Methodology
How the Africa Air Connectivity Index is calculated.
The Index combines five observable dimensions of scheduled air connectivity into a comparable score out of 100.
At a glance
| Dimension | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Destinations | 30% | The number of destinations served by scheduled air links. |
| Flights | 25% | The volume of scheduled flights associated with the country. |
| Countries served | 20% | The number of distinct countries connected by those services. |
| Airline diversity | 15% | The number of airlines represented in the country’s scheduled network. |
| Low-cost airlines | 10% | The presence of low-cost carriers in the measured network. |
The calculation
For each dimension, a country’s value is compared with the highest value observed in the African dataset for that edition. Multiply the resulting proportion by the dimension’s weight. The five weighted values are then added to produce the Africa Public Connectivity Score.
Score = (destinations ÷ African maximum × 30) + (flights ÷ African maximum × 25) + (countries served ÷ African maximum × 20) + (airlines ÷ African maximum × 15) + (low-cost airlines ÷ African maximum × 10)
The score is displayed to one decimal place where the underlying result supports that precision. The published rank is preserved in edition order, including where displayed scores round to the same value.
Scope of the edition
Each edition states its snapshot date and source coverage. The September 2026 edition records the published results for all 55 African Union country and territory entries using the source material available for that edition.
The Index describes scheduled network connectivity, not live aircraft positions, ticket prices, passenger satisfaction, safety performance, or the total number of passengers using an airport.
What counts as evidence
- Scheduled services and route records are dated and attributed to a source wherever possible.
- Airports are treated as registry or source records unless scheduled passenger service is separately supported.
- Airline presence can include a based carrier, a carrier serving the country, a marketing or codeshare label, cargo activity, seasonal service or an unverified directory record. The relationship is labelled where known.
- Routes are labelled operating, announced, seasonal, suspended, unverified or not established.
- Missing information is left blank. A zero is recorded only when the evidence supports a genuine zero.
What the score does not mean
A higher score does not mean that every journey is direct, affordable or convenient. It does not measure airline quality, airport infrastructure, safety, visa openness, airfares or the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market.
SAATM participation is shown as contextual information where available. It is not treated as proof that traffic rights have been implemented or that a country’s market is open in practice.
Geographic and data notes
The Index follows its 55-entry country and territory structure. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is represented through the existing EH entry and territory note; map geometry is illustrative and does not constitute a legal determination.
Country boundaries, airport locations and route records may come from different sources and dates. They should not be interpreted as a single real-time operational database.
Sources and updates
The site records a source title, source link and last-checked date for available data. Directory and profile records may be updated independently of a published ranking. When the underlying definition, source coverage or calculation changes materially, the change should be documented in a new edition or methodology note.
Improving the Index
The Index is intended to improve over time. We welcome corrections supported by an authoritative source, clearer records from airlines and airports, and research that helps measure not only the existence of connections but also their reliability, affordability and usefulness to passengers.