.

Top Countries Offering Direct Flights in Africa

These countries offer the most direct flights as per OAG:

  • Ethiopia – 38 direct connections
  • Morocco – 26
  • Kenya – 26
  • South Africa – 23
  • Côte d’Ivoire – 23
  • Egypt – 23
  • Nigeria – 21

Connectivity Within and Between African Regions:

  • Overall connectivity is relatively high, particularly in Northern Africa region (67%).
  • Inter-regional connectivity remains limited.
  • Highest inter-regional connectivity: Northern and Western Africa (36%).
  • Lowest inter-regional connectivity: Northern Africa – Southern Africa (3%) and Southern – Western Africa (3%).

Visa Openness within Africa

AFRAA highlights the most and least open African countries, with visa policies playing a role in travel ease (visaopenness.com):

  • Highest Openness (no visa required for citizens of 53 African countries): Benin, Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia.
  • Lowest Openness (visa required for citizens of 51 African countries): Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Sudan.

Readers are encouraged to consult the full AFRAA Air Transport Report Q3 2024 report.

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