Top 10 African Airlines by Fleet Size in 2026

Published: November 13, 2026

Key Facts

• Ethiopian Airlines leads Africa with 162 aircraft as of July 2026. That is 26.4 percent of the 613 aircraft in the top ten combined.
• Ethiopian alone flies more aircraft than Airlink (71) and EgyptAir (70) combined (141).
• South Africa and Egypt each place two airlines in the top ten. Nigeria places only one, Air Peace, at ninth.
• Royal Air Maroc is the only airline in the top ten with every aircraft in service. All 67 of its aircraft are flying.
• TAAG Angola Airlines has 20 of its 33 aircraft parked. Only 13 are in service, the lowest active share in the top ten.

Fleet size is total aircraft listed on Planespotters.net as of July 2026, in service plus parked. Source: Nairametrics, cross-checked against GazettePost. See Methodology for the tie-break and the one conflicting snapshot.

Cairo International Airport handled 31.1 million passengers in 2025, making it Africa's busiest airport, and it is the home base for two of the ten largest fleets on this list. Addis Ababa Bole, Ethiopian's hub, is one of Africa's busiest airports. Fleet size is only one measure of an airline. It shows scale and reach, not profit. The International Air Transport Association expects African passenger demand to grow 10 percent in 2026, the fastest growth of any region, yet it projects the continent's airlines will earn a combined net profit of only $100 million, down from $300 million in 2025.

1. Ethiopian Airlines, 162 aircraft

Ethiopian Airlines is Africa's largest airline by a wide margin. Its 162 aircraft are more than double the 71 flown by second placed Airlink, and more than the next two airlines combined. Founded in 1945, it flies from its hub at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport to destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. The fleet mixes long haul and regional aircraft: 26 Airbus A350s, 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 12 Boeing 777 freighters, 27 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 31 De Havilland Dash 8 Q400 turboprops for short routes. Almost the whole fleet is working. 158 of the 162 aircraft are in service, and only four are parked, which gives Ethiopian the second highest active share in the top ten at 97.5 percent. The average fleet age is 9.4 years, the second youngest in the top ten.

2. Airlink, 71 aircraft

Airlink is South Africa's largest airline by fleet size, and the surprise of this ranking. The privately owned regional carrier, founded in 1992 and based in Johannesburg, flies an all Embraer fleet of 71 aircraft, mostly ERJ-190 regional jets. It serves destinations across Southern Africa from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport. Airlink beats EgyptAir for second place by a single aircraft, 71 to 70. 66 of its aircraft are in service and five are parked. Its average fleet age is 18.3 years, which reflects the older regional jets at the core of its fleet.

3. EgyptAir, 70 aircraft

EgyptAir is Egypt's national carrier and one of Africa's oldest airlines, founded in 1932. It flies 70 aircraft from Cairo International Airport, Africa's busiest airport, to destinations across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. The fleet is built around 30 Boeing 737-800s, with eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and four Airbus A350-900s for long haul routes. EgyptAir took delivery of its first A350-900 in February 2026, and the July snapshot already counts four of the type. 63 aircraft are in service and seven are parked. The average fleet age is 10.2 years.

4. Royal Air Maroc, 67 aircraft

Royal Air Maroc is Morocco's flag carrier, founded in 1957 and based in Casablanca. It ranks fourth with 67 aircraft, and it is the only airline in the top ten with every aircraft in service. Not one of its 67 aircraft is parked. The fleet is built around 44 Boeing 737s, 27 of the 800 series and 17 MAX 8s, plus 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, six ATR 72 turboprops, four Embraer E190s and one Boeing 767. The average fleet age is 11.9 years. The airline flies to destinations across Africa, Europe, North America, South America and the Middle East.

5. Air Algérie, 62 aircraft

Air Algérie is Algeria's national carrier, founded on 15 March 1947 and based in Algiers. It ranks fifth with 62 aircraft: 34 Boeing 737s, 13 Airbus A330s and 15 ATR 42 and 72 turboprops. 51 aircraft are in service and 11 are parked. The average fleet age is 16.7 years, the fourth oldest in the top ten. The airline flies domestic and international passenger and cargo services to Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.

6. FlySafair, 41 aircraft

FlySafair is South Africa's second entry in the top ten and its only low cost carrier on the list. Founded in 2013 and based at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, it flies an all Boeing 737 fleet of 41 aircraft on domestic and regional routes. 35 aircraft are in service and six are parked. The average fleet age is 19.4 years, the second oldest in the top ten, which reflects a fleet of older 737-800s bought second hand. FlySafair's 41 aircraft beat Kenya Airways (35), Air Peace (33) and TAAG (33) each on their own, yet its average fleet age shows that size alone does not mean new aircraft.

7. Air Cairo, 39 aircraft

Air Cairo is Egypt's second airline in the top ten and a subsidiary of EgyptAir. Founded in 2003 and based in Cairo, it flies scheduled and charter services to Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Its 39 aircraft include 18 Airbus A320neos, 12 Airbus A320-200s, six ATR 72s and three Embraer ERJ-190s. 34 are in service and five are parked. At 8.2 years, Air Cairo has the youngest fleet in the top ten, younger even than Ethiopian's 9.4 years. Together, Egypt's two airlines fly 109 aircraft, which is 17.8 percent of the top ten total.

