As demand for air travel in Africa continues to rise, international carriers are racing to launch new routes to the region.
If flights around Africa have felt busier lately, the numbers back it up. IATA says African airlines delivered the strongest passenger-demand growth globally in March 2026, with international demand up 19.2% year-on-year. Capacity rose 4.2%, while the load factor hit 77.7%, up 9.8 points from March 2025. Globally, demand grew only 2.1%, held back by capacity constraints and geopolitical disruption.
Zoom out, and the pattern holds: in 2025, Africa led all regions with 9.4% demand growth and 8.3% capacity growth, and the continent recorded a 75.3% load factor. Naturally, the surge in demand has not gone unnoticed. Airlines from around the world are expanding their African networks, with several routes to the continent on the horizon.
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is leading the Africa push, having announced the launch of six routes to the continent starting at the end of this year.
Departing from Abu Dhabi, the first to launch (on 7 November) will be a four-times-weekly service to Asmara, Eritrea.
Flights to Accra, Ghana; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lagos, Nigeria will follow in mid-March next year, while further services to Harare, Zimbabwe and Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo are set to begin shortly after, at the end of March.
Antonoaldo Neves, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways, confirmed the expansion is a response to growing demand for air travel in the region.
“Demand for air connectivity across key African markets is outpacing existing supply, particularly in cargo and trade-linked sectors. This expansion is a direct response to that structural opportunity.”
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic is also increasing its presence in the region, stepping up capacity to Johannesburg from London and to Cape Town.
The carrier is set to operate 10 flights per week to Johannesburg, and 11 flights per week to Cape Town.
Initially, the increased services will operate from 25 October to 27 March, with the airline deploying its Airbus A350-1000 to support the additional demand for Johannesburg and a Boeing 787 on the Cape Town routes.
The increased services will “offer customers greater flexibility and connectivity,” said the airline.
Source : businesstraveller.com
