Top 15 Busiest Airports in Africa in 2024

Air travel in Africa is poised to surpass pre-pandemic levels for the first time in 2024. From Cairo, home to Africa’s second-oldest airport, to Johannesburg, which uniquely offers direct flights to six continents, the continent’s aviation sector is on a robust recovery trajectory.

A report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlights a significant 20.7% year-on-year increase in international passenger traffic for African airlines. This surge in capacity, up by 22.1% year-on-year, shows the growth within Africa’s aviation sector. This expansion mirrors a global trend, with total passenger traffic exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 5.7% in February 2024.

In this context, we present a list of the busiest airports in Africa based on flight traffic in 2024.

Methodology

This list highlights the busiest airports in Africa, measured by the number of scheduled daily departures, rather than the number of passengers. It includes only scheduled passenger flights and excludes freighters or chartered flights. This data is sourced from FlightsFrom.com, a travel tool website that publishes airline routes and schedules worldwide.

Top 15 Busiest Airports in Africa

15. Durban International Airport (DUR)

• Average daily flights: 55
• Busiest route: Johannesburg (JNB) with 204 weekly departures
• Key international destinations: Dubai (DXB), Harare (HRE)
• Leading airline: Safair

14. Kotoka International Airport (ACC)

• Average daily flights: 57
• Busiest route: Kumasi (KMS) with 88 weekly departures
• Key international destinations: Lagos (LOS), Abidjan (ABJ)
• Leading airline: Africa World Airlines

13. Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ)

• Average daily flights: 70
• Busiest route: Dar Es Salaam (DAR) with 221 weekly departures
• Key international destinations: Nairobi (NBO), Mombasa (MBA)
• Leading airline: Auric Air

12. Dar Es Salaam International Airport (DAR)

• Average daily flights: 75
• Busiest route: Zanzibar (ZNZ) with 173 weekly departures
• Key international destinations: Nairobi (NBO), Addis Ababa (ADD)
• Leading airline: Air Tanzania

11. Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK)

• Average daily flights: 79
• Busiest route: Paris Orly (ORY) with 45 weekly flights
• Key domestic destinations: Casablanca (CMN), Fes (FEZ)
• Leading airline: Ryanair

10. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV)

• Average daily flights: 79
• Busiest route: Lagos (LOS) with 178 weekly departures
• Key international destinations: Accra (ACC), Lome (LFW)
• Leading airline: Air Peace

9. Tunis–Carthage International Airport (TUN)

• Average daily flights: 83
• Busiest route: Mitiga, Tripoli (MJI) with 52 weekly flights
• Key domestic destinations: Djerba (DJE), Sfax (SFA)
• Leading airline: Tunisair

8. Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG)

• Average daily flights: 100
• Busiest route: Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with 69 weekly flights
• Key domestic destinations: Oran (ORN), Constantine (CZL)
• Leading airline: Air Algerie

7. Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS)

• Average daily flights: 101
• Busiest route: Abuja (ABV) with 178 weekly flights
• Key international destinations: Accra (ACC), Doha (DOH)
• Leading airline: Air Peace

6. Cape Town International Airport (CPT)

• Average daily flights: 103
• Busiest route: Johannesburg (JNB) with 301 weekly flights
• Key international destinations: Windhoek (WDH), Dubai (DXB)
• Leading airline: Safair

5. Mohammed V International Airport (CMN)

• Average daily flights: 104
• Busiest route: Paris Orly (ORY) with 46 weekly flights
• Key domestic destinations: Marrakech (RAK), Agadir (AGA)
• Leading airline: Royal Air Maroc

4. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)

• Average daily flights: 123
• Busiest route: Mombasa (MBA) with 147 weekly flights
• Key international destinations: Kigali (KGL), Entebbe (EBB)
• Leading airline: Kenya Airways

3. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD)

• Average daily flights: 194
• Busiest route: Bahar Dar (BJR) with 106 weekly flights
• Key international destinations: Dubai (DXB), Rome (FCO)
• Leading airline: Ethiopian Airlines

2. Cairo International Airport (CAI)

• Average daily flights: 243
• Busiest route: Jeddah (JED) with 211 weekly flights
• Key domestic destinations: Hurghada (HRG), Sharm el Sheikh (SSH)
• Leading airline: EgyptAir

1. Johannesburg International Airport (JNB)

• Average daily flights: 251
• Busiest route: Cape Town (CPT) with 300 weekly flights
• Key international destinations: Harare (HRE), Lusaka (LUN)
• Leading airline: Airlink

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