Access to finance is a perennial challenge for many African and Global airlines and it starts with identifying the right solution for your business model.  

For this episode, I am joined by Tristan Brouard, Vice President of Asset Management at ACC Aviation, a global leader in aircraft leasing that offers transaction and consultancy services. 

Tristan will be hosting a panel at AviaDev in Zanzibar and in the build up, we have created an insightful blog post that supports this podcast. Read the blog post here  

We discuss:

The current environment for aircraft financing in Africa?

The different forms of aircraft acquisition available to an airline

How this mix is changing in Africa, especially as ACMI providers grow in number and scope?

Where can airlines typically source finance?

How can airlines take concrete steps to help themselves become more investment-friendly and build trust with lenders and lessors?

Will there be a shift in how aircraft financing is approached in Africa?

CONNECT WITH TRISTAN HERE

FOLLOW ACC AVIATION HERE

Welcome to the April 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:

Air Côte d'Ivoire's incoming A330-900 and potential destinations, including Beirut. RwandAir's interest in developing Mombasa and Zanzibar (great timing for AviaDev) Delta is upgrading Atlanta - Lagos to A350-900 daily Air France is increasing Cape Town service in Winter Air Asia has confirmed it will end the Nairobi route  Air Tanzania is announcing Johannesburg- Zanzibar flights from 10th June (perfect timing for AviaDev) A deep dive analysis into the Dubai-Africa market, comparing ET vs KQ performance

In this episode, we welcome back Judy Waruiru, Regional Managing Director - East Africa, Network International. 

AI is influencing all aspects of the aviation business, and payments are no exception. 

Together, we discuss:

Has the momentum towards payment digitisation from passengers continued?

How is this reducing cost and complexity for airlines?

Is the new "buy now, pay later" concept supporting airlines in acquiring new customers? 

What can be done with the data Network International collects? 

How can airlines prevent fraud, which continues to be an issue impacting the industry?  

Read the blog post here

Connect with Judy here

Stay up to date with Network International here

In this episode, we welcome Denis Kulikov, Deputy CEO at AI12 and Michael Jonga, Director Africa to explore how safety culture and its direct impact on insurance premiums, which can be a substantial expense for African airlines. 

Together, we discuss:

The different types of insurance required to operate 

The link between safety and premiums and how to break the perception of risk

The level of premiums paid by African airlines vs the World average

Practical steps airlines can take to reduce this

The role of an insurance broker and the benefits of engaging one such as AI12

Find out more about AI12

Connect with Denis

Connect with Michael

We welcome the Director General of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, Ahmed Hassan Moalim and Tom Perkins, CEO of Navpass to tell the story of how Somalia's airspace has been reinvented over the last 7 years. 

We chart the course from when Somalia took back control of the Sovereign Airspace from ICAO and how Navpass supported them to collect all overflight fees owed whilst improving safety, security, and reliability for all stakeholders. 

The story is a blueprint for what can be achieved through trust, collaboration and innovation. 

You can meet the DG and the Navpass team at AviaDev Africa in Zanzibar in June 2025. 

Find out more about Navpass

Connect with Tom

In this episode, I speak to Jody Appolis, airport engineer who heads NACO’s business development unit in sub-Saharan Africa and Adam Ekman Pedersen who is Airport Commerce and customer experience lead.

Supported by the infographic below, we are focused on African airports and the hot topic of non-aeronautical revenues.

We look at how Africa compares to the global average and discuss some potential solutions to address this.

Together, we discuss:

The difference between aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenues

How does Africa compare to the global average in terms of the ratio between the two? 

Does the overperformance of duty-free in Africa indicate a lack of decent alternative shopping or simply a compelling duty-free offering? 

How can the retail offering be improved and what role does the customer experience play in developing non-aeronautical revenues? 

How do we cater for Gen Z travellers and their preferences?

CONNECT WITH JODY

CONNECT WITH ADAM

In this episode, I interview Dirk Singer, co-author of "Sustainability in the Air," Volume two.  

The first edition is one of my favourite publications and highlights specific companies and case studies relating to sustainability

18 months after the first volume was published, we discuss the following:

Is the desire and requirement to focus on sustainable solutions more important than ever? 

Which technologies are attracting the most investment?

How supportive are governments of this new technology, and is the support reducing?

What is the shortest route to affordable sustainable aviation fuel? 

Is there increased investment in the early stage tech from OEMs and end users?

What are the opportunities and threats for African aviation?

Buy the book on Amazon here

Connect with Dirk here

Welcome to the April 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 to launch to Sharjah 4 x week and go double daily to Lagos from July. 

Qantas is rumoured to be launching Perth-Johannesburg in December 3 x week Etihad to increase flights from Nairobi to double daily in December Deep dive into the London-Africa dynamic and how London Gatwick has improved it's share of African traffic Air Sierra Leone launching to London Gatwick from Freetown in June with one of our commentators heavily involved Condor expanding services to Cape Town and Johannesburg from November Africa World Airlines launching flights to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 3 June Kenya Airways summer schedule changes and west Africa operation Listen to Sean's commentary on SAA here 

In this episode, I sit down with Selim Bouri, President, Middle East, Africa and Turkiye at SITA to interpret the findings of a recent SITA survey focused on air transport IT. 

Selim shares his insights on the below questions:

Has momentum towards digitalization and IT investment in African airports broadly continued post-Covid? 

Why was passenger processing identified as the most important factor in the report?  

What solutions can African airports focus on in 2025 that ensure the highest return for the lowest investment and the shortest implementation time?

How can Artificial Intelligence support airports and what specific solutions are already available to African airports?

How can technology investment support sustainability targets and initiatives? 

You can meet the SITA team at AviaDev Africa in June

Follow/ Connect with Selim on LinkedIn

Download the IT insights report here 

SITA is the World's leading specialist in air transport communications and information technology. Visit the website

In this episode, I sit down with Kwame Bekoe, Co-Founder and CEO of AfriSAF, https://afrisaf.com/ 

After 20 years working in the aviation industry for companies such as Airbus, GECAS, Zero and now proudly owning an MBA, Entrepreneur Kwame Bekoe is embarking on his biggest mission yet- to unlock Africa's sustainable energy potential. 

In the episode, we discuss Kwame's passion for agriculture and Africa, why he feels a biomass-driven SAF solution is what the world needs now, and the input and enthusiasm of African airlines and investors. 

CONNECT WITH KWAME