Air passenger traffic in Africa is expected to increase by an average of 6 % per year until 2044, driven by a young population, a growing middle class, rapid urbanization, and significant investments in airport infrastructure and connectivity, Boeing said in its Commercial Market Outlook 2025.
Aviation is a catalyst for Africa’s economic expansion and intra‑continental connections
To meet this growth, Africa’s commercial aircraft fleet is expected to more than double over the next two decades, reaching approximately 1,680 aircraft by 2044. This expansion requires the delivery of more than 1,200 new aircraft, about 70 % of which will be single‑aisle planes, suited to expanding domestic and short‑haul international routes.
According to Shahab Matin, Boeing’s Managing Director for Commercial Marketing in the Middle East and Africa, “Aviation is a catalyst for Africa’s economic expansion and intra‑continental connections,” highlighting the key role of air transport in regional development.
Growing economic impact
The impact of this growth goes far beyond runways. The development of air traffic stimulates tourism, trade, foreign investment, and logistical corridors, while creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs in sectors such as hospitality, services, and manufacturing around major airports.
To support the expansion of fleets and airline networks, Boeing estimates that about 74,000 new aviation professionals will need to be trained by 2044, including pilots, maintenance technicians, and cabin crew.
In addition, Boeing’s report forecasts about $130 billion in services demand between 2025 and 2044 to support fleet growth and strengthen operational resilience. These services include maintenance, repairs, spare parts, training and optimization solutions, all essential to ensuring aircraft safety and efficiency.
Growth driven by traveler demand
This dynamic reflects deep demographic and economic trends. Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with a population that is expected to exceed 2 billion people by 2050, according to United Nations projections. This youth, combined with rapid urbanization — more than half of Africa’s population is expected to live in urban areas by 2035 — fuels growing mobility demand, including for business and leisure travel between cities and with the rest of the world.
The emergence of a middle class in Africa, with higher purchasing power and new mobility aspirations, also contributes to this trend. African airlines, especially low‑cost carriers, are looking to exploit this potential by developing new domestic and regional routes, strengthening connectivity between African capitals, as well as to Europe and the Middle East.
Training remains a critical issue
Despite these encouraging prospects, challenges persist. Airport infrastructure must be modernized to accommodate denser traffic and a larger number of aircraft. Training qualified personnel remains a critical challenge, as does the establishment of harmonized regulatory frameworks across the continent to facilitate cross‑border operations.
African aviation, long under‑equipped compared to other world regions, could thus catch up significantly. If the growth projections materialize, Africa could become a major player in global air transport, helping to strengthen economic, social and cultural ties across the continent and beyond.
