Airport traffic and airline route events
Seats decide arrivals, and arrivals decide occupancy. True seats-per-week data sits behind commercial aviation databases, so nothing is published here that cannot be verified. What is tracked instead is official airport traffic, which is authoritative but lagging, and confirmed route events, which are forward-looking and actionable.
Official airport traffic
| Airport | Metric | Latest | Change | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JKIA Nairobi (NBO)AFRAA's August ranking. Africa-wide seat capacity rose 8.8% year on year and intra-African seats 10.5%.AFRAA's August ranking. Africa-wide seat capacity rose 8.8% year on year and intra-African seats 10.5%. Nairobi's hub premium over Addis is widening, not narrowing: Addis now offers more than twice JKIA's seats. | Seat capacity (all carriers) | 567,644 | Sixth in Africa; Addis Ababa 1.25m | August 2026 | African Airlines Association (AFRAA), via Capital FM, 16 Sep 2026 Verified |
| JKIA Nairobi (NBO)First national contraction in four years. JKIA runs about 20% above its 7.5m design capacity. A two-day airport workers' strike in early September 2026 disrupted passengers and freight. | Passengers handled (annual) | 8.93m | Kenya commercial airport traffic −1.2% (12.68m vs 12.83m) | 2025 | KNBS Economic Survey 2026, via Streamline Feed 30 May 2026; The EastAfrican 4 Sep 2026 Verified |
| JKIA Nairobi (NBO)Historical row, kept for continuity. | Passenger arrivals | 227,974 | −0.4% vs February (228,826) | March 2026 | KNBS Verified |
Entebbe (EBB)The sharpest monthly fall on record for the Uganda shock. Uganda was declared Ebola-free in late August, but the US CDC entry order still covers travellers recently in Uganda (to ~11 Oct 2026).The sharpest monthly fall on record for the Uganda shock. Uganda was declared Ebola-free in late August, but the US CDC entry order still covers travellers recently in Uganda (to ~11 Oct 2026). See the Rules tracker. | International passengers | 169,706 | −29.1% year on year | August 2026 | UCAA August 2026 statistics (EA Pulse signal, 20 Sep 2026) Verified |
| Entebbe (EBB)Historical row, kept for continuity. | International arrivals | 239,850 | −7.9% vs Q1 2025 (260,434) | Q1 2026 | UCAA via Aviation Week Verified |
| Entebbe (EBB)New passenger terminal opened January 2026. Capacity is no longer Uganda's constraint; demand is. | Terminal capacity | 3.5m/yr | up from 2m | From Jan 2026 | UCAA Verified |
Confirmed route events
| Route | Carrier | Status | Effective | Segment | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi ⇄ EntebbeDaily, back after six years. One-way fares reported from about US$170. Cheapest scheduled link between the two capitals; useful for Kampala city hotels and UG-KE combination safaris. | Jambojet | Announced | 1 Oct 2026 | City, Bush | allAfrica / Jambojet, 21 Aug 2026 |
| Entebbe ⇄ AccraFour weekly, Boeing 737-800 wet-leased from Ethiopian. First direct West Africa link for Entebbe's hub. | Uganda Airlines | Announced | 27 Oct 2026 | City | ATTA, 5 Aug 2026 |
Entebbe ⇄ KigaliDaily CRJ-900. Return fares reported from about US$370 against RwandAir's US$450.Daily CRJ-900. Return fares reported from about US$370 against RwandAir's US$450. Makes Bwindi plus Volcanoes a single itinerary without a long drive. Not yet flown a season: keep a fallback routing in 2027 contracts. | Uganda Airlines | Announced | 18 Nov 2026 | Bush, City | ATTA, 5 Aug 2026; EA Pulse Big Read, 19 Sep 2026 |
| Addis Ababa ⇄ Kilimanjaro ⇄ ZanzibarRises from the three weekly originally filed to seven, lifting combined service into JRO and ZNZ to about 21 weekly. | Ethiopian Airlines | Announced | 30 Nov 2026 | Bush, Beach | EA Pulse Big Read, 19 Sep 2026 |
| London Gatwick ⇄ Kilimanjaro ⇄ ZanzibarThree weekly (Mon/Thu/Sat). Lands at JRO after dark, so every safari sold off it needs an Arusha or Moshi night before day one. | British Airways | Announced | 29 May – 31 Oct 2027 | Bush, Beach | EA Pulse signal, 19 Sep 2026 |
| Johannesburg ⇄ ZanzibarTwice weekly (Wed/Sun ex-JNB, Mon/Thu ex-ZNZ), with an extra weekly flight 15 Dec 2026 – 13 Jan 2027. Southern African feed into the beach market. | Airlink (SA) | Operating | Since 3 Jun 2026 | Beach | flyairlink.com |
| Johannesburg ⇄ NairobiDaily. Not new: an established Southern African feed into Nairobi (this row corrects our earlier 'launching 2026' entry). | Airlink (SA) | Operating | Since 24 Apr 2023 | City | flyairlink.com |
| Kigali ⇄ ZanzibarRwanda-Zanzibar gorillas-and-beach combinations without routing through Nairobi or Dar. | RwandAir | Operating | Bookable on rwandair.com (checked 22 Sep 2026) | Beach, Bush | rwandair.com |
| Nairobi ⇄ Entebbe (non-stop)Easier multi-country itineraries; good for Kampala city hotels chasing transit corporate traffic. | Safarilink | Operating (not re-checked since 25 Jul) | 1 May 2026 | City | Safarilink / KATA |
| Nairobi ⇄ Kisumu ⇄ EntebbeTwice-daily service retained alongside the non-stop. | Safarilink | Continues (not re-checked since 25 Jul) | Since Jan 2026 | City | KATA |
| 14 destinations ex-EntebbeDaily Nairobi rotations and three weekly to Zanzibar. | Uganda Airlines | Operating (not re-checked since 25 Jul) | July 2026 schedule | City, Beach | KATA |
| Entebbe & KigaliForward signal, not yet flying. | Flightlink (TZ) | Announced (not re-checked since 25 Jul) | 2026 | City | Aviation Week |
Other live trackers
- Park fees & leviesPark, permit, visa and levy prices by country
- Travel advisoriesUS and UK advisory levels, side by side
- Hotel rate indexMedian lead-in rates across eleven markets
- Cost indexFuel, currency, energy and inflation pressure
- Development pipelineSignings, openings and rooms under construction
- MICE calendarConferences and expos that compress room stock
Follow the Pulse
Every change to this tracker is reported in the daily brief.