AviaDev Insight Africa

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

Topics include:

02:51 Ethiopian Airlines' Fleet Expansion at Dubai Air Show with more A350-900 and 737 Max 8s

11:10 Air Senegal's Surprising Boeing "Order" of 15 Boeing 737 MAX 8s

21:08 Air Côte d'Ivoire's landmark Embraer 4 x E175 Order.

Read Behramjee's analysis

33:53 Ethiopian Airlines and Air Congo's ATR 72-600 Order

36:43 Flydubai's Massive Aircraft Orders from Airbus and Boeing and what it could mean for Africa

43:49 Emirates' New Routes to Cape Town and Nairobi

48:47 Kenya's Aviation Policy and Market Access Issues, plus challenges Facing Kenya Airways

01:00:33 Air Transat's New Routes to West Africa (Dakar, Senegal and Accra, Ghana)

01:14:32 Air Tanzania's New Vic Falls - Cape Town route

01:20:04 Farewell and AviaDev Connectivity Update 2025 Awards preview

This month's guests are:

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE

Subscribe to our mailing list to never miss another episode and stay up to date with event news: https://www.aviadev.com/keep-me-updated

This episode was recorded Tuesday 2nd December on location in Luanda, Angola, during the 57th AFRAA AGA.

Join Jon Howell, Founder and CEO of AviaDev Africa, as he sits down with Raphael Haddad, President of Jetcraft Commercial, to discuss fleet growth, financing, and the future of African connectivity.

Raphael shares his insights on supply chain challenges, risk perception, airline financing, and the impact of Nigeria signing the Cape Town Convention. They also explore trends in aircraft acquisition, leasing, and fleet composition for the next decade.

Find out more about Jetcraft Commercial

Listen to the previous interview from Feb 2025

Listen to the interview from December 2023

Subscribe to our mailing list to never miss another episode and stay up to date with event news: https://www.aviadev.com/keep-me-updated

In this episode, we feature Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary-General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), as she begins her second term.

Host Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa, asks the tough questions regarding implementation, disputes, enforcement, and opportunities.

• Reflections on the first term as SG
• What do you say to SAATM skeptics?
• How many countries can be classified as "SAATM Operational" today?
• Is AFCAC going to publish a YD compliance scorecard?
• What is the dispute resolution process if any airline is denied traffic rights?
• What punitive measures can AFCAC take?
• How can AFCAC ensure it represents airlines of all shapes, sizes and ownership structures?
• KPIs for SG's next 3-year term as AFCAC SG

You can follow Adefunke Adeyemi on LinkedIn here

Listen to the previous interview here

In this episode, we feature the exciting development of Cape Winelands Airport in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Jon is joined by Mark Wilkinson, Director, and together, they discuss the project's inception, environmental impact assessment approval, collaboration with Cape Town Air Access, NACO, and Growthpoint, and the significant economic and aviation impacts.

This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the airport's vision to transform an old military airfield into a full commercial international airport, unlocking business opportunities and supporting sustainable growth in the region.

Watch the video from Windhoek here

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

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.

Connect with Ousman on LinkedIn

Follow Ousman on TikTok

Follow Ousman on Instagram

Connect with Mahek on LinkedIn

Follow Wings for Women on Instagram

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.

Connect/ Follow Tebogo

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.

Connect/Follow Yann on LinkedIn

Connect/ Follow Martin on LinkedIn

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.

Follow/ Connect with Miguel on LinkedIn here

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