In this episode, we cover the latest route and fleet developments in African aviation.

Topics include:

SAA's new Johannesburg - Gaborone route and fleet RFP

Proflight Zambia's new Maun route via Livingstone

Airlink's new Zanzibar route from June on E2 Airlink to Nacala from Feb 2026 Airlink is increasing Blantyre to daily

Malawi Airlines Liliongwe to Johannesburg increased to 10x weekly New Lilongwe to Entebbe route 4x weekly

Air Cote d'Ivoire to Beirut from Jan 26

Lufthansa Group's Africa expansion Brussels airlines to open Kilimanjaro Nairobi-Frankfurt on LH increased from 5 weekly to daily Munich to Johannesburg to move to year-round Zurich to Windhoek new route on Edelweiss Discover to add A350s Frankfurt to Seychelles to become year-round

Air Seychelles to go daily to Abu Dhabi

Air Peace's Caribbean charter flights

Ethiopian increasing Rome to double daily from 1 June 2026

This month's guests are:

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE

In this episode of AviaDev Insight Africa, host Jon Howell speaks with three inspirational AviaDev ambassadors—Mahek Shah, Usman Cisse, and Ellah Wafula about their experiences at the recent ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals event in Durban, August 2025.

Supported by Airlink, these young aviators not only attended the event but also spoke to a global audience.

They discuss their backgrounds, motivations, and key insights gained from the summit.

The conversation highlights the importance of mentorship, structured pathways, and collaboration across generations to empower the future leaders of the African aviation industry.

They also emphasize the role of social media in engaging and inspiring the next generation.

The episode includes reflections on the impact and legacy of such events and calls for more structured support to bridge the gap for young aviation enthusiasts in Africa.

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Connect with Mahek on LinkedIn

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Find out more about Wings for Women

Connect with Ellah on LinkedIn

Find out more about AWAM Kenya

In this episode of AviaDev Insight Africa, Jon welcomes SAA's CCO, Tebogo Tsimane.

Together, they dive into SAA's upcoming 4th November route launch, Johannesburg to Gaborone, and explore the strategic and operational reasons behind this move.

They then move into a discussion around SAA's fleet expansion and modernization plans, including their partnership with Turkish carrier Sun Express and the expected launch of new long-haul and regional routes.

Tebogo emphasizes the importance of densifying current markets and strengthening partnerships with travel agents.

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In this episode of Avia Dev Insight Africa, host Jon Howell, CEO and founder of AviaDev Africa, discusses the latest developments in communications and technology in African aviation with Yann Cabaret, CEO of SITA for Aircraft, and Martin Smillie, Senior Vice President, The Communications Services Business Unit

The episode focuses on how targeted investments in technology can enhance operational efficiency, build resilience, and improve the bottom line for African airports and airlines.

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In this episode, host Jon Howell speaks with Miguel Carneiro, the Chief Commercial Officer of TAAG Angola Airlines.

The discussion covers TAAG's ambitious transformation over the past year, including the induction of new aircraft, new and reinstated routes, and the move to the new International airport.

Miguel shares insights about the airline's recent fleet expansions, deploying Boeing 787 and A220 aircraft, and the importance of building a robust African network.

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Join Jon Howell, Founder and CEO of AviaDev Africa, as he hosts a special video podcast from Lusaka at the Airlines Association of Southern Africa's Annual General Assembly. to watch the video, head to this link

In this episode, Jon speaks with Keira Langford-Johnson, the Business Development Director at Proflight Zambia.

They discuss exciting new route announcements, including Lusaka-Livingstone-Maun and Lusaka-Livingstone-Windhoek, the regulatory and developmental processes behind these routes, and the specific challenges and considerations in regional aviation route development.

They also delve into the fleet specifics and future expansion plans of Prof Flight Zambia.

This episode offers valuable insights for those interested in the African aviation industry, route development, and tourism connectivity.

01:03 Announcing the New Lusaka-Livingstone-Maun Route

02:18 The Route Development Process and role of AviaDev Africa

07:28 Discussing the Second Route: Lusaka-Livingstone-Windhoek

11:31 Fleet Expansion and Future Plans

13:58 Closing Remarks and Future Outlook

In this episode, we cover the latest route and fleet developments in African aviation.

This month's guests are:

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE

1 Min Deep Dive: New York to Africa Market

33 mins Turkish Airlines' Mega Order with Boeing

41 mins Ethiopian Airlines Schedule Updates

45 mins Malawi Airlines Fleet Expansion

47 mins TAAG's New 787 Delivery

49 mins United Nigeria's Fleet Acquisition

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In this episode, we cover the latest route and fleet developments in African aviation.

Topics include the arrival of Embraer's E2 aircraft in the Airlink fleet and its strategic significance, the burgeoning route developments by Middle Eastern carriers into Nairobi, the operational changes at Kenya Airways, Air Tanzania's new routes to Accra and Lagos, and Etihad's planned seasonal entry into Zanzibar.

This month's guests are:

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE

3 mins Airlink's New Embraer E2 Fleet 09:04 Speculations on Airlink's Route Expansion

27 mins Flydubai to launch Nairobi and a general discussion on GCC Carriers in East Africa

37 mins KQ's Existential Crisis and Strategic Challenges

40 mins KQ's New Route 42:14 Air Tanzania's New Route to Accra

49 mins Ethiopian Airlines' Dominance in Zanzibar as Etihad enters the market in 2026

64 mins RwandAir's Upgraded Mombasa-Zanzibar Flight

In this episode, we discuss the challenges and objectives of aviation development in The Gambia, focusing on both regional and international connectivity, tourism, infrastructure, and policy developments.

Haddy shares insights about The Gambia's efforts to improve connectivity and attract new routes, the importance of regional partnerships, and her vision for the future of Gambia's aviation landscape.

Connect with Haddy

Welcome to the September edition of the AviaDev Insight Africa Connectivity update for 2025, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa.

This month's guests are:

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE

Topics covered this month:

Ethiopian Airlines reporting a $1.05 Billion profit on $7.6 Billion revenue

ADD-ABV going 10 weekly from 28OCT25

12th weekly TNR, reducing NOS from Jan-Mar, SEZ reduction Jan-Mar.

4th daily EBB

Group CEO Mesfin Tasew to retire in 2026

Rwandair report a $93m half-year loss

KGL MBA ZNZ 3x weekly route launching in December 2025

An additional A330 coming from QR

Tanzania's new taxes + mandatory insurance and the potential impact on demand

Air Tanzania to launch Lagos from 13SEP25 3x weekly using a 737Max

Uganda Airlines report a $76m loss for 2024-5

Kenya Airways report a loss of $94m for the first half of 2025

Qatar to launch a 3rd daily NBO, Lagos back to 14x weekly, JNB up to 18x, CPT 12x, upguage others like CMN

FlyNAS to launch Riyadh- Nairobi from 2 October, 3 x week

SAA to launch Gaborone flights in November, A330 wetlease from Hi-Fly

Proflight Zambia will launch flights 3 x week from Lusaka via Livingstone to Windhoek starting March 3 2026.

Airlink may suspend ticket sales in Mozambique and will increase JNB-BLZ flights to 6x weekly from October.

KLM - reduces KGL and EBB from 7 to 3 weekly in NW25, CPT increasing 7 to 11 weekly (previously announced)

Air Cote D'Ivoire is taking delivery of an A330 on 4th September and has loaded ADJ-CDG for sale