Africa air connectivity at 23%, routes double – AFCAC
By Dickson Omobola
African Civil Aviation Commission, AFCAC, has said intra-African air routes have more than doubled, rising from 59 in 2023 to 124 as of March 2026.
Secretary-General of AFCAC, Funke Adeyemi, also said connectivity increased from 14.5 per cent in 2022 to 23 per cent as of December 2025, including 22 new fifth freedom routes.
Adeyemi, however, acknowledged that while the affordability of air travel remains a challenge in Africa, the region would continue to address some of these barriers.
According to her, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, was in the process of implementing the removal of four non-aeronautical taxes on tickets, and reducing ticket costs by 25 per cent.
Speaking at the International Air Transport Association, IATA, Focus Africa Conference, themed: ‘Elevating Aviation Safety, Connectivity, and Operational Efficiency in Africa,’ held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she said: “On connectivity, the results are also a bit encouraging. Connectivity has increased from 14.5 per cent in 2022 to 23 per cent as of December 2025, reflecting growing use of liberalised market access. In fact, the number of intra-African routes as of today has more than doubled, from 59 in 2023 to 124 as of March 2026, which includes 22 new fifth freedom routes.
“All of these are new and additional routes being operated by our airlines, helping to increase connectivity and support passenger growth and movement. While affordability remains a major issue, we know that Africa has some of the highest costs in the world in many cases.
“We continue to address some of these barriers. We can cite an example in the ECOWAS region, where heads of state came together and decided to remove four non-aeronautical taxes from tickets and also reduce ticket costs by 25 per cent. We are in the process of implementing all of these measures.
“We also have an economic regulation that is being validated by states and industry alike to ensure that we reduce fragmentation.”
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