Following the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, airports are once again thriving, with African airports accounting for just three per cent of global air traffic.
The International Air Transport Association conducts rankings based on the number of passengers departing and arriving from and to various airports around the world. Here are among the continent’s busiest airports.
Cairo International Airport (Egypt)
This is the main international airport in Egypt and is the busiest in both the country and the continent. According to Flightsfrom.com, the airport handles about 111 passenger flights daily and an annual operational capacity of 15 million passengers to about 84 destinations across the globe.
Located at Heliopolis to the northeast part of Cairo, the airport is operated by Cairo Airport Company and is 15 km from the business area of the city. The airport is home to 65 passenger airlines, as well as nine cargo carriers.
OR Tambo International Airport (South Africa)
OR Tambo International Airport is the second busiest airport in Africa and the gateway to and from South Africa for both international and domestic travel.
This airport first opened in 1952 and has 188 planned explorer trips each week with a passenger capacity of up to 30 million per year. A brief history of it was that it was renamed after anti-apartheid hero Oliver Reginald Tambo in 2006 and it serves as the hub for South African Airways.
Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Nigeria)
Located in Nigeria’s commercial hub Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport is among the busiest airports in the continent with 78 scheduled exploration expeditions.
It is Nigeria’s largest airport and is named after Murtala Muhammed, a former Nigerian head of state. The airport serves the cities of Lagos and Ibadan and has an international and a domestic terminal, which is roughly one kilometre apart.
Cape Town International Airport (South Africa)
While it is the second busiest airport in South Africa, Cape Town International Airport is the fourth busiest in Africa. It is also presently Africa’s best airport and features world-class amenities such as a 30,000-bag-per-hour automated baggage processing system.
Being that Cape Town is also one of the major destinations in Africa attracting travellers from all over the globe, major direct flights to major travel destinations in Africa, the United States and Asia are located there. At the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2023 held recently, the airport was named the World’s Best Airport, Best Airport Staff, and the Cleanest Airport in Africa.
Bole International Airport (Addis Ababa)
Bole International Airport is Ethiopia’s main airport that serves 100 passengers every hour on scheduled explorer flights. On top of that, it handles around 12 million passengers annually and its prominence as Ethiopian Airlines’ major hub makes it one of Africa’s busiest.
When it comes to passenger traffic and countries covered, Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s largest airline and the fourth largest in the world.
Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (Morocco)
Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in Africa. It serves over 10 million passengers annually and is a point of arrival and departure for Moroccans going to and from the globe.
The airport is also the principal hub for the Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc. It was named after Moroccan King Mohammed V, who spearheaded the country’s victorious independence from French and Spanish colonial domination.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Kenya)
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the busiest airport in Kenya, on average serving more than seven million people travelling through the airport each year.
This airport has flights scheduled to over 50 different countries. Originally named Embakasi Airport, the airport was named after Kenya’s founding president Jomo Kenyatta in 1978.
Hurghada International Airport (Egypt)
This is the second busiest airport in Egypt servicing more than 5.5 million people each year. Hurghada International Airport has one terminal and is situated five kilometres southwest of El Dahar town. It is a vital destination for leisure flights mainly from Europe.
King Shaka International Airport (South Africa)
King Shaka International Airport is the main international airport serving Durban, South Africa. It is situated in Kwa Zulu Natal province which is 35km north of the city. It was first opened in 2012, 41 days before the start of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Despite the fact that the airport was built to grow the area’s international services, it has also been a key in offering domestic in South Africa, serving the “Golden Triangle” between Cape Town International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Tunis-Carthage International Airport (Tunisia)
Ranked as the tenth busiest airport in Africa, Tunis–Carthage International Airport is situated in Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia and is the international airport serving the country. The airport is named after the historic city of Carthage, which is situated just east of the airport. It serves a million passengers annually and is the only airport situated near the famous Carthage city, a favourite tourist site for history lovers.
