Ethiopian Airlines Leads African Aviation Growth in 2026

In September 2026, airlines operating in Africa's top 10 aviation markets scheduled a total of 13.89 million seats, reflecting a year-on-year increase from 12.51 million seats in September 2025. This growth is part of a broader trend, as the overall scheduled capacity across the African aviation market reached 25.8 million seats, a 9.4% rise from 23.5 million seats the previous year.

Egypt recorded the highest capacity with 3.08 million seats, an increase of 364,800 seats or 13.4% from the previous year. Ghana also saw growth, scheduling 302,100 seats, up from 267,500 in September 2025, marking a 12.9% increase.

Ethiopian Airlines led the rankings with 2.09 million scheduled seats, a 10% increase from 1.90 million seats in September 2025. Air Peace re-entered the top 10, ranking at number 10 with 354,804 scheduled seats, a significant increase of 54.7% from 229,412 seats a year earlier, making it the fastest-growing airline in the September ranking.