This episode was recorded on location on the Spice Island of Zanzibar on 15th November 2024. I sat down with the DG of the Zanzibar Airports Authority to understand why they wanted to host AviaDev in 2025. We also discuss the incredible passenger growth, new infrastructure and where the opportunities lie for more connectivity. Finally, we discuss some ideas of what to do on the Island before or after the AviaDev event in June 2025.

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This month's guests are: Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant and Special Guest Joao Po Jorge Key topics discussed: FlySafair's current predicament and impending ruling Ethiopian launching domestic operations in DRC as part of a joint venture Ethiopian's new A350-1000 and pending regional aircraft decision- will it be the E2 or the A220? Virgin delaying Accra launch Uganda Airlines leasing in A320s and an update on the London Gatwick route Air Tanzania's new CEO and launch to Johannesburg 5x week Flynas to open Entebbe and Djibouti from January 2025 How important will Africa be to Riyadh Air's strategy? Air Sierra Leone- what do we know? flyDubai's quiet increase to Addis and Entebbe

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In this episode, Jon and Achma discuss the evolving landscape of airline distribution and the strategies African airlines can use to extend their global reach. Achma shares her inspiring journey in the aviation industry, insights into revenue management, and the importance of a robust distribution strategy. The conversation also touches on the significance of technology, the role of tourism boards, and Achma's future visions for the industry.

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Welcome to the eleventh edition of AviaDev Insight Africa’s Connectivity update, the podcast offering insight into the new route developments in Africa, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa. This month's guests are: Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. Lorne Philpot, Aviation Journalist Key topics discussed: ✈️ South African Airways to launch Lubumbashi and Dar es Salaam from November ✈️ Fastjet increasing Bulawayo frequencies ✈️ RwandAir ceasing their Cape Town connection ✈️ Ethiopian Airlines to open Monrovia, Liberia, and Port Sudan ✈️ Qantas to up gauge the Sydney-Johannesburg route to an A380 ✈️ Brussels Airlines' fleet expansion and plans for Sub-Saharan Africa ✈️ Virgin Atlantic to launch daily Accra flights from May 2025

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In this episode of Aviadev Insight Africa, recorded live in Johannesburg, South Africa, we explore the digital transformation in African airports. We discuss the investment in African airport digitalization post-covid and the importance of stakeholder collaboration. Chapters: 00:15 Introducing Adonis Succar and Digitalization 01:40 Momentum of Digitalization in African Airports 04:27 Investment and Challenges in African Airports 07:18 Visa Digitalization and Passenger Experience 12:29 Future of Seamless Intermodal Travel 15:14 Planning for Technological Advancements 17:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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In this episode of Aviadev Insight Africa, host Jon Howell is joined by Air Botswana's CEO, Lulu Rasebotsa. Together, they discuss: Lulu's background and career journey Air Botswana's recent fleet expansions- why choose Embraer? Network expansion featuring a selection of reinstated and brand new routes The selection criteria for these routes and type of passenger they cater for How the airline combats seasonality How Botswana is performing in terms of visa access in the region and further afield Reflections on Lulu's first AviaDev experience

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In the landmark 300th episode of Aviadev Insight Africa, we are joined by Geert Lemaire, Marketing Director of Market Intelligence and Analysis at Airbus, to discuss the collaborative report with AviaDev on unserved air routes to, from, and within Africa. The report was released at AviaDev Africa 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia. Together we discuss: The motivations behind the report The response from the industry and media Why are aircraft manufacturers involved in network planning and route analysis? Why are certain routes unserved? General trends/ overall conclusions A deeper dive into the top 5 unserved routes to and from Africa.

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In this episode, we focus on a carrier that has recently announced it will be launching services to mainland Africa for the first time. Air Asia will launch Kuala Lumpur - Nairobi on 15th November with a 4 weekly service and deploy an Airbus A330-300 comprising 12 business class and 365 economy seats. I am joined by Paul Carroll, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Air Asia Group

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the tenth edition of AviaDev Insight Africa’s Connectivity update, the podcast offering insight into the new route developments in Africa, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa. This month's guests are: Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant and Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant.

