The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that global passenger demand grew by 10% in January 2025 compared to the previous year, marking a strong start to the year. Capacity increased by 7.1%, and the load factor hit a record 82.1% for January.
Key Highlights
International demand rose 12.4%, with Asia-Pacific airlines leading growth at 21.8%.
Domestic demand increased 6.1%, driven by India (+17.1%), Japan (+12.1%), and China (+10.0%).
All regions saw growth, with Asia-Pacific (16.1%) and Africa (15.0%) showing the highest increases.
Latin America was the only region where load factors declined (-1.5 ppt).
IATA’s Willie Walsh attributed the surge to strong market confidence and passenger demand, despite ongoing supply chain challenges. Surveys indicate 94% of travellers plan to maintain or increase travel in 2025, reinforcing positive industry momentum.
Africa set to revolutionise the aviation industry with the Open Skies Treaty making travel more affordable.
The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is an initiative that aims to create a unified air transportation market across Africa.
The SAATM is more commonly referred to as the Open Skies Treaty In Africa. It was started in January 2018 by The African Union (AU). The project looks to liberalise the aviation industry in Africa and is a key part of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The SAATM has recently gained momentum, with 39 nations joining the initiative. A number of goals will be achieved in this African aviation project, including lifting market access restrictions for airlines. Other aims include granting each nation extended air traffic rights, removing restrictions on ownership and liberalising capacity limits and flight frequency.
Speaking at a press conference at the AU Summit, Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission, spoke of SAATM’s progress.
She said: “I am happy to say that we have 39 nations that have joined a single African air transport market, representing about one billion Africans. “The market aims to reduce the cost and waiting of travellers by almost 20%.”
Abou-Zeid further added how the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will use renewable sources.
SAF is expected to reduce gas emissions by between 60 and 100% compared to normal jet fuels.
“To position Africa as a leader in the emerging green hydrogen market, the AU has developed a Green Hydrogen Strategy and Action Plan, outlining policy and technical priorities for establishing a competitive green hydrogen sector,” she added. According to the African Development Bank, and other analysts, the SAATM will help to revolutionise the aviation industry by making flights cheaper, increasing economic benefits and having greater passenger volumes.
Despite the expected success of this initiative, some African governments have criticized SAATM.
The Ugandan government believes SAATM could lead to a few major airlines dominating the market and, therefore, stifling competition.
The government is targeting 10 million domestic tourists this year, Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has said.
Miano said that the government is working on a plan to encourage more local travel through marketing campaigns and development of attractive domestic tourism packages.
With a robust recovery and growth in the tourism sector, the CS said local tourists have expressed a heightened interest in local tourism facilities across the country.
“We saw an upward surge in domestic tourism numbers last year where 5 million tourists visited the various facilities. This shows an increase as compared to successive years,” she said.
During that period, the country earned Sh452 billion in foreign earnings, up from Sh377billion in 2023 which represented a 20 percent increase that the CS attributed to aggressive marketing campaigns and tourism products.
She, however, noted that a large number of local tourists were not properly documented as some visited guest houses and Airbnbs which are not in the government’s records.
Miano made the remarks while commissioning the newly refurbished Maasai Mara Research Centre in Narok county on Friday.
She also revealed that the state is also targeting 3 million international tourists this year up from the 2.4 million who toured the country last year and that the government has sought other markets to increase international visitors.
“We have now diversified our products to new markets like Poland, Czech Republic, Australia who are now heavily coming into our country while USA and Uganda have remained our source markets and China and India continue to remain resilient,” said Miano.
On his part, Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu said the close relations between his administration and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute is a testament of strong collaboration among the two institutions supported by the recent established framework agreement.
The partnership, he said, is a significant step towards enhancing research and monitoring within Maasai Mara national reserve, a landscape that has long been at the forefront of ecological studies.
While Masai Mara boasts a rich legacy of ecological research, the county boss said it is imperative that such research is directly applicable to the practical management of the Reserve.
“Historically, much of the scientific work done here has not always translated into actionable conservation strategies.”
“This is an issue we must address and I’m proud to note that the refurbishment and upgrading of this research station is a critical step in aligning research efforts with the urgent needs of conservation and sustainable management in the Mara ecosystem,” said Ntutu.
He added that his administration is actively recruiting reserve ecologists and veterinary experts who will play a pivotal role in strengthening research and conservation efforts in the Masai Mara.
“This investment in human capital underscores our commitment to evidence-based decision-making in the management of this globally significant ecosystem,” the county chief said.
In attendance were Wildlife Principal Secretary Silvia Museiya, Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) chairperson David Nkedienye, WRTI CEO Patrick Omondi and Narok executive in charge of tourism Jackson Sipitiek.
