African airlines recorded improved international seat occupancy in April 2026, with load factor rising to 77.9 per cent as passenger demand continued to strengthen across major routes.
This is according to data released by the International Air Transport Association, IATA, on global passenger demand for April 2026.
Load factor is a key aviation metric that measures how full flights are on average and indicates how efficiently airlines are filling available seats.
According to IATA, African airlines recorded a 2.2 per cent year-on-year increase in international passenger demand in April 2026, while capacity rose by 1.2 per cent within the same period.
The development means demand grew faster than available seats, allowing African carriers to fill more of their capacity during the month.
“African airlines saw a 2.2% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 1.2% year-on-year. The load factor was 77.9% (+0.7 ppt compared to April 2025),” the report stated.
The figures show that African carriers improved operational efficiency despite broader pressure in the global passenger market.
Globally, passenger demand fell by 3.4 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, while capacity declined by 2.9 per cent, leaving the global load factor at 83.1 per cent.
International passenger demand also dropped by 5.3 per cent, while capacity fell by 5.1 per cent. IATA noted that excluding the Middle East, global demand would have grown by 1.2 per cent, highlighting the impact of regional disruptions on the global aviation market.
The Middle East recorded the sharpest decline, with demand falling by 48.1 per cent and load factor dropping to 70.1 per cent, due largely to ongoing conflict and disruption of flight operations.
Regional performance remained mixed. Asia-Pacific airlines recorded a 3.0 per cent increase in demand with a load factor of 87.5 per cent, while Europe posted 0.9 per cent growth with a load factor of 84.9 per cent.
North America recorded flat growth with a load factor of 83.9 per cent, while Latin America led global regional growth with an 8.9 per cent increase in demand and a load factor of 84.6 per cent.
African airlines have maintained strong passenger demand momentum in 2026. In January, they led globally with an 11.7 per cent increase in international passenger demand. In February, demand rose by 4.8 per cent, although load factor declined to 74.5 per cent due to faster capacity expansion.
In March, demand surged by 19.2 per cent, with load factor improving to 77.7 per cent before rising further to 77.9 per cent in April.
The data indicates that African aviation demand remains resilient, with fluctuations in seat occupancy largely tied to how quickly airlines expand available capacity.
African carriers also recorded strong performance in air cargo. IATA said cargo demand for African airlines rose by 7.7 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, despite a 9.4 per cent decline in available capacity.
The cargo growth continues a positive trend for the continent’s carriers. African cargo demand rose by 7.0 per cent in March, 21 per cent in February, 18.2 per cent in January, 10.1 per cent in December 2025 and 15.6 per cent in November 2025.
The sustained rise reflects stronger aviation-linked trade flows, growing Africa-Asia trade activity and improving international connectivity across the continent.
