Tunis-Carthage Airport's Ascendancy in African Aviation
Tunis-Carthage Airport has firmly established itself among the top ten airports in Africa based on seat capacity, ranking eighth with a remarkable availability of 526,444 seats as of August 2026. This noteworthy status highlights Tunisia's significant role as a major hub for air travel on the continent, especially in a market where the growth of capacity is outpacing demand. Recent data from the African Airlines Association (Afraa), released in September 2026, underscores the airport's prominence in regional aviation.
The capacity ranking is led by Cairo International Airport, boasting an impressive 1.85 million seats, followed by Addis Ababa with 1.25 million and Johannesburg with 1.15 million seats. Casablanca holds the fourth position with 803,579 seats, while Algiers follows closely with 676,242 seats. Nairobi and Cape Town occupy the sixth and seventh positions respectively. Tunis-Carthage surpasses both Lagos, which ranks ninth with 483,103 seats, and Marrakech, which is tenth with 480,112 seats. The presence of five North African airports—Cairo, Casablanca, Algiers, Tunis, and Marrakech—within this top ten list emphasizes the region's substantial influence on continental air transport. Notably, North Africa accounted for 41.9% of total seat capacity in August 2026, outpacing East Africa at 22.7% and Southern Africa at 18.3%.
Capacity Growth Outpacing Demand in African Aviation
Across Africa, air capacity witnessed a healthy growth of 8.8% year-on-year in August 2026. Intra-African routes specifically reported a significant increase of 10.5%, reflecting enhanced connectivity among the various markets within the continent. However, this increase in capacity is occurring amid a noticeable gap with demand. In July 2026, the available seat-kilometers (ASK) rose by 9% year-on-year, whereas revenue passenger-kilometers (RPK) only increased by 5.8%. This disparity could potentially exert pressure on pricing and seat occupancy rates. For Tunisia, the recognition of Tunis-Carthage Airport in this competitive ranking highlights the capital's pivotal role in international air exchanges with Africa and beyond. Nevertheless, it operates within a continental landscape where the growth of capacity needs to translate into sustainable economic performance for airlines.
As reported by lapresse.tn.
