Kenya's airports welcomed a record 13.1 million passengers in the year ending June 2026, as strong demand for local flights helped the country overcome the global aviation slowdown triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. The rise came even as many countries experienced weaker passenger numbers and disrupted flight operations.
Preliminary figures from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) show that passenger traffic increased by one per cent during the period, rising from 12.955 million recorded a year earlier. The latest figures translate to about 145,000 additional travellers using Kenyan airports compared to the previous year.
The growth stood out against a difficult period for the global aviation industry, where the Middle East conflict disrupted one of the world's busiest air travel corridors. The crisis led to the suspension of flights to and from the region, affecting airlines and reducing passenger traffic in many parts of the world.
KAA has not yet released the latest breakdown of domestic passenger numbers. However, previous data shows that local travel has continued to take up a larger share of the country's air transport market.
In the year ending June 2025, domestic passengers accounted for about 41 per cent of total traffic, with 5.32 million people travelling within the country by air.
The authority is also yet to publish the latest aircraft movement figures. Even so, the numbers have been increasing steadily since the aviation sector recovered from the downturn experienced in 2020 and 2021. Aircraft movements reached a record 375,065 in the year ending June 2025.
The increase in passenger traffic was also supported by Kenya Airways, which attracted more international travellers after several Middle Eastern airlines suspended flights following the outbreak of the conflict.
In March, shortly after the war began, the national carrier said demand on its flights to key destinations in Europe, the United States and East Asia had risen. Kenya Airways estimated that its load factor increased by 29 per cent, climbing from about 70 per cent to an average of 90 per cent.
The airline attributed the rise to passengers who had previously relied on major Middle Eastern carriers but shifted to Kenya Airways after flight disruptions. Nairobi also became a preferred transit point for some international travellers during the period.
Across the world, however, the aviation industry continued to record lower passenger traffic in March, April and May. Higher jet fuel prices pushed up air fares, while airlines were forced to reroute flights around the Middle East after the closure of key airspace.
According to the latest figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), international passenger demand dropped by 1.6 per cent globally in May, while airline capacity fell by 2.4 per cent. Domestic passenger demand also declined by 3.1 per cent, with capacity dropping by 2.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. The declines followed a similar trend recorded in March and April, while June data is yet to be released.