African airlines with the most passengers in 2023 – report

The African Development Bank Group has listed the African airlines that carried the most passengers in 2023, citing figures from the 2024 African Airlines Association report.

Ethiopian Airlines topped the list with 15.86 million passengers, followed by EgyptAir with 9.89 million. Safair carried 8.99 million passengers, Royal Air Maroc 7.12 million, Air Algérie 6.87 million, Kenya Airways 3.82 million, and Airlink 3.73 million.

Others on the list include Tunisair with 2.24 million passengers, Air Mauritius with 1.54 million, and TAAG Angola with 1.32 million.

The report comes as the African Development Bank and Ethiopian Airlines Group recently signed a Letter of Intent for the development of Ethiopia’s planned Abusera International Airport Project.

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The $7.8 billion project aims to meet growing passenger and cargo demand, reinforce Ethiopia’s position as a leading aviation hub, and boost regional economic growth.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew Bekele signed the agreement with Nnenna Nwabufo, African Development Bank Vice President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery, at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan on Friday, March 14.

Bekele was part of a delegation led by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide, which also included Ethiopian Airlines CFO Adamu Tadele; Senior Advisor to the Finance Minister Tiguist Fisseha; Infrastructure Director for Ethiopian Airlines Group Abraham Tesfaye; and Berhanu Anbessa, Head of IFIs at the Ministry of Finance.

The new world-class airport will be located in Bishoftu, about 40 km from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. It will complement the expanded Bole Airport, which is expected to soon reach its annual capacity limit of 25 million passengers.

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According to the African Development Bank, multinational transportation is key to improving interconnectedness and the free movement of people between African countries. The new Abusera International Airport is expected to enhance Ethiopian Airlines’ role in strengthening intra-African connectivity and expanding links between Africa and the rest of the world.

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ByIfeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.