Advertise on podcast: AviaDev Insight Africa

In this episode, we hear from George Mothema, head of the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (BARSA).   The theme of the upcoming summit is: "Moving forward: Embracing accountability for a better future."    Together we discussed: BARSA's mandate and summit objectives Key objectives for BARSA in 2024 - ensuring fuel security, addressing regulatory issues, and supporting the development of aviation infrastructure. Key sessions and speakers we will hear from at the event.  Leadership development and developing a skills pipeline To find out more about the Summit, please visit: https://barsa.co.za/summit-2/ 

Welcome to the fifth edition of AviaDev Insight Africa’s Connectivity update, a podcast that offers insights into new route developments in Africa. Hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa, this podcast covers new route developments and expansions in the aviation industry on the African continent. In this episode, we discuss:   Ethiopian Airlines' Summer 24 schedule, which includes new destinations and increased frequencies. They also highlight the airline's focus on connecting Africa to the world, discussing Ethiopian Airlines' expansion plans, including the addition of Warsaw as a potential new destination.    FlySafair's new route from Cape Town to Kruger Mpumalanga   Cemair becomes the latest airline to serve the growing Johannesburg-Harare route   Airlink's new routes, including Bloomfontein-Durban and continued growth in Malawi   Qatar Airways changes to their Southern Africa schedule   Air Tanzania's new route to Dubai   Rumour Mill:   Air Cote d'Ivoire's fleet and expansion plans   Emirates' potential return to Nigeria   Air Peace's potential route to London   China Southern's possible flight to Accra.    Connect with Sean here   Connect with Behramjee here    Finally, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you feel would benefit from listening and subscribe to never miss another episode  

This episode is something a little bit different and hugely exciting.   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.  

In this episode, Jon and Victo discuss the need for better accessibility and communication for differently able travelers in Africa, as well as the importance of creating uniform global standards. They also explore the role of airlines and customers in driving change and using technology to improve accessibility. Victo shares her experiences and highlights the work of the Tunaweza Foundation in supporting people with disabilities. The episode concludes with a discussion on Victo's TED Talk and involvement with the Obama Foundation. 00:00 Introduction 01:19 Discussing African aviation accessibility 06:15 Challenges faced by differently able travelers 13:05 The need for better facilitation by airlines and airports 14:47 Creating uniform global standards 15:44 The role of airlines and customers in driving change 18:10 Using technology to improve accessibility 24:18 Engagement with airlines and the need for follow-up 26:30 The Tunaweza Foundation and its mission 31:54 Victo's TED Talk and involvement with the Obama Foundation 35:16 Closing remarks Connect with Victo: https://twitter.com/VictoNalule https://www.linkedin.com/in/victo-nalule https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47UWiWAVgAg https://tunawezafoundation.org/ https://www.facebook.com/victo.nalule/ https://twitter.com/TunawezaO https://twitter.com/TunawezaO/status/1726908954784280946/photo/1 https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/disability-champion-nalule-to-present-at-hiv-NV_146931

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. Namhla talks about her recently completed PhD on open skies in Africa and the potential for its realization. A deep dive into the thorny issue of aeropolitical negotiations and market access conversations, especially in southern Africa.  Airlink's strategy post-SAA partnership and working with CEO Rodger Foster. Finally, they touch on Airlink's future plans, hinting at consolidation and potential expansion.  Connect with Namhla here Download the Airlinkers booklet here  Head over to www.AviaDev.com to sign up for event updates. Finally, as always, if you enjoyed this episode, don't hesitate to subscribe for free to ensure you never miss another episode.

Welcome to the fourth edition of AviaDev Insight Africa’s Connectivity update, a podcast that offers insights into new route developments in Africa. Hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa, this podcast covers new route developments and expansions in the aviation industry on the African continent. For this month's episode, Jon is joined by two industry analysts, Sean Mendis and Dr. James Pearson, to discuss and analyze these developments. In this episode, the podcast discusses: TAAG Angola closing Madrid and moving to a daily Lagos service SAA's new route from Johannesburg to Perth Discover's continued expansion in Africa  Malawian increasing its Johannesburg routes Ethiopian Airlines' daily flights to Toronto and its North American ambitions Fastjet's reduction in Harare-Johannesburg flights Air Senegal's strategy shift, including new strategic partnerships The rumors about Gabon launching a national carrier. Connect with Sean here Connect with James here Subscribe to James' weekly route newsletter here Finally, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you feel would benefit from listening and subscribe to never miss another episode

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.  You can follow/ connect with Kwame here

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 bringing the Q400, C-series which became the A220 and also the Crj 1000 to the continent. 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? Jetcraft Commercial are here to help you with your aircraft needs, so please contact the team via the website www.jetcraftcommercial.com Follow / Connect with Raphael here https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelhaddad/    If you enjoyed this episode, don't hesitate to subscribe to ensure you never miss another episode.

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.  My guests for this podcast are: 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. Behramjee Ghadially, an aviation consultant with over 20 years of experience (9 of which has been in Africa) supporting airlines globally with their network planning and strategy. 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 Did we miss a route? Let me know Email Jon Connect/ Follow Behramjee Ghadially here Connect/ follow Sean Mendis here Finally, if you enjoyed this episode, don't hesitate to subscribe and never miss another episode.

This episode was recorded 7th November 2023 on location in Windhoek, Namibia I 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 You can follow NAC via LinkedIn here   Check out www.AviaDev.com to sign up for event updates.  Finally,  if you enjoyed this episode, don't hesitate to subscribe for free to ensure you never miss another episode.

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 You can follow FlyNamibia’s  via their social media handles here: LinkedIn Instagram To find out more about 2024's event, visit www.aviadev.com to sign up for event updates.  Finally, if you enjoyed this episode, don't hesitate to subscribe for free to ensure you never miss another episode.

In this episode, we dive into a topic that has been dominating conversations over the last couple of years, specifically aviation’s role in supporting the drive towards net zero and a more sustainable industry. To do this I am joined by Dirk Singer, the Head of Sustainability at Simpliflying, a consulting firm that is dedicated to supporting a greener and more environmentally sustainable future for air travel.  Together we discuss: How best to address the topic of sustainability with industry stakeholders? What Simpliflying is aiming to achieve with the book?  Should Africa be subject to the same sustainability targets as everyone else, when its aviation industry is unprofitable? Who should finance sustainability? What can African aviation and governmental stakeholders be doing now to capitalise on the opportunity? Buy the book here Listen to the sustainability in the air podcast now here or find it on all platforms Follow Dirk on LinkedIn Follow Simpliflying on LinkedIn If you enjoyed this episode, click subscribe to never miss another episode and please share with someone you feel would benefit from listening