East Africa is expected to lead Africa’s air traffic expansion over the next two decades, positioning the region at the heart of the continent’s aviation revival, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).
Speaking at the opening of the Aviation Africa 2025 Summit in Kigali on Thursday, Iata’s regional vice-president for Africa and the Middle East, Kamil Alawadhi, said Africa’s skies were at a “crossroads, where global turbulence meets regional opportunity”. He described East Africa’s dynamism as the clearest signal of the sector’s future direction.
Forecasts suggest Africa’s air travel market will grow by 4.1% annually, reaching 411 million passengers within 20 years. East Africa is expected to be the fastest-growing sub-region.
Cargo traffic is also recovering, with African airlines recording a 9.4% year-on-year increase in demand in July – the strongest performance in nearly a year – fuelled by double-digit growth on routes between Africa and Asia.
Mr Alawadhi said Africa’s aviation potential would only be unlocked by tackling its “fragmented skies”. While 38 states have signed the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreement, progress on implementation has been slow.
“In many cases, it is easier to fly to another continent than between two African countries. That is a barrier to growth and opportunity,” he said.
He pointed to Cape Town Air Access as an example of successful connectivity initiatives, with 18 new routes and 23 expanded services generating $290m (£223m) in tourism spending and 10,000 jobs.
Visa openness was another critical factor, he argued, highlighting Rwanda’s liberal visa policy—along with those of Benin, The Gambia and Seychelles—as a model for integration.
With intra-African trade accounting for just 15% of the continent’s total, compared with 60% in Europe, Mr Alawadhi said aviation was “indispensable” to achieving the ambitions of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“More than 80% of intra-African routes remain under-served. Airlines, airports and logistics companies are ready. What we need is for governments to recognise aviation as a strategic enabler, not just a source of tax revenue,” he added.
