AviaDev Insight Africa

The latest updates impacting sub-Saharan African aviation. This episode covers a packed set of route launches, fleet moves, and network restructurings across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Host Jon Howell is joined by Aviation Consultants, Behramjee Ghadially and Sean Mendis to unpack several major airline stories, led by Kenya Airways' operational reset, Jambojet's Entebbe launch, and British Airways' return to Tanzania.
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome to the AviaDev Connectivity Update
04:35 - Kenya Airways leadership change and restructuring
09:28 - Kenya Airways fleet grounding and reliability challenges. Time to fix the fundamentals?
19:25 - Jambojet launches Entebbe. Can it stimulate a new market?
22:29 - Tanzania taxes and insurance costs impacting connectivity
30:16 - British Airways returns to Tanzania in Summer 2027 with Gatwick-Kilimanjaro-Zanzibar route
40:14 - Qatar Airways to Zanzibar, and the link to RwandAir's A330 plans 51:37 - IndiGo's Africa expansion to Dar es Salaam. A no brainer?
58:29 - Air Tanzania's Moscow service reversal
01:00:32 - Ethiopian Airlines' Durban relaunch and fleet updates
01:17:18 - ASKY's Central and West African network changes and big fleet plans
01:25:22 - Nigeria's domestic flight delays
01:31:55 - Airlink's new routes to Mauritius and Zanzibar and continued fleet growth
01:38:17 - Fastjet Zimbabwe extends its A320 lease
01:40:40 - FlySafair expands into Lusaka from February 2027
01:46:13 - Turkish Airlines suspends African routes. Will they come back?
01:52:10 - Malawi Airlines updates
01:55:14 - Africa World Airlines receives its first E190
01:56:09 – Proflight Zambia's Jetstream arrivals and fleet update
01:58:23 - Air Zimbabwe's Gatwick schedule and 737-200
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#AviaDev #AfricanAviation #AirlineNews #AviationNews #Connectivity #Airlink #KenyaAirways #EthiopianAirlines #Jambojet #britishairways #FlySafair #AirPeace #RwandaAir #qatarairways

Previewing the African Airlines Association 58th AGA with Secretary General, Abderahmane Berthe Ahead of the Annual General Assembly in Libreville, Gabon, Jon Howell caught up with the SG and together they cover the pressure points shaping African aviation right now, from fuel shocks and airspace disruption to taxes, blocked funds, financing, fleet development, and market liberalization.
Chapters:
01:24 - How the Middle East crisis and fuel shock has impacted African airlines
06:24 - Why fleet development and financing are now a priority for Africa's airlines
08:45 - De-risking aircraft finance through Cape Town Convention adoption and governance
10:42 - Pooling aircraft, spare parts, and engines through collaboration
13:09 - Why ECOWAS tax cuts are still not being implemented
16:24 - Blocked funds and why repatriation is critical for growth
18:18 - From SAATM declarations to real compliance and implementation
21:29 - Visa openness, trade, tourism, and the wider growth equation
23:33 - Fifth freedom rights and the role of non-African airlines
29:11 - What AFRAA wants delegates to take away from Libreville
31:33 - Why in-person aviation events still matter
Find out more about the AGA https://web.cvent.com/event/89c46023-862b-4f87-b965-21844dfd32c6/websitePage:cffc9bdf-e8b7-471d-9333-36d6da24d0ab 
#AFRAA #AfricanAviation #Aviation #AirlineIndustry #Africa #Gabon #AviaDev #Nairobi #libreville #flygabon
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Jambojet CEO and MD Karanja Ndegwa joins The AviaDev team to discuss the airline's return to regional flying with its Entebbe route, why it suspended flights to Zanzibar, and how it plans to grow its fleet.
The conversation also covers Jambojet's relationship with Kenya Airways and the economics shaping airline growth in East Africa. 
Chapters
01:04 Jambojet's Entebbe route and return to regional flying
03:28 Domestic recovery and Jambojet's market share growth
04:21 Aircraft shortages and expansion challenges
06:13 Why Jambojet suspended its Zanzibar route
09:06 Tourism fees, taxes, and travel demand
10:52 Jambojet and Kenya Airways: partners or competitors?
12:16 Why the Q400 works for regional routes and short runways
17:00 The Q400 fleet's limits and Jambojet's growth plans
19:17 Fuel costs and Jambojet's profitability
21:09 Fleet expansion plans through 2029
22:20 Aircraft options for Jambojet's future fleet
24:22 Jambojet's financial independence within Kenya Airways
27:22 Karanja's aircraft pick
#Jambojet #AfricanAviation #Aviation #Connectivity #AirlineIndustry #Africa #Kenya #AviaDev #Nairobi #Uganda
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Kenya's Aviation sector is under pressure. How is the industry adapting to disruption?
In this episode, Engineer Liz Aluvanze, CEO of the Kenya Association of Air Operators (KAAO), and Chairperson Mbuvi Ngunze discuss how Kenyan air operators are responding to changes in humanitarian flying, rising aviation taxes, and infrastructure challenges. 
The conversation explores how operators are pivoting to new business models, why policy certainty matters for investment, and what needs to change at Wilson Airport and across Kenya's airstrip network. 
Chapters: 
00:00 — Kenya's Air Operators and the Changing Aviation Landscape 
01:50 — How Operators Are Navigating Disruption 
05:18 — Growth and Optimism in Kenyan Aviation 
07:10 — Aviation Taxes, Spare Parts, and Policy Certainty 
12:06 — Kenya's Aviation Infrastructure Challenge 
19:18 — How KAO Represents Kenya's Air Operators 
23:34 — Building Stronger Industry Connections 
#KAAO #AfricanAviation #Aviation #AirlineIndustry #Africa #Kenya #AviaDev #Nairobi Sign up to the AviaDev mailing list https://www.aviadev.com/keep-me-updated

What will it take for Kenya Airways to turn its business around? In this episode, Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer at Kenya Airways, discusses the airline's priorities: restoring grounded aircraft, improving reliability, rebuilding customer trust, and pursuing profitability.
The conversation explores Kenya Airways' growth strategy, Nairobi's role as an African aviation hub, the airline's fleet and cargo ambitions, and how digital transformation and customer data could improve the passenger experience. 
Julius also explains why getting the fundamentals right, especially punctuality, route relevance, and disruption recovery, is essential to the airline's next chapter. 
Chapters 
00:00 — Kenya Airways' turnaround and 50-year legacy 
04:32 — Stabilization, strategy, and the grounded fleet 
07:48 — Profitability, growth, and Nairobi as a hub 
13:02 — Customer experience and the gap between promise and reality 17:49 — Fleet targets and the cargo opportunity 
19:41 — Passenger priorities and reliability challenges 
24:03 — Network changes and improving operational reliability 28:14 — Disruption recovery and customer accountability 
29:04 — Digital transformation and customer data 33:39 — Growth strategy, investment, and profitability 
39:15 — Kenya Airways' key markets and future priorities 
#KenyaAirways #AfricanAviation #Aviation #CustomerExperience #AirlineIndustry #Africa #Kenya #AviaDev #Nairobi Sign up to the AviaDev mailing list https://www.aviadev.com/keep-me-updated