Alger's Airport Drops in African Rankings Despite Capacity Growth

The Alger international Houari Boumediene airport has dropped to 8th position in the African airport rankings for November 2026, according to data from OAG. Despite an increase in seating capacity, the airport has lost ground in the continental rankings. With 520,000 seats programmed for November 2026, the airport's capacity has increased by 7.4% from the previous month and 3.2% from the same period last year.

The top three airports in Africa are Cairo, Addis-Abeba, and Johannesburg, with 1.74 million, 1.17 million, and 1.12 million seats respectively. These airports continue to dominate the African market, with a significant gap in capacity between them and the rest of the continent. The Alger airport's 8th position highlights the differences in capacity between the main air travel markets in Africa.

In the Maghreb region, Alger's airport ranks third, behind Casablanca and Marrakech. Casablanca has 690,000 seats programmed, while Marrakech has 580,000 seats available. At the national level, the total capacity of Algerian airports has reached 948,334 seats, representing a modest 0.2% increase from the same period last year.

The limited growth in Algeria's national capacity puts it among the countries with the lowest growth rates in the top 10 markets tracked by OAG. This is in contrast to the growth observed in some major international airports. The Algerian market's slow growth rate is notable, especially when compared to other major air travel markets.

Globally, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport retains the top spot with 5.07 million seats programmed, despite a 1% annual decline. Chicago O'Hare airport ranks second with 4.64 million seats, showing the strongest growth among the top 10 airports at 11% annually. Tokyo Haneda airport completes the podium with 4.54 million seats, up 1% from the previous year.

The dominance of major American and Asian airports in global air travel is evident in the rankings. Dubaï airport ranks fourth with 4.47 million seats, but experiences a significant 16% annual decline. Canton-Baiyun airport rounds out the top 5 with 4.44 million seats, representing a 5% increase from November 2025.

The November 2026 airport rankings highlight the changing dynamics in global air travel. While Alger's airport has dropped in the African rankings, major airports in the US, Asia, and Europe continue to dominate the global market. The growth rates of various airports and markets provide insight into the evolving landscape of air travel.

Key points

• Alger's Houari Boumediene airport ranks 8th in Africa, with 520,000 seats programmed for November 2026.
• Cairo, Addis-Abeba, and Johannesburg dominate the African airport rankings.
• Algeria's national airport capacity growth rate is 0.2%, one of the lowest in the top 10 markets tracked by OAG.