Intra-African air travel is projected to be the fastest-growing globally, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 4.9 per cent through 2050, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The forecast is contained in IATA’s Long-Term Demand Projections report released on Tuesday.

It highlights that routes within Africa are expected to outpace every other regional market in the decades ahead.

IATA’s Long-Term Demand Projections report indicates that future air travel growth will be concentrated in emerging markets, especially across Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

It notes that expansion will differ by region, shaped by variations in population trends, market maturity, economic development, and connectivity potential.

“The pace of growth will be uneven across regions, reflecting differences in demographics, market maturity, economic development, and connectivity potential.

“The LTDP identifies the fastest‑growing markets as intra‑Africa (4.9%), Africa–Asia‑Pacific (4.5%), Asia‑Pacific–Middle East (3.9%), intra‑Asia‑Pacific (3.9%), and Africa–North America (3.8%), highlighting the importance of investment in aviation infrastructure and regulatory frameworks in developing regions,” IATA stated.

The report stressed that sustained investment in airport infrastructure, airline capacity, and supportive policies—covering market access, safety, and clean energy adoption, will be essential to drive Africa’s projected air travel growth.

Globally, air passenger demand is projected to more than double by 2050, reaching 20.8 trillion revenue passenger kilometres under a mid-range scenario.

High- and low-growth cases estimate 21.9 trillion and 19.5 trillion RPKs, respectively.

The report noted that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a lasting structural shift in aviation demand, leaving a persistent gap compared with pre-pandemic trends tied to GDP growth.

Historically, global growth has slowed, with CAGR declining from 6.1 per cent between 1972 and 1998 to 4.5 per cent from 1998 to 2024. It is further projected to ease to 3.1 per cent over the 2024–2050 period.

IATA’s January 2026 global passenger demand report shows that African airlines are leading growth in international traffic.

RPK for African carriers rose 11.7 per cent year-on-year.
Capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, increased by 10.1 per cent, while the load factor climbed to 77.4 per cent, up 1.1 percentage points from January 2025.

Passenger traffic in December 2025 grew by 10.3 per cent, marking one of the region’s strongest monthly performances in recent years.

The Africa–Asia air cargo corridor recorded the fastest global growth in January 2026, surging 41.6 per cent year-on-year, according to IATA.

Overall, global air cargo demand rose by 5.6 per cent, with international traffic increasing 7.2 per cent.

African carriers delivered the strongest regional performance, with demand climbing 18.2 per cent and capacity expanding by 6.5 per cent in January 2026.