Air Peace Ousts Kenya Airways, Tops Africa’s Fastest-Growing Airlines With 55% Capacity Boom As Nigeria Ranks Africa’s Fastest-Growing Aviation Market

• Air Peace has emerged as Africa’s fastest-growing major airline, recording a 54.7 percent year-on-year increase in scheduled seat capacity — the highest growth rate among the continent’s 10 largest carriers, according to the latest OAG aviation report.

• The Nigerian airline displaced Kenya Airways to reclaim a place in Africa’s top 10 airlines by scheduled seat capacity, returning to 10th position after briefly dropping out of the rankings in August 2026.

• Nigeria also recorded Africa’s fastest-growing aviation market, with total scheduled seat capacity rising by 37.4 percent, while domestic capacity surged by 44.8 percent year-on-year.

• Fleet expansion and a growing route network fueled Air Peace’s rapid rise, with the airline adding new Boeing and Embraer aircraft as it strengthens operations across domestic, regional and international destinations.

September 09, () — Air Peace has overtaken Kenya Airways to reclaim its position among Africa’s 10 largest airlines by scheduled seat capacity after posting the continent’s fastest growth rate of nearly 55 percent in one year.

The latest September 2026 aviation data released by global aviation analytics firm, OAG, showed that Air Peace expanded its scheduled seat capacity from 229,412 seats in September 2025 to 354,804 seats in September 2026. The increase of about 125,400 seats represents a 54.7 percent year-on-year growth, the highest recorded among Africa’s leading airlines.

The strong performance returned the Nigerian carrier to the 10th position in Africa’s top airline rankings after it briefly slipped out of the list in August. Air Peace’s return pushed Kenya Airways out of the top 10, highlighting the airline’s rapid expansion despite a challenging operating environment across the continent.

OAG’s report showed that Royal Air Maroc recorded the second-fastest growth among Africa’s largest airlines with a 19.2 percent increase in scheduled capacity, far behind Air Peace’s growth rate.

While Air Peace led the continent in growth, Ethiopian Airlines retained its status as Africa’s largest airline by scheduled seat capacity, offering about 2.09 million seats in September 2026, an increase of roughly 10 percent from the previous year. South Africa’s Safair ranked second with about 1.08 million seats, followed by EgyptAir with approximately 891,000 seats. Royal Air Maroc and Air Algérie completed the top five.

The report also highlighted Nigeria as Africa’s fastest-growing aviation market. The country recorded 1.19 million scheduled seats in September 2026, representing a 37.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Nigeria’s domestic aviation market experienced even stronger growth, with scheduled seat capacity climbing 44.8 percent to about 877,000 seats, reflecting increased airline operations and rising demand for local air travel.

According to OAG, the expansion in Nigeria’s aviation sector has been supported by foreign exchange reforms, improved aircraft-leasing arrangements and renewed confidence among airlines operating in the country.

Air Peace’s latest milestone comes as the airline continues an aggressive fleet and network expansion strategy. Over the past year, the carrier added a Boeing 737-700 in November 2025, a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft in May 2026, and an Embraer 190 in June 2026 to boost its operational capacity.

The airline has also expanded services across domestic routes while strengthening its regional and international network, positioning itself as one of Nigeria’s leading carriers in Africa’s increasingly competitive aviation market.

Across the continent, total scheduled airline capacity rose 9.4 percent year-on-year to 25.8 million seats in September 2026. International services accounted for 78 percent of total capacity, while domestic capacity across Africa grew by 11.6 percent.