African airlines are expanding traffic and capacity, but governments and regulators are still delaying the full rollout of the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market. SAATM, launched in 2018, now has 38 member states covering more than 80% of intra-African traffic, yet carriers and industry groups say policy delivery remains too slow to match demand.
The gap is visible in the latest market data. Seat capacity across Africa rose 8.8% year on year in August 2026, while intra-African capacity increased 10.5%. RPKs climbed 5.8% in July, and IATA expects regional traffic to grow 6% in 2026. ICAO has also tracked intra-African connectivity rising from 14.5% to 23%, alongside 108 new routes launched by African carriers between September 2022 and April 2025.
RwandAir chief executive Yvonne Makolo has pressed governments, civil aviation authorities and airlines to move beyond discussions and signing ceremonies and set firm deadlines for implementation. The June 2026 Lomé Ministerial Declaration was intended to speed up SAATM, but high operating costs, jet fuel prices that are 20% to 40% above other regions, heavier maintenance expenses, visa friction, repatriation problems and higher taxes and charges continue to weigh on growth.
Africa’s carriers still account for only 36.7% of intercontinental traffic to and from the continent, leaving most of that business to foreign airlines. AFRAA and other industry bodies argue that the commercial opportunity is being constrained less by demand than by fragmented regulation and uneven enforcement of liberalisation measures.