These Are Africa’s 10 Busiest International Airports In June
PUBLISHED 17 HOURS AGO
How many can you guess?
Over 160 African airports have international flights in June, whether to other African countries or intercontinental or both. But what about the busiest airports?
Africa’s top airports: international flights
Cairo has more international passenger flights than any other airport across the vast continent, based on analyzing airline schedules submitted to OAG. The capital of Egypt, among Africa’s most populous and more prosperous countries, Cairo is obviously the hub of EgyptAir and is served by over 50 others. The city’s proximity to the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, and Europe helps.
| Airport | Weekly one-way June flights* | Top two airlines for international flights | % of #1 carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo | 1,574 | EgyptAir, flynas | 41.2% |
| Johannesburg | 693 | Airlink, SAA | 38.7% |
| Addis Ababa | 691 | Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways | 89.4% |
| Casablanca | 641 | Royal Air Maroc, Air Arabia Maroc | 69.4% |
| Tunis | 529 | Tunisair, Nouvelair Tunisie | 37.1% |
| Nairobi | 505 | Kenya Airways, Precision Air | 57.6% |
| Algiers | 449 | Air Algerie, Air France | 56.7% |
| Marrakech | 401 | Ryanair, easyJet | 35.9% |
| Hurghada | 292 | Air Cairo, AZUR Air | 27.7% |
| Entebbe | 209 | Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airways | 27.8% |
| * Week of June 14th-20th, based on non-stops. Examining stopping services is pointless: they still comprise one departure from each of these airports |
Image: GCMap.
Like Cairo, five others in the top 10 are in North African countries, including inbound tourism-driven Hurghada, located on Egypt’s Red Sea, and Morocco’s ever-popular Marrakech. They, too, benefit from the proximity of Europe, and in the case of Morocco, open skies with EU.
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This may lead some readers to conclude that it might be fairer, or better, to examine sub-Saharan Africa instead, a region crucial to Brussels Airlines’ A330s.
90% of Addis Ababa’s flights by one airline
Several of the top airports are heavily dominated by one operator, most obviously Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Airlines has almost nine in 10 international flights. It serves 106 international airports in the examined week, both non-stop and one-stop. With a triple daily service, Dubai and Entebbe are the joint most-served.
Photo: Eka.viation I Shutterstock.
When other Star Alliance carriers are added, they have 91% of Addis Ababa’s international departures. The dominance of Ethiopian, and the relative lack of market access of others, is invariably one reason for the apparent success of Africa’s largest operator.
The contrast with Uganda Airlines is clear. The flag carrier, which has just four active aircraft (two CRJ-900s and two A330-800neos), provides just over one in four of Entebbe’s international flights, with the airport reliant on foreign carriers. Uganda Airlines serves 11 airports in the examined week, with the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, by far the number one.
What about Johannesburg?
South Africa’s Airlink deserves a special mention. Delinked from SAA and independent, it now provides nearly a quarter of services from the country’s largest city. Using Embraer 135s, 140s, 170s, 190s, and 195s, it serves 25 international airports this June week, with Zimbabwe’s Harare top.
Photo: Wirestock Creators I Shutterstock.
Of course, in 2019, endlessly struggling SAA was very much Johannesburg’s leading operator. It had over half of the international flights, including by many of the Embraer regional jets that Airlink deploys. Now SAA accounts for just 7.7% of Johannesburg’s international service.
Which of the top 10 airports mentioned in the table will you fly to/from this year? Let us know in the comments.