AviaDev Insight Africa

In this episode, we explore the innovative journey of ValueJet, a Nigerian airline that has recently introduced Viki, the first AI concierge in Africa.

Temi Adjijola, the head of business program and IT at Value Jet, discusses the airline's mission to make flying accessible to more people in Nigeria, where air travel is still underutilized. Joining Temi is Rodger Whittle, Commercial Director and Juan Felipe Restrepo, Chief Product Officer at KIU System Solutions who created Viki and provide over 70 airlines worldwide with a comprehensive, cloud-based, AI-powered suite of IT services for airlines, focusing on Passenger Service Systems (PSS), Departure Control Systems (DCS), and a proprietary Global Distribution System (GDS).

The conversation delves into the challenges faced by the airline industry in Nigeria, the adoption of technology to enhance customer experience, and the significant role of AI in streamlining operations and improving service delivery.

The guests also share insights on the future of AI in aviation, including potential applications in customer service, operational efficiency, and revenue management.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Value Jet and AI Concierge

06:42 Value Jet's Business Model and Market Positioning

12:45 The Role of AI in Enhancing Customer Experience

20:22 Industry Feedback and Adoption of AI Solutions

28:06 Future Applications of AI in Aviation

38:53 Expansion Plans and Strategic Growth for Value Jet

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

Clarification on the FlySafair sale

Uganda Airlines - management changes, fleet changes, route changes

Kenya Airways next steps. Can they secure an investor/ partner? - both Singapore and Qatar have denied interest

Ethiopian update (adding a 4th daily Dubai, second daily Bamako - Dakar, cutting Nacala)

Air Congo regional expansion - speculation on Europe?

Eswatini Air to add Lusaka to their Harare service

QR cutting KGL frequencies

United Nigeria Airlines - update on fleet and potential routes

Air India orders A321XLRs - Africa bound?

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In this episode, Host Jon Howell sits down with Theo Wensink, Head of Airline Marketing, Middle East and Africa at Embraer to discuss the "Connecting Africa" report which premiered at AviaDev Africa 2025.

Providing commentary and insight into the findings are regular podcast contributors, aviation consultants Sean Mendis and Behramjee Ghadially.

Together, they explore why the report was created, the methodology, and then we count down the top unserved routes from 10 to 1, identifying which have the best chance of being served and by whom.

Download the report here

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Connecting Africa Report 01:23 Embraer's Footprint in Africa 08:44 Methodology Behind the Report 13:21 Countdown of Top 10 Routes: Brazzaville to Dakar 23:02 Countdown of Top 10 Routes: Douala to Dakar 28:55 Countdown of Top 10 Routes: Cape Town to Dar es Salaam 36:44 Countdown of Top 10 Routes: Abuja to Nairobi 44:00 Connecting Africa: The Abuja to Nairobi Route 44:24 Bamako to Brazzaville: Humanitarian and Diplomatic Links 53:10 Cotonou to Dakar: Trade and Student Travel 59:00 Cape Town to Lagos: Business and Leisure Dynamics 01:05:54 Dakar to Libreville: Oil and Banking Connections 01:10:46 Lusaka to Cape Town: Mining and Tourism Opportunities 01:20:37 Abidjan to Douala: The Unserved Route Potential

In this episode of AviaDev Insight Africa, host Jon Howell speaks with Chidozie Uzoezie, founder of the African Aviation Group (AAG), about the impact of the group on aspiring aviators in Africa. They discuss the challenges and opportunities in the African aviation industry, the launch of Mentortude, an all-inclusive mentorship platform, and the upcoming Fireside Chat event aimed at empowering the next generation of aviation professionals.

Find out more: https://www.mentortude.com/

Chidozie emphasizes the importance of mentorship, community, and access to information in shaping the future of aviation in Africa.

00:00 Introduction to African Aviation and Chidozie Uzoezie

03:09 The Impact of the African Aviation Group

06:07 Optimism for the Future of African Aviation

08:52 Introducing Mentitude: A New Mentorship Initiative

11:56 The Upcoming Fireside Chat Event

14:41 Closing Thoughts and Future Aspirations

In this episode of AviaDev Insight Africa, Jon Howell speaks with aviation consultant Miretab Tesfaye about the ambitious Bishoftu Airport project in Ethiopia.

