African Airlines Climbs 9.5% Y-O-Y Growth In May 2025 – IATA By Charles Panam

African airlines witnessed a 9.5 per cent year-on-year increase in demand in the month of May 2025 when compared to the same period in 2024, while the global air passenger grew by 5 per cent within the same period.

This was contained in a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to IATA, African airlines capacity was up by 6.2 per cent year-on-year, while the load factor was 74.9 per cent, indicating 2.2 per cent growth when compared to the same period in May 2024.

The report revealed that Africa-Asia was the fastest-growing international corridor, with an expansion of 15.9 per cent.

Globally for the month of May 2025, total demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK), was up 5 per cent compared to May 2024.

Total capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), was also up 5 per cent year-on-year, while the May load factor stood at 83.4 per cent, declining by 0.1 per cent when compared to May 2024.

Besides, IATA said that international demand rose 6.7 per cent compared to May 2024 and capacity was up 6.4 per cent year-on-year, while the load factor was 83.2 per cent, showing 0.2 per cent increase compared to May 2024.

IATA said this was a record load factor on international flights for May.

Also, on the domestic front, demand increased 2.1 per cent compared to May 2024.

Capacity was up 2.8 per cent year-on-year, while the load factor was 83.7 per cent, a decline of -0.5 per cent compared to May 2024.

“Air travel demand growth was uneven in May. Globally, the industry reported 5 per cent growth with Asia-Pacific taking the lead at 9.4 per cent. The outlier was North America which reported a 0.5 per cent decline, led by a 1.7 per cent fall in the US domestic market.

“Severe disruptions in the Middle East in late June remind us that geopolitical instability remains a challenge in some regions as airlines maintain safe operations with minimal passenger inconvenience. The impact of such instability on oil prices—which remained low throughout May—is also a critical factor to monitor.

“Importantly, consumer confidence appears to be strong with forward bookings for the peak Northern summer travel season, giving good reason for optimism,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.