African airlines record 6.7% rise in international passenger demand, 75.3% load factor in Feb 2025 – IATA 

The demand surge reflects growing air travel appetite in Africa, while the higher load factor shows more occupied seats than in 2024.

Capacity growth signals airlines expanding seating to meet demand.

The disclosure was contained in IATA’s February 2025 global passenger demand report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of air travel trends across different regions.

“African airlines saw a 6.7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 4.0% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 75.3% (+2.0 ppt compared to February 2024),” the IATA report read in part.

Globally, IATA reported a 5.6% rise in international passenger demand for February 2025, with capacity (ASK) up 4.5%. The average load factor hit 80.2%, up 0.9 ppt from February 2024.

Across both international and domestic markets, total capacity rose 2.0% year-on-year, with a load factor of 81.1% (+0.4 ppt).

Meanwhile, domestic demand fell 1.9%, as capacity declined 1.7%, bringing the load factor down to 82.6% (-0.2 ppt).

Beyond the performance of African airlines in February 2025, the IATA report also highlighted trends across other regions.

Asia-Pacific airlines led international passenger growth, with demand rising 9.5% year-on-year. Capacity in the region grew by 8.3%, while the load factor reached 85.7%—the highest among all regions.

While global traffic growth slowed in February, IATA attributed this to seasonal factors. “Much of this can be explained by the leap year and Lunar New Year falling in January instead of February this year,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

He also pointed out that February traffic reached an all-time high, with scheduled flights expected to increase in March and April. However, he cautioned that developments in North America warrant close monitoring, as the region experienced declines in both domestic and international traffic.