In December 2025, Europe confirmed its position as the top destination for African travellers, with seat capacity continuing to grow.
Airlines offered nearly 9.62 million seats between Africa and Europe, marking an 8.7% rise from last year.
Europe Leads African Travel
According to OAG Africa Aviation Market data, travellers drove strong and sustained demand for European routes.
Consequently, Europe’s dominance reflects people, families, and businesses maintaining connections across continents.
Growing Regional And Middle East Travel
Meanwhile, intra-African flights grew steadily, with seat capacity climbing 2.8% to 4.11 million.
Thus, regional travel continues to support commerce, culture, and community across the continent.
Additionally, the Middle East acts as a key hub for African travellers, especially through Gulf airports.
Airlines increased seat capacity in the region by 8.2% to 4.45 million, meeting both transit and destination needs.
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Moreover, routes to Asia-Pacific rose 13.2%, while seats to the Americas jumped 15.1% in December.
These figures suggest that African travellers are exploring new destinations beyond traditional European and regional routes.
Nigeria Reflects The Trend
Nigeria reflects this continental trend, with European cities attracting the most outbound passengers.
For example, London and Manchester together welcomed nearly half a million Nigerian passengers in 2023.
Meanwhile, Accra and Johannesburg carried fewer passengers but continued to play important roles in regional travel.
North American cities, including Toronto, New York, and Washington, handled over 150,000 Nigerian passengers.
Similarly, Middle Eastern cities such as Jeddah and Madinah accommodated roughly 137,600 passengers.
International flights accounted for 23% of Nigeria’s departures, highlighting strong cross-border travel demand.
Europe led with 780,700 passengers, followed by Africa with 485,400 and North America with 373,000.
Although Nigerian outbound flights represent only 0.1% of global traffic, regional and long-haul travel continues to expand.
Ultimately, Europe leads, but African travellers increasingly diversify their destinations, making the skies busier and more connected than ever.