They discuss the airport's projected capacity, the strategic advantages and opportunities for Ethiopian Airlines, and the challenges it faces in a competitive Global aviation market.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Bishoftu Airport Project

05:03 Miretab's Journey and Experience

09:25 Overview of Bishoftu Airport Details

16:17 Ethiopian Airlines' Competitive Advantage

22:58 Challenges and Opportunities for Ethiopian Airlines

29:51 Future of Bishoftu Airport and Its Impact

In this episode, we speak with George Mothema, CEO of the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (BARSA), to review the state of South African aviation in 2026 and preview the upcoming BARSA conference in KwaZulu-Natal.

George highlights positive market developments including shareholding changes at Safair, Qatar's 25% stake in Airlink, and SAA adding new routes as it rebuilds.

Key challenges discussed include ATNS's past neglect of instrument and flight procedure redesigns that led to suspended procedures and losses for airlines serving secondary airports, aging CNS equipment requiring manual workarounds, delayed airport maintenance by ACSA with noted improvements at OR Tambo, and border management bottlenecks such as long passport-control queues and delays implementing e-gates due to slow biometric systems and aging platforms.

Find out more: https://barsa.co.za/

00:00 Welcome to AviaDev Insight Africa + Introducing BARSA CEO George Mothema

01:17 South Africa Aviation 2026: The Good News (market shakeups, new investors, SAA routes)

04:21 The Bad News: ATNS flight procedure suspensions & air traffic systems upgrades

06:23 Airport maintenance & border control bottlenecks

08:27 Policy & safety snapshot: civil aviation policy balance

11:39 Regional recovery & why BARSA is heading to KwaZulu-Natal (Durban)

15:43 Conference theme reveal: "Destination Africa" and what it means

16:07 Program deep dive

22:34 Who should attend BARSA 2026

30:48 Wrap-up.

In this episode, the focus is on Africa World Airlines (AWA) and its new Chief Operating Officer, Sohail Mahmood

Sohail shares his aviation journey so far and what attracted him to join AWA.

We then delve into the foundational strengths of AWA, including its hub and spoke model operating out of Accra, Ghana, and the reasons for its resilience.

We then move to fleet and route strategy, where Sohail hints at potential expansion on both fronts in 2026, before wrapping up with a discussion on the strategic importance of partnerships and interline agreements to enhance AWA's route network and market presence.

This session was live-streamed on 26th January 2026.

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As always, we are joined by our trusted pair — Behramjee Ghadially and Sean Mendis.

Chapters:

2025 AviaDev Award winners announcements

Ethiopian Airlines S26 network updates

Impact of updated US travel restrictions on Africa demand in 2026

Qatar Airways frequency increases to South Africa

TAAG's planned Guangzhou service on 787

Air Sierra Leone Banjul–London Gatwick

fastJet cutting LUN-HRE flights

Airlink increasing Lilongwe flights and looking at ordering 30 E175-E2s to replace E135/140 fleet.

SAA-Cemair codeshare agreement

Kenya Airways 777-300ER returns on LHR from June

Uganda Airlines A330 issues

Air Tanzania finally launching Accra 28JAN26?

Air Côte d'Ivoire longhaul schedule updates

WRAPUP

• Air Zimbabwe's US$775m turnaround and fleet replacement plan
• Delta's 787-10 order and implications for Africa
• Enugu Air's E195 expansion and virtual airline model
• Oman Air to Kigali?
• FlyNAS launching Abha to Addis Ababa 2x weekly
• Air Algerie 2x weekly ALG-NDJ-ADD starting March 2026

Katherine Nicholls is a South African who recently graduated from the University of Surrey with an MSc in Air Transport Management.

Her dissertation focused on the potential for Cape Town to evolve from a destination airport into a major aviation hub.

Learn about Katherine's research, which combines network analysis, connectivity data, and broader market factors.

Discover the roles of regional and international connectivity, infrastructural challenges, the impact of home-based carriers, and the future of Cape Town's aviation landscape.

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This is an audio recording of the annual AviaDev Insight Africa Awards, which was also live-streamed via the AviaDev YouTube channel and Jon Howell's personal LinkedIn page.

Join our monthly podcast guests, Sean Mendis and Behramjee Ghadially, who have been working independently (no collusion here!) to pick their nominees across these much-debated categories:

✈ New Intercontinental Africa Route of the Year

✈ New Intra-Africa Route of the Year

✈ Best Intercontinental "Expansion" Route of the Year

✈ Worst Route Decision of the Year

✈ Route Suspension of the Year

✈ Surprise Route of the Year

✈ Most Sensible Commercial Decision of the Year by an African airline

Expect strong opinions, healthy debate, and possibly a few raised eyebrows!

A reminder that the views expressed are those of my guests and not necessarily those of AviaDev.