What are the largest aviation systems, airlines and airports in this part of Africa? In our special capacity analysis reports this week to support the forthcoming Routes Africa forum in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, we look in greater detail at aviation within Eastern Africa and from the region to the rest of the world.

On scheduled air services within Eastern Africa, air capacity remains dominated by Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport although its share of the total capacity has declined over the five year analysis period from 17.3 per cent in 2009 to 16.4 in 2013. Growing air connectivity within the region and the arrival of low-cost carriers has helped to boost overall seat capacity in this market by 43.6 per cent over the past five years. The growth of 4.8 per cent in 2003 was healthy but almost a half that recorded in 2010 and 2012 and a third of the figure recorded in 2011.

Air transport in Eastern Africa continues to be dominated by the traditional markets of Kenya and Tanzania, although the development of a major hub operation by Ethiopian Airlines at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa mean that for the first time it offered more capacity within the region than its hub rival Kenya Airways. The data, above and below, also clearly illustrates the major strides low-cost carrier fastjet has made since its debut, boosting capacity at its Tanzania base at Dar es Salaam.

Looking at schedule data for the past two years shows that seat capacity on flights within and from Eastern Africa increased 4.7 per cent in 2013, versus 2012, with departures down 1.9 per cent during the same period. In the tables, below, we highlight the largest airlines and airports in this market by seat capacity in 2013 and compare this with the previous year.

The data is all supplied by OAG Aviation using its OAG Schedules Analyser tool.