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In this podcast, I am joined by Marcel Langeslag, Director Aviation Africa and Nelly Alandou, airport planning consultant at Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) to preview the upcoming AviaDev Real Estate event on 19th June 2024 in Windhoek. Building a resilient business model through diversifying revenues has never been more important. However, this requires careful planning and appreciation of the local investment environment. In the episode, we discuss the current investment environment for airport real estate in Africa, what airports can do to get started and preview the sessions planned for Windhoek, which will provide a platform for airports to share their experiences and learnings with their peers and hear directly from airport investors

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Welcome to the eighth edition of AviaDev Insight Africa’s Connectivity update, the podcast offering insight into the new route developments in Africa, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa. This month's guests are Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant, and Dr. James Pearson, Analyst at Simple Flying. Together, we discuss: Norse Atlantic Airways, a new carrier for Africa, is launching a three times a week operation from Gatwick in London to Cape Town International. Jon recently interviewed Norse, so if you want to hear more listen here EasyJet's expansion into Cape Verde. Could this move be the start of a trend of major European low-cost carriers expanding into sub-Saharan markets? Ethiopian Airlines' launch of the Warsaw route using the Boeing 737 MAX indicates their expansion into secondary markets in Europe. This strategy allows them to tap into niche markets and connect with their hub in Addis Ababa. ASKY Airlines has made schedule changes to improve the utility of their aircraft and enhance their economics. They have swapped some of their routing and are focusing on maximizing connectivity through their hub in Lomé, Togo. Etihad's postponed launch to Nairobi was attributed to paperwork issues or delays in obtaining the operating permit. The success of this route remains uncertain, given the competition from other airlines serving the Nairobi market. The impact of political instability and restricted airspace which continue to pose challenges for airlines operating in Africa. RUMOUR MILL Emirates return to Nigeria (this has since been confirmed) Air Asia's plans for Africa Uganda Airlines proposed Boeing order and Abu Dhabi route Air Peace looking at Abuja-London Air Canada looking at African markets SA flights to Thailand

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In this episode of Aviadev Insight Africa, Nomusa joins Jon to discuss Tourvest's involvement in revolutionizing the African travel landscape and their support for airlines and airports in developing their retail and catering solutions. Specifically, we explore how Tourvest has been working with FlySafair to deliver an improved onboard experience, driving ancillary airline revenues whilst rewarding crew for performance. We finish by looking to the future and how a shift towards radical personalisation, focusing on flexibility, sustainability, and enhancing the passenger experience will change the passenger experience- all driven by harnessing the power of data. You can meet Nomusa and the team at AviaDev Africa

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On the 18th April 2024, Norse Atlantic announced the launch of a 3 weekly service from London Gatwick to Cape Town International starting at the end of October. In this podcast, I am joined by Philip Allport, Senior Vice President of Communications and together we discuss: ✈️ Norse's business model, fleet and network ✈️ Why Cape Town is the first African destination and the role the Cape Town Air Access team played in attracting the route ✈️ Norse's approach to other popular destinations in Africa- will we see them served in the future? ✈️ Why their low-cost, long-haul model can succeed where others have failed ✈️ Their approach to interlining and partnerships ✈️ Their distribution and sales strategy

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In this episode, we discuss the role and importance of ancillary revenue for African airlines. Today, it is not just a case of upselling, but personalising an offer that the passenger will benefit from. Protect is the world leader in refundable booking protection and work with a variety of airlines globally, including Ethiopian Airlines. I am joined by Nick Ashton, Global Airline Lead,and Andrew Ridgway, Head of Strategic Partnerships and together we discuss: Their aviation industry experience The Protect proposition The current environment in African aviation when it comes to ancillaries and trip protection How to overcome scepticism of the product from both an integration perspective at the airline and from a passenger perspective The involvement of the airline in the refund process The Protect team will be in Windhoek for AviaDev Africa in June.

