Morocco’s airports handled 22,282,997 passengers during the first seven months of 2026, representing an 8.77% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to the National Airports Office (ONDA).

International traffic accounted for the vast majority of passengers, rising 8.82% to 19,894,489. Domestic traffic also grew, increasing 8.36% to 2,388,508 passengers, based on ONDA’s commercial air traffic statistics for July 2026.

Casablanca Mohammed V remained the country’s busiest airport, serving 6,953,695 passengers. Marrakech-Menara ranked second with 6,407,303, followed by Agadir-Al Massira with 2,179,857, Tangier Ibn Battouta with 1,711,764, and Rabat-Salé with 1,446,355.

European markets continued to generate the largest share of international traffic. A total of 16,541,007 passengers travelled between Morocco and Europe during the period, an increase of 9.29% year-on-year.

Several other markets recorded faster percentage growth. South American traffic jumped 34.21% to 62,880 passengers, while North American traffic increased 14.54% to 581,297. African traffic rose 13.74% to 1,175,674, and Maghreb traffic climbed 10.06% to 295,188.

Traffic involving the Middle and Far East was the only major regional segment to decline, falling 4.12% to 1,238,443 passengers.

Aircraft movements across Morocco’s airports reached 164,164 by the end of July, up 9.82% compared with the previous year. Mohammed V recorded 55,223 movements, followed by Marrakech-Menara with 42,028 and Agadir-Al Massira with 15,009.

Air freight also posted solid growth, reaching 66,980.55 tonnes, an increase of 12.61% over the seven-month period. In July alone, Moroccan airports handled 3,450,846 passengers.

The increase in traffic comes as Morocco steps up investment in its airport network ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

Under its “Airports 2030” strategy, Morocco plans to increase nationwide airport capacity from approximately 34 million to 80 million passengers annually by 2030. A government agreement with ONDA covering 2025-2030 provides for MAD 38 billion ($3.8 billion) in investment across the airport network.

Casablanca Mohammed V is central to the expansion programme. Construction of a new hub terminal began in July 2025. The MAD 15 billion ($1.5 billion) facility is expected to add capacity for 20 million passengers annually, taking the airport’s overall capacity to 35 million passengers by 2029. The wider Casablanca development also includes a new runway.

At Marrakech-Menara, annual capacity is planned to double from eight million to 16 million passengers. Agadir-Al Massira is also being expanded, with capacity targeted at seven million passengers, compared with approximately three million currently.

Transport and Logistics Minister Abdessamad Kayouh has linked the airport expansion programme to Morocco’s World Cup preparations and the continued growth of air transport.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has welcomed the strategy, highlighting its potential to strengthen Morocco’s role as a regional aviation hub.

Source: Morocco world news

The Norwegian Group carried 2.9 million passengers in August 2026, including 2.5 million passengers on Norwegian and 359,000 on Widerøe.

Norwegian increased its capacity by 3% year on year, while passenger traffic climbed 4%. Its load factor improved by 0.4 percentage points to 86.3%. The airline operated an average of 94 aircraft during the month.

Regularity stood at 98.9%, rising to 99.6% when cancellations related to the Avinor air traffic controllers’ strike are excluded. The industrial action disrupted travel for more than 20,000 passengers. Norwegian’s punctuality rate, measured by departures within 15 minutes of schedule, was 80.8%.

Widerøe increased capacity by 2%, while traffic remained unchanged. Its load factor consequently declined by 1.8 percentage points to 75.8%. The regional airline recorded punctuality of 93.3%, an improvement of 1.5 percentage points, while regularity reached 97.4%.

Norwegian said booking activity for the autumn remained strong, particularly around the school holidays. Meanwhile, its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme has surpassed 10 million members and is introducing five new membership tiers.

Source: QCAA

African airlines recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in July 2026, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Capacity across African carriers increased by 9.0% compared with July 2025, while the passenger load factor stood at 74.1%. Domestic revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in the region rose 0.6% during the month.

Globally, total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased just 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%, while available seat kilometres, the industry measure of capacity, increased 0.3%.

The global load factor was 85.2%. International demand declined 0.1% year on year. When the Middle East was excluded, international demand increased 1.5%, with capacity also rising 0.3% and the load factor reaching 85.2%.

Domestic passenger demand worldwide grew 0.6% compared with July 2025, while domestic capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor stood at 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had produced a largely positive result despite weaker performance by carriers in North America and the Middle East.

She also noted that traffic through Gulf aviation hubs was continuing to recover.

Thomsen said airlines remained confident about demand for the final months of the year despite elevated fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Carriers are planning to increase seat capacity by almost 3% in September, she added.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Global air passenger demand recorded modest growth in July 2026, as strong performances in several regions helped offset declines among carriers in North America and the Middle East, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) increased by 0.2% compared with July 2025. Excluding Middle Eastern airlines, global passenger demand rose by 1.2%.

Worldwide capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), grew by 0.3% year-on-year, while the global passenger load factor slipped by 0.1 percentage points to 85.2%.

International traffic declined by 0.1% compared with the same month last year. However, excluding Middle Eastern carriers, international demand increased by 1.5%.

Domestic passenger demand rose by 0.6%, supported by a 0.2% increase in capacity. The domestic load factor reached 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had delivered an overall positive picture for aviation despite challenges in key markets.

“Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite year-on-year collective declines by carriers in North America and the Middle East,” she said, adding that traffic through Gulf hubs continued to recover.

Thomsen noted that high fuel prices, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions remain challenges for the industry. However, airlines remain confident about demand later in the year, with seat capacity expected to expand by almost 3% in September.

European airlines posted demand growth of 3.1%, supported in particular by a 12.1% surge in traffic between Europe and Asia.

Latin American carriers recorded a 7.1% increase in demand, while African airlines reported growth of 6.4%.

Elsewhere, Asia-Pacific demand declined by 0.7%, and North American carriers saw a 2.3% fall. Middle Eastern airlines reported the sharpest decline, with demand down 9.5%, although the pace of the downturn continued to ease.

Domestic traffic rose 0.6% worldwide, with China and Brazil reporting strong growth. In contrast, domestic markets in the United States, Australia and India recorded declines.

Source: ZAWYA

Typhoon Dolphin brought torrential rain to Shanghai on Monday, August 10, 2026, flooding roads and commercial areas and severely disrupting air travel in the city.

The weather system forced Shanghai’s two airports to cancel a combined 943 flights, while their overall passenger capacity was reduced by nearly 40%.

The disruption followed Dolphin’s landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening. The typhoon struck areas south and west of Shanghai with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour near its centre.

Dolphin later weakened into a tropical storm, but its remaining rain bands continued to bring heavy precipitation across large parts of eastern China.

Shanghai, the country’s second-most populous city, experienced widespread flooding, including in several major commercial districts.

China Eastern Airlines said it was working to gradually restore flights to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other affected destinations as weather conditions improve.

Source: Asia News Network

Thousands of WestJet cabin crew members began strike action on Aug. 2 after nearly 11 months of contract negotiations failed to result in a new labor agreement, triggering widespread disruptions across the airline's network.

The industrial action involves around 4,400 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125. The strike officially started after talks between the union and the airline ended without a new collective agreement.

The labor dispute has already forced WestJet to cancel more than 300 flights, affecting travel plans across its domestic and international routes.

Ahead of the strike, the airline had begun grounding portions of its Boeing 737 fleet as a precautionary measure to minimize operational disruption and reduce the risk of leaving passengers and aircraft stranded during the work stoppage.

Source: Aero Time