Air Transport in Africa Outlook - 2026

[rwandan-flyer]

Middle Eastern airlines are back on the offensive. As announced several months ago, starting today, Emirates is increasing its Nairobi-Dubai service from two to three flights daily. Along with Johannesburg and Cairo, this is the only African destination to have such a high frequency of Emirates flights. Port Louis also had three daily flights during some periods where the demand is high (two A380 flights and one B777-300ER), however I am not sure if that is still the case.

https://www.facebook.com/KenyaAirportsA ... 39tzbR62Bl

I am not sure if there are many European destinations with three daily Emirates flights. We have come a long way, as Kenya had repeatedly blocked the addition of Emirates' third daily flight since 2017.

First in 2017 (https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/ ... obi-flight), then in 2021 (https://katakenya.org/kenya-bars-more-e ... ith-dubai/).

However, the partnership between Kenya Airways and Emirates has likely changed everything. The end of the Air France-KLM/Kenya Airways joint venture allowed KQ to sign partnerships with non-SkyTeam airlines.

It has a codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways (https://www.qatarairways.com/en/partner ... rways.html), which is set to increase to three daily flights to Nairobi (KQ will launch a route to Doha). KQ also has a major partnership with British Airways (https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/ ... oss-africa). Capitalizing on rising demand, BA has increased service on the Nairobi–London Heathrow route to two flights daily during peak periods.

[rwandan-flyer]

The Air Congo Dreamliner ET-ASI. A hybrid livery: "Air Congo" titles, with the Air Congo logo on the tail fin shared with the Ethiopian's color scheme.

© Congo / Zaïre Aviation

https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=6A4A2F29

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 8031921018

[rwandan-flyer]

The return of the B777-300ER to Kenya Airways after 10 years. The aircraft will operate the Nairobi–Mombasa route for four days for crew acceptance flights, before entering service on the Nairobi–London route starting July 17, 2026.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/169219 ... h-airlines

--------------------------------------------------

The B737-800 leased from Ethiopian has now the Uganda Airlines livery (pictured here in Johannesburg nearly a month ago). Thanks to the South African spotters for the photo.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10 ... 0772549207

https://scontent.fcdg4-1.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=6A56D264

The airline plans to launch a route to Accra and open a service to Kigali. The original Uganda Airlines served Kigali (photo taken in the 1990s at KGL https://www.flickr.com/photos/redripper ... KSjbEuUq9A) from its inception in 1977 until 2001 (when the airline ceased operations). Air Uganda took over the route from 2007 to 2017.

The airline has seen its revenue increase compared to the 2019/2020 COVID period https://chimpreports.com/uganda-airline ... 2-million/


----------------------------------------------------------------


Air Tanzania is targeting the EU and the USA !!

The government states that these routes will launch once the airline acquires more aircraft. The newspaper notes that Tanzanian airlines are currently banned from serving the EU; they are all on the blacklist. However, the Tanzanian government appears optimistic that sanctions will be lifted soon, given the remarkable efforts the country has made.

About USA flights, Tanzania needs to get FAA status is a prerequisite for establishing air links with the USA—a lengthy process.

In East Africa, three countries hold FAA Category 1 status (https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/IASAWSR119r.pdf). This allows for direct flights to the USA or enables an airline from one of these three countries to offer codeshare services via carriers in Europe or the Middle East to USA..

Kenya (Kenya Airways serves New York),

Ethiopia (Ethiopian Airlines serves Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, and New York),

Rwanda (RwandAir abandoned its plans for US routes but engages in codesharing to the USA with Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines).

About The Moscow–Dar es Salaam–Zanzibar route; the second flight last Sunday carried 240 passengers.

https://dailynews.co.tz/atcl-eyes-europe-us-routes/

Another article discusses potential Air