AviaDev Insight Africa

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

In this episode, I am joined by Andrew Lester, ACMI and Leasing Manager for India, the Middle East, and Africa at Chapman Freeborn Airchartering.

Together, we delve into the intricacies of ACMI (Aircraft Crew Maintenance and Insurance) leasing, comparing it to renting a tuxedo for event season, and discuss its strategic advantages for African airlines facing unique market challenges.

The conversation covers the benefits, common misconceptions, and regulatory hurdles of ACMI leasing, while highlighting African success stories such as Lift and Uganda Airlines.

Andrew emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and partnership to maximize profitability and meet seasonal demand, advocating for a broader acceptance and smarter implementation of ACMI as part of a fleet strategy in Africa.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

Email Andrew:

Find out more about Chapman Freeborn here ACMI Leasing & Aircraft Leasing Solutions

Download the brochure: Chapman Freeborn ACMI Leasing Solutions by Chapman Freeborn

Welcome to the July 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:

The latest in the FlySafair pilot strike saga

Virgin increasing capacity on LHR-LOS from 26 October, deploying the 397 seater A350-1000. A good move or short term strategy?

Qatar Airways reducing Nigeria frequencies in W25. Why?

South African Airways' new route CPT-MRU and the fallout from the restated accounts

FastJet Mozambique- the latest developments

FastJet to launch a new domestic route from Vic Falls to Bulawayo from 8th August 4 x week

DEEP DIVE: CDG-Africa route performance of ET vs KQ

TAAG Angola to launch Nairobi 3 x week from 1st Sept. What is the outlook?

Flightlink open a new service to Nairobi from Zanzibar - listen to the recent podcast with Munawer, the CEO here

Air india suspend Nairobi. Will it come back?

ASKY's new service to Nouakchott, Mauritania. Where can they go next? Listen to the recent podcast with Date, the Commercial Director here

If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with your network or leave us a review. All event sessions from AviaDev Africa 2025 and the vodcast are available on the AviaDev YouTube Channel

In this episode, Date and I delve into the airline's growth and future ambitions.

ASKY Airlines, now operating profitably for 15 years, boasts a fleet of 14 aircraft, connecting nearly 30 destinations across Africa.

Date discusses recent network expansions, the airline's strategic focus on increasing flight frequencies, and the challenges and opportunities in African connectivity.

The conversation also covers the transition to a uniform fleet, the high cost of operations in West and Central Africa, prospects of long-haul expansion, and potential infrastructure developments. The episode underscores ASKY's methodical approach to sustainable growth and market adaptation.

Connect with Date here

Download the AFRAA taxes and charges report here

In this wide-ranging episode, we speak to Munawer Dhirani after the inauguration of Flighlink's new Zanzibar-Nairobi daily service, exploring why now is the right time to open the route.

Additionally, we discuss fleet and network expansion objectives, Munawer's origin story, and the whole concept behind Flightlink as an airline.

An inspirational story of resilience, enterprise, flexibility, and ultimately success.

Find out more about Flightlink www.flightlink.co.tz

To watch the sessions from AviaDev Africa, visit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7pW7r3IP6ehOTKXB2cPE41eY8X2tBVNr&si=M-8jn4uhmPYsGPZh

In this episode, I share the first episode of a podcast series I hosted and recorded back in 2021, entitled "The Fighter Pilot and the CEO"

The focus of this particular episode is a conversation about whether leaders are born or made and the role of culture and education in forming effective leaders.

If you enjoyed it, you can listen to the full series on the podcast platform of your choice by searching "Fighter pilot and the CEO" or head here https://www.fighterpilotandceo.com/podcasts/

Representing the C-suite was Peter Davies, someone who brings over 40 years of boardroom and airline experience, having served as CEO of multiple airlines, including Brussels Airlines, Air Malta, and Caribbean Airlines, and now the Founder and CEO of Airline Management Group. Joining Peter on the flight deck was Andy Wright, a retired wing commander from the Royal Air Force.

In this episode of Aviadev Insight Africa, I spoke with Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer of FlySafair, about the airline's innovative use of AI, particularly their new AI agent named Lindi.

Together, we discuss the implications of AI in customer service, the incentives for customers to use Lindi, and the feedback received since its launch.

The conversation also features a deep dive into the fleet standardisation challenges and the airline's regional expansion plans.