8. Kenya Airways, 35 aircraft

Kenya Airways is Kenya's flag carrier, founded in 1977 and based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. It ranks eighth with 35 aircraft: 11 Boeing 737-800s, 12 Embraer ERJ-190s, nine Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, two Boeing 737-300s and one Boeing 777-300ER. 25 aircraft are in service and ten are parked. The average fleet age is 14.7 years. Ethiopian flies 4.63 times as many aircraft as Kenya Airways, a gap of 127 aircraft, which shows how far East Africa's two flag carriers have pulled apart. Nairobi is one of Africa's busiest airports, and Kenya Airways is the country's only airline on this list.

9. Air Peace, 33 aircraft

Air Peace is Nigeria's largest airline and the country's only entry in the top ten. Founded in 2013 and based in Lagos, it flies domestic, regional and international routes from Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Its 33 aircraft include five Embraer E195-E2s, eight Embraer ERJ-145s, two Boeing 777-200s and two Boeing 777-300s, plus a mix of Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. 22 aircraft are in service and 11 are parked. At 21.1 years, Air Peace has the oldest fleet in the top ten. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, yet its largest airline ranks only ninth, and Ethiopian flies nearly five times as many aircraft.

10. TAAG Angola Airlines, 33 aircraft

TAAG Angola Airlines is Angola's national carrier and one of Africa's oldest airlines, founded in 1938 and based in Luanda. It ties Air Peace on 33 aircraft, but it ranks tenth because only 13 of its aircraft are in service, against Air Peace's 22. Twenty of its 33 aircraft are parked, the most parked aircraft of any airline in the top ten. Its fleet includes six Airbus A220s, nine Boeing 737s, eight Boeing 777s, four Boeing 787 Dreamliners and six De Havilland Dash 8 aircraft. The average fleet age is 10.8 years. TAAG's parked aircraft explain the gap between its headline fleet size and the flying it actually does.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which African airline has the largest fleet in 2026?

Ethiopian Airlines, with 162 aircraft as of July 2026. It flies more aircraft than Airlink (71) and EgyptAir (70) combined, and it is the only African airline with more than 100 aircraft.

How many aircraft do Airlink and EgyptAir have?

Airlink has 71 aircraft and EgyptAir has 70, so Airlink leads by a single aircraft. Both figures are from Planespotters.net data as of July 2026.

Why is South African Airways missing from the top 10?

South African Airways flies 19 aircraft as of February 2026, far below the 33 aircraft needed to make the top ten. The airline was grounded in 2020 and relaunched in 2021 as a much smaller carrier. Its 19 aircraft are 14 short of tenth placed TAAG's 33.

Which of Africa's biggest airlines has the youngest fleet?

Air Cairo, with an average fleet age of 8.2 years. Ethiopian Airlines is next at 9.4 years. Air Peace has the oldest fleet in the top ten, at 21.1 years on average.

Does the largest fleet mean the largest profit?

No. Fleet size measures scale, not profit. The International Air Transport Association expects African passenger demand to grow 10 percent in 2026, yet it projects the continent's airlines will earn a combined net profit of only $100 million, down from $300 million in 2025. A large fleet also carries large costs, and parked aircraft earn nothing.

Data Sources

• Planespotters.net fleet data as of July 2026, via Nairametrics, "Top 10 African airlines with the largest fleets in 2026", 23 July 2026: nairametrics.com
• GazettePost, "Top 10 African airlines with most aircraft in 2026", 28 July 2026 (independent republication of the same Planespotters.net July 2026 dataset; all ten totals match): gazettepost.ng
• ATC News, "Africa's Five Largest Airlines by Fleet Size", 13 July 2026 (alternative snapshot; figures differ, see Methodology): atcnews.org
• South African Airways fleet size, 19 aircraft as of February 2026: Wikipedia, South African Airways
• Tunisair active fleet target of 21 aircraft by end-2026: hospitalitycareerprofile.com
• International Air Transport Association 2026 outlook for African aviation, via Nairametrics, 23 July 2026.
• Cairo airport passenger figures: Top 10 Busiest Airports in Africa in 2026, The African Exponent

Methodology

This ranking uses Planespotters.net fleet data as of July 2026, the latest consistent snapshot that covers every African airline on the same basis. Fleet size means total aircraft listed for the airline, in service plus parked. Aircraft on order or planned for future delivery are not counted. Every figure was checked against two sources, Nairametrics and GazettePost, which republished the same Planespotters.net dataset independently. All ten totals match exactly between the two sources, and the per-aircraft breakdowns published by Nairametrics sum to the stated totals for nine of the ten airlines. The exception is FlySafair: the published breakdown itemises 37 Boeing 737-800s against a stated total of 41 aircraft, so this article uses the total of 41 and describes the fleet as all Boeing 737s, without treating 37 as the complete breakdown. Air Peace and TAAG tie on 33 aircraft. Air Peace ranks ninth and TAAG tenth on aircraft in service, 22 against 13. One other published snapshot disagrees: ATC News, dated 13 July 2026, lists Ethiopian at 171, Airlink at 70, EgyptAir at 67, Royal Air Maroc at 64 and Air Algérie at 56. That snapshot publishes no per-aircraft breakdown, so the gap cannot be reconciled line by line. This article follows the Planespotters.net July 2026 figures because they are the only ones with a full composition that sums exactly, corroborated by two independent republications. Fleet counts change as aircraft are delivered, retired and parked, so the ranking is dated as of July 2026 throughout. South African Airways, with 19 aircraft as of February 2026, and Tunisair, which targets 21 active aircraft by the end of 2026, both fall below the 33 aircraft needed to make the top ten. All derived claims in this article, including totals, shares and multiples, were recomputed from the final table values before publication.