The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) said traffic in March reached 94.8 percent of 2019 levels as more international routes and tourism reopened
According to a recent report by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), air travel in Africa has made a strong recovery and is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. In March, traffic reached 94.8% of 2019 levels as more international routes and tourism reopened. The report also showed that domestic flights accounted for 37% of the March traffic, intra-Africa flights for 31%, and intercontinental travel for 32%. Furthermore, data revealed that since October 2022, the total number of intercontinental routes operated by African airlines has surpassed pre-Covid levels. Despite the significant revenue losses of $8.6 billion in 2021 and $3.5 billion in 2022, the association believes that African airlines are on track to narrow their revenue gap in 2023. The Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted the African aviation industry due to travel restrictions leading to aircraft grounding. Some airlines even had to close down completely, while others needed significant bailout funding from the state to continue operations. To compensate for reduced passenger traffic, some airlines like Ethiopian Airlines had to convert their passenger jets into freighters.