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This month's guests are Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant, and Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. Together, we discuss: Turkish Airlines' continued growth and focus on Africa Qatar Airways announcing 4 x weekly Kinshasa service Access to European markets for African carriers. Is it a level playing field? Uganda Airlines adding an A320 CEO. How and where will it be used? SAA's potential change of leadership and what that means for thier strategy Saudia launching Abuja 3 x weekly Abuja Jeddah nonstop from 11May. Emirates returning to Nigeria

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Welcome to the sixth edition of AviaDev Insight Africa’s Connectivity update, the podcast offering insight into the new route developments in Africa, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa. This month's guests are Sean Mendis, aviation consultant, and Tatenda Karuwa, journalist, Simple Flying: Together, we discussed: Air Peace to London Gatwick fastjet increasing the frequency of their Vic Falls - Kruger route ASKY AIRLINES restarting operations in Niger after ECOWAS lifted sanctions. RwandAir's suspension of their Mumbai route CemAir (Pty)Ltd's launch of Mala Mala from Johannesburg Uganda's intention to join SAATM South African Airways' decision to make Port Elizabeth a year-round service Ethiopian Airlines order of 20 x 777Xs

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Those avid listeners know that each month we are now delivering a connectivity update where we summarise and analyse the route changes to, from, and within Africa in the previous month. Kenya Airways announced some huge changes to the network and to discuss this we are joined by Martin Gitonga, head of network planning and alliances at the airline to discuss the thought process behind the strategy. I was joined for this interview by Chief Regional troublemaker, Sean Mendis and Behramjee Ghadially, an aviation consultant and Africa specialist. The podcast is wide-ranging and discusses new routes, codeshares, scheduling, visas, and much more, so fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the episode.

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In this episode of AviaDev Insight Africa, host Jon Howell interviews Dr. Namhla Tshetu, the Executive Manager for Corporate Services at Airlink, Africa's largest private carrier. Together, they discuss Namhla's role in aeropolitical affairs and her aviation journey. They also touch upon the Airlinkers booklet and The Link program, sharing its successes.

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This episode is the third of a new format that focuses on sub-Saharan African air route development, with a specific focus on routes that are due to start or cease in the next quarter. In this episode, we cover: Airlink moving to daily Malawi from mid December, whilst SAA has announced they are pulling out. Etihad's Abu-Dhabi to Nairobi service and why Etihad has a small footprint compared to the other Middle Eastern carriers FlyNamibia to launch Luanda, Maun and Victoria Falls in 2024 Jambojet launching Mombasa-Zanzibar with a dash 8 TAAG Angola increasing Sao Paulo frequencies flydubai ordering 787s and what this means for Africa ET's Dubai Airshow orders and how they plan to deploy the aircraft SAA to launch Gqeberha from Johannesburg Rumour Mill Malawi Airlines adds an ex-asky 737-700. Will we finally see the new routes they have been teasing for months? Madagascar Airlines. What’s next there? Emirates back to Nigeria. Anytime soon? Air Tanzania to start USA

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This episode was recorded on location in London at the Headquarters of Zero on 30th November 2023. Zero, https://www.zero.co/ is a pioneer in the field of sustainable aviation fuel and I visited Kwame Bekoe, an industry colleagues and a personal friend, who is serving as the Commercial Director of the business. Kwame Bekoe has a rich aviation history including working with GECAS, a large international lessor, and before this over 10 years with Airbus. After completing an MBA with Columbia Business School he embarked on his latest journey with Zero to revolutionise the industry. In the episode, we discuss: The mission and origin story of the company and its links to Formula1 Why Kwame chose to join Zero after completing his MBA How the technology works Industry partnerships with Boeing and Rolls-Royce The biggest challenges right now The size of the opportunity for Africa to lead the charge with new fuels. The roadmap for the coming years.

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This episode was recorded on location in Kampala, Uganda where I attended the 55th African Airlines Association AGA, hosted by our friends at Uganda Airlines, During the 3 days, I took the opportunity to sit down with Raphael Haddad, President of Jetcraft commercial who spent 18 years working with Bombardier in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He set up Jetcraft commercial in 2015 where he focuses on the global procurement and placement of commercial aircraft, so together we explore the current market trends and opportunities affecting Africa We discuss: Is there a trend towards rightsizing in Africa? Is the demand for widebodies waning? With interest rates high and finance hard to secure, are there more airlines looking for short term dry/damp/wet leasing arrangements The costs of leasing right now Will there be consolidation coming to the market?

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This episode was recorded on 7th November on location in Windhoek, Namibia, where AviaDev Africa 2024 will take place June 19-21. Today’s guest is at the helm of one of the most important stakeholders, FlyNamibia, who will be heavily involved in the event as an official carrier Andre Compion is a well-known Namibian businessman and the Managing Director of FlyNamibia. In the episode, we discuss: How and why Fly Namibia was created The thinking behind the equity stake from Airlink The current network and fleet The recent IATA membership and what the airline aims to do with this New route developments

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I this episode, we spoke with Bisey Uirab, the CEO of the Namibia Airports Company, who is responsible for the operation and development of the country's airports. Bisey himself has a long history of leading multiple private sector and state organizations including the Namibia Ports Authority, where he served as CEO for 10 years before becoming CEO of NAC in 2019. In the episode, we discuss: The connectivity and aviation development ambitions of Namibia The factors attracting new carriers to the country Airport infrastructure development and investment plans What Namibia hopes to achieve by hosting AviaDev Africa 2024

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In this episode, we are heading to Germany to meet the CCO of discover airlines an airline delivering a huge number of international tourists to the African continent. In this episode, we discover... The origin story of the airline The current network and how it has been developed The fleet composition and product offering The market composition The rebranding exercise Future African destinations How airports and destinations can influence Discover's planning decisions The Namibian market. Why has it been such a success?

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Senegal is also the home base of the African Civil Aviation Commission or AFCAC who have been very visible and busy sensitising stakeholders in terms of the benefits of the single African air transport market. In June at AviaDev, AFCAC and AviaDev signed an MoU to support each other in the fields of communication and route development. In this episode, Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary General, AFCAC and I discuss: Status update. What is the current state of progress? How do you respond to airline CEOs who don't necessarily support SAATM? Have there been new intra-African routes launched that may not have happened before SAATM? Have AFCAC been successful in solving market access disputes? Are AFCAC lobbying for visa reform? The goals and objectives of the next 2 years

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This episode was recorded on 7th November on location in Windhoek, Namibia, where AviaDev Africa 2024 will take place June 19-21. Today’s guest is at the helm of one of the most important stakeholders, FlyNamibia, who will be heavily involved in the event as an official carrier Andre Compion is a well-known Namibian businessman and the Managing Director of FlyNamibia. In the episode, we discuss: How and why Fly Namibia was created The thinking behind the equity stake from Airlink The current network and fleet The recent IATA membership and what the airline aims to do with this New route developments

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In this episode, we welcome back a previous guest, Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, a low-cost South African airline that is about to embark on a regional expansion launching new routes to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique.

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flydubai adds Mombasa and outlines ambitious African growth plans, with Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, flydubai

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This episode is the first of a new format that focuses on sub-Saharan African air route development, with a specific focus on routes that are due to start or cease in the next quarter. We also have a rumour mill section focusing on those routes that could be on the horizon. My guest for this podcast is aviation consultant, analyst and commentator, Sean Mendis, who brings over 20 years of experience in the industry, including stints managing airports, commercial airlines, and also cargo airlines in Africa and the Middle East.

