(Ecofin Agency) – For several months, growth has continued for the passenger segment among African airlines. A dynamic which was confirmed in September and which aligns with forecasts of +5.7% per year on average until 2034.
While the African air cargo market grew by only 1.7% in September 2024, the passenger segment shows growth of 11.9% year-on-year. The latest report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that capacity among all airlines on the continent increased by 6.6% year-on-year, and that the load factor rose to 76 .0%.
These figures position Africa as the region with the 3e best performance in September, behind Asia-Pacific and Latin America, whose companies saw their figures grow by 18.5% and 12.4% respectively year-on-year. Carriers in Europe, the Middle East and North America recorded growth estimated at 7.6%, 4.4% and 0.5% respectively. The best load factor was nevertheless observed among European companies with 85.9%.
The cumulative performance of all regions stood at 7.1%, the result of growth of 9.2% for international flights and 3.7% for domestic flights. Overall global capacity increased by 5.8% year-on-year while load factor stood at 83.6%.
The increase in flows was stimulated by several factors, including the last high summer season. However, IATA warns of a probable decline in the current dynamics of the sector, due to a capacity limit which will occur in certain regions.
This shortage will threaten to reduce the economic and social benefits of governments who will be faced with a choice: lose to more dynamic nations that value global connectivity, or forge a consensus for sustainable growth. Airlines are making significant investments to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This must be accompanied by an equally active policy vision, underpinned by action, to ensure we have capacity effective and sufficient airport and air traffic management » said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.
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