While international and regional flights arriving and departing from South African airports have continued to grow and, in many cases, exceed 2019 levels, domestic aircraft movements remain below pre-pandemic benchmarks, according to Acsa data.
Acsa’s aircraft movement figures for all its airports between January and December 2025 show that consolidated traffic to and from South Africa is still 4% below pre-COVID levels.
International aircraft movements increased by 8,2% and regional by 3,9% compared with the same period in 2019. However, domestic flights, which account for roughly two-thirds of all aircraft movements, continue to lag.
Domestic traffic struggles to recover
The data revealed that consolidated domestic aircraft movements across all Acsa airports totalled 246 953 in 2025, compared with 269 653 in 2019, representing a shortfall of 8,4%. Additionally, consolidated passenger numbers in 2025 were 6,5% below pre-pandemic levels. This trend was reflected across the country’s three main airports.
Domestic aircraft movements at King Shaka International Airport (DUR) were 12% below 2019 levels, and passenger numbers were an astounding 91% below pre-pandemic levels.
Cape Town International Airport’s (CPT) aircraft movements were down 7,4% and its passenger traffic was down 6,7% on 2019 levels.
OR Tambo International Airport’s (JNB) aircraft movements were 6,2% below and its passenger numbers were 6,4% below pre-pandemic volumes.
Sean Mendis, aviation consultant, explained that South Africa’s domestic carrier market had experienced a reshuffle between 2019 and 2025, resulting in fewer airlines operating on domestic routes.
Prior to COVID, the domestic market was served by SAA’s low-cost carrier, Mango, and Comair’s kulula, alongside current operators such as SAA, Airlink, CemAir and FlySafair.
Addison Schonland, Founder of AirInsight Group, said economic strain had also resulted in less demand for domestic flights compared with pre-pandemic, forcing airlines to focus on cost efficiency.
“The South African economy is still stalled and, as a result, demand for domestic air traffic is stalled too among passengers. This means that South African airlines must chase the lowest possible seat production costs to accommodate travellers,” he added.
“This is why we are seeing airlines such as Airlink and FlySafair focus on acquiring newer aircraft. Jet fuel is one of the greatest expenses to African airlines, and newer aircraft burn less fuel and reduce maintenance costs, lowering operational costs and airfares.”
Despite subdued domestic traffic, the three airports showed differing recovery patterns across international and regional markets.
OR Tambo International
Total consolidated aircraft movements at JNB remained just under 2% below pre-pandemic levels. However, 2025 marked the first year in which both international and regional aircraft movements exceeded 2019 figures.
International aircraft movements were 3,2% higher than pre-pandemic levels, following the addition of 4 384 flights year on year, representing growth of 6,9% compared with 2024.
Regional traffic also surpassed 2019 levels, increasing by 5,4%. The airport handled 1 429 additional regional flights in 2025, reflecting year-on-year growth of 7,5%.
Cape Town International
CPT continued to outperform other airports in international traffic growth, with international aircraft movements 42,1% above 2019 levels in 2025. Regional aircraft movements were also 7,4% higher than pre-pandemic figures.
Strong international and regional growth offset weaker domestic performance, leaving the airport’s consolidated aircraft movements just 0,5% below 2019 levels.
King Shaka International
While DUR recorded the least international growth among the three major airports and remains below pre-pandemic levels across all categories, it showed the strongest improvement in regional and domestic connectivity.
International aircraft movements increased by 1,1% year on year in 2025 but remained 1,9% below 2019 levels.
Regional aircraft movements more than doubled compared with 2024, rising by 58% year on year, while domestic movements increased by 10,9% over the same period.