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In just over 2 weeks, the African aviation industry will convene in Nairobi, Kenya for AviaDev Africa. We have a panel dedicated to discussing new technologies at the event. Post Covid, digitisation is one of the hottest topics in the industry and one of the companies blazing a trail in this space is Technodyn International, which already support a multitude of companies across the aviation value chain.

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In this episode, we meet the leader of a true African success story. Since its inception in 2006, DPO Pay has played a vital role in changing the payments landscape across Africa. Together, we discover how DPO supports its airline customers to process transactions seamlessly and prevent fraud, whilst simplifying the process for the general public and making air travel more accessible.

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This podcast was recorded 10th May on-site at the AFRAA aviation stakeholders convention in Addis Ababa, where I was joined by Rodger Whittle, The commercial director for Africa at Kiu, a company with a global footprint that offers an innovative and robust Passenger Service system and suite of airline Solutions. Rodger himself has vast African aviation experience and is now leading the charge to support airlines to reduce their cost of distribution. Today’s episode is supported by an article that is featured in the current edition African skies, AFRAA’s magazine which focuses on containing costs affecting airline distribution in Africa.

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For this episode, I am joined by Kevin Markette, General Manager, East Africa at the Lufthansa Group. On 2nd May 2023, the group announced a capacity/ schedule increase for Lufthansa, Eurowings Discover, and Brussels airlines in the region. Together, we discuss what has driven this announcement and what this means for the region.

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Our Host partners for the event are the Kenya Airports Authority, an autonomous body charged with the responsibility of managing all airports across Kenya. They are also the entity that is actively involved in route development, the main focus of AviaDev, namely engaging the airlines to start or expand their services to Kenya’s airports. In this episode, I am joined by Jacob Bwana, Head of Marketing and Business Development at KAA and together we discuss: The post-covid recovery and resurgence. Where KAA sees gaps in the destinations served both within Africa and outside the continent How KAA works with other stakeholders to attract and retain airlines? The Cargo market opportunity. Is the market softening or continuing to grow and how is KAA supporting its development? An update on infrastructural development plans within the portfolio? What KAA hopes to achieve from hosting AviaDev Africa in Nairobi?

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In this episode, we take a glimpse into the future of how we may travel and how airports and airlines can incorporate innovation to build resilience into their businesses. I am joined by Javed Malik, Chair of the Advisory Board at Ink Innovation. Javed has been a leader in the aviation industry for over 27 years, having held various Group and C-level positions, including Group COO of AirAsia, COO of Bangalore Airport, along with senior roles at Qatar Airways, Worldwide Flight Services and British Airways.

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In this episode of the podcast, we dive deep into the current priorities of Ethiopian Airlines, the hosts of the upcoming 11th AFRAA Aviation Stakeholders Convention, scheduled to take place 7-9th May in Addis Ababa with Ato Mesfin Tasew Bekele, Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines and Mr Abderahmane Berthe, SG, AFRAA

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This episode is an exclusive interview with Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer of FlySafair, a low-cost airline based in South Africa. Bookings were opened for a new flight to Zanzibar in the week of 13th March 2023 and in this interview, we set out to understand why now is the right time to launch the route, the traffic profile driving the route, an update on the fleet expansion and which other destinations are on the radar in the Southern African region.

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In this episode, we head to Dakar, Senegal to pay a visit to the Headquarters of The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), a specialist agency of the African Union. AFCAC is the executing agency of SAATM, the Single Africa Air Transport Market Together, we discuss: The increased visibility and reach of AFCAC through a new communications strategy and the appointment of SAATM Ambassadors across the continent 5 months on from the launch of the Pilot Implementation Plan, where do we stand with SAATM progress? What are the common objections to not joining the PIP and how is AFCAC ensuring these countries are not left behind? Is everything in place to deal with any disputes that may arise during implementation? Why the immediate focus is on growing the number of 5th freedom routes across the continent.

