In this episode, we meet Simon Newton-Smith, who joined SAA in August 2021 as Interim CCO. He has a deep and varied background including having previously worked with SAA some 20 years ago.

SAA emerged from business rescue in April 2021 and the airline has entered a turbulent market.

In the podcast, we cover:

• How Simon would sum up the progress made since exiting business rescue
• Where the bright spots are and how the route network has been developed
• What SAA are looking for from potential airports/ destinations that want to attract the airline
• Clarification around the KQ/SAA strategic partnership
• SAA's fleet plans.
• His thoughts on the recovery of business travel
• Immediate strategic objectives for 2022

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don't forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

Find out more about AviaDev at www.aviationdevelop.com/africa

This is the first podcast of 2022 and as such I am delighted that we are discussing a positive and uplifting pan- African project that aims to spotlight opportunities for intra-africa trade and tourism development across the value chain.

The event is the Walk for Love and in this episode, I discuss the concept of the project, why it's needed and how you can get involved with event organiser, Toni Ukachukwu, plus include a snippet of a new song that will be released alongside the walk.

EMAIL: [email protected]

INSTAGRAM @walkforloveafrica

TWITTER @wfl_africa

FACEBOOK @walkforloveafrica

Song of love by Vicky Sampson out 12th Feb.

For this episode, I am joined by Derek Nseko, Publisher of Airspace-Africa and together we meet Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines.

Uganda Airlines was recently crowned the world's youngest fleet by ch-aviation and operates a fleet of CRJ-900s and A330s.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we discover the following:

• Jenifer's background and passions
• The priorities of Uganda Airlines in 2022 and beyond
• How Uganda Airlines views partnerships and collaboration
• Network and fleet development plans

Find out more about Uganda Airlines here

Connect with Derek here and visit airspace-africa

In this episode, Sylvain joins us to discuss a fascinating article focused on the opportunity for African airlines to wet-lease in capacity during peak times.

Is this a solution that can allow airlines to operate profitably?

What type of airline is it most suited to?

Is it a way to ensure important connectivity without the huge price tag of a long-term lease or aircraft purchase?

You can read the blog here

Want to know more about the opportunity?

Connect with Sylvain here

Email [email protected]

In the light of the recent events AviaDev team talks to Dirk Singer, Head of Research at Simpliflying who has been covering the implications of the pandemic on the world of travel since the early days.

Also today, Dirk is very actively commenting end explaining the current situation on Linkedin and also on Simpliflying corona weekly newsletter.

On 25th November we heard the first news about a new variant of covid-19 which was discovered by the scientists in South Africa and later it was named Omicron by WHO. What followed was very quick reaction of the international community to ban the flights from South Africa and other African countries.

With Dirk we are discussing the current situation, what we do know about Omicron on 30 November 2021, how effective the travel bans are and what can we expect in the coming weeks.

This episode is a recording of a session delivered on 11th November 2021 at the Future Flying Forum, presented by Simple Flying and powered by AviaDev.

Sean Mendis took to the stage to present on the topic of the future of African aviation.

Sean is an aviation expert who has started up benefits airlines on the continent, along with time spent managing Mogadishu airport in Somalia and a cargo airline.

He is known for his informed and honest opinions and has a deep-rooted passion for the African aviation industry, which is something I am sure we all share.

This episode was recorded at the Dubai Airshow with Nuno Pereira CEO of Bestfly, an Angolan-based aviation company with operations in Cabo Verde, Angola and Aruba. I was also joined by Sameer Adam, Senior Vice President Commercial, ACIA Aero Leasing ("ACIA"), a leading provider of regional aircraft leasing and lease management services.

The companies agreed to the lease of two aircraft, one Embraer E-190 and one ATR 72-600, which are joining the other two ATR72-600s on lease from ACIA in the carrier's fleet. ACIA and Bestfly also agreed to further expand the E-190 lease portfolio in 2022.

Together we discussed the planned deployment of the new aircraft and longer-term plans for diversification

You can connect with Sameer here

This episode is the recording of the interview I conducted on 10th November for the Future Flying Forum, an event brought to you by Simple Flying, the world's largest aviation news website, which was delivered in conjunction with the AviaDev team.

Over 2 days, we took our delegates on a journey from Australia to Alaska stopping off on the way.

Rodger has been a guest on the podcast before and he has been the CEO of Airlink since inception in 1992 and the airline has grown to operate a fleet of over 50 commercial aircraft.

In 2020, Airlink began operating on its own 4Z code ending a 23 year franchise agreement with SAA.

Today, Airlink is the second biggest airline in Africa by number of flights operated and has signed numerous codeshares and interlines over the last 12 months.

Together we discuss the partnerships, fleet plans, his thoughts on sustainability and take a look into the future.

On November 1st 2021, SITA announced that in a bid to support the recovery of travel and tourism globally, their digital travel declaration solution will be available free of charge to all governments globally.

The solution allows passengers to share required health and travel documentation with governments ahead of travel, streamlining the process

In this episode, I am joined by Jeremy Springall, Vice President, SITA AT BORDERS to understand how the solution works and how it can support Africa's aviation and travel recovery.

Read all about it here https://www.sita.aero/pressroom/news-releases/sita-launches-free-digital-travel-declaration-solution-supporting--governments-in-safely-opening-their-borders/

In this episode, we welcome back Tom from AviAssist to discuss the world of aviation safety, which is the bedrock upon which our great industry is built, ahead of the SiAA conference.

Together we discuss the safety environment in African aviation ahead of upcoming AviAssist Safety in African Aviation Conference, which was beautifully delivered on a virtual platform in 2020 and will once again take place virtually this year. We discuss the topics, speakers and format to offer a flavour of what you can expect on 19th November and 7th December.

You can register for just $7 here