Short-term outlook promises steady growth for Africa air travel
Global air travel demand has shown remarkable resilience in 2024, with passenger volumes continuing to grow compared to the previous year. This growth has been largely driven by the stabilisation of the global economy in the wake of the pandemic, as well as the much-anticipated return of outbound travel from China and other key Asia Pacific markets. According to the latest Air Ticket Data from ForwardKeys, international arrivals worldwide have surged by an impressive 18% year-to-date (YTD) as of mid-July, when compared to the same period in 2023.
Africa set for resilient growth in arrivals through 2024
While the Asia Pacific region has seen the most dramatic increase, with YTD arrivals soaring by +40% due to a slower recovery in 2023, Africa and the Middle East (MEA) have also experienced a solid +7% growth in international arrivals so far this year. This is particularly noteworthy given that Africa’s air travel market was already performing exceptionally well in 2023, with passenger volumes nearing pre-pandemic levels. The more moderate year-on-year growth observed in the region, especially during the peak northern-hemisphere summer period from July to August (+3%), is a testament to the market’s ability to sustain high levels of demand.
Source: Forward Keys