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In this podcast we discuss: Would Yvonne consider herself an #avgeek ? What’s the current network strategy? What’s driving the new focus on cargo business with the arrival of a Boeing 737-800 freighter? The latest on the partnership/ strategic investment from Qatar Yvonne’s priorities as she becomes the first African and first female to chair the board of governors The impact of the Arsenal F.C sponsorship from Visit Rwanda on traffic and awareness Is Yvonne an Arsenal fan?

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We speak to Adonis Succar, Director of Business Development, MEA at SITA about: Passenger preferences. Are we all looking for a more contactless, digitally enabled journey? How can an airport deliver innovation and contactless solutions without huge costs? What are the tangible benefits to digitizing? How do smaller airports future-proof themselves? How do we plan for and cater for the increased proportion of older travellers? What opportunities and challenges does this offer? Finally, what does the journey of the future look like? How far are we away from not needing our physical passports in order to travel?

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In this episode, we head down to the gateway to the world's most famous game reserve, the Kruger National Park in South Africa to speak with Grant Ponting, the CEO of Kruger Mpumulanga International airport.

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This is a live session recording from the 1st July at AviaDev Africa 2022. The topic was "Diversifying African airport revenue to build resilience"

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In this episode, AviaDev Africa shares an exclusive interview that was hosted, produced and published by AeroTime. In the interview, AeroTime Journalist and Africa correspondent Michael Jonga sat down in the AeroTime Studio with the Honourable Minister of Aviation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Hadi Abubakar Sirika.

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In the first episode of 2023, I am joined by 2 guests from Embraer Commercial Aviation, namely Stephane Hannemann, the VP of sales and marketing for The Middle East and Africa, who started his Embraer in the African market and has come full circle, and Akie Chabra, sales director, who joined the team in 2022, is based in Johannesburg and has a background in aviation and finance.

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For today’s episode, you find me on location in Istanbul. Back in 2019, we announced that AviaDev would be taking place on the treasure island of Madagascar in 2020 and we started working on the plans for the event.

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For this episode, we take a flight to the home of AviaDev Africa 2023, Nairobi, Kenya to meet Martin Gitonga, Head of Network Planning and Alliances at Kenya Airways, an airline that plays a vital role in keeping Africa connected to itself and the wider world. In the last month, there have been some exciting new route announcements from the airline. These include a four-weekly flight from Mombasa to Dubai and a twice-weekly Accra- Dakar flight.

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In this episode, we head back to Cape Town, the host city of AviaDev Africa 2022 to meet David King, Project Manager and Paul van den Brink, Aviation Liaison, from Cape Town Air Access team powered by WESGRO who have overseen a pretty incredible recovery of connectivity since the effects of the pandemic subsided earlier this year. In this episode, we take a look at the domestic, regional and international recovery and get a feel for what’s missing from the network. We also discuss the importance of air cargo in route development and how the Air Access team is supporting other African destinations in their drive to improve their air connectivity.

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TAAG is one of the most interesting airline stories out there currently as it is reinventing itself, expanding its fleet and network and restructuring itself ready for private investment. The man charged with leading this transformation is Eduardo Fairen Soria, an experienced pilot and airline executive who has been involved in numerous airline ventures around the globe.

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Between 11th and 13th December, AFRAA (African Airlines Association) will host the 54th Annual General Assembly in Dakar, Senegal. Maureen Kahonge joins me to discuss the event

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In this episode, we head to west Africa, specifically Togo to speak with a friend of AviaDev, Nowel Ngala.

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We meet George Mothema, the CEO of BARSA.

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SAT has been a long-term partner of AviaDev Africa and is one of the tourism authorities in Africa that really understand the value and impact of airlift on their success.

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The Safair fleet continues to expand and the airline recently secured the right to serve 11 regional destinations.

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Kojo Bentum Williams, CEO of VoyagesAfriq travel media and host of the VA Tourism Podcast, discusses the symbiotic relationship between aviation and tourism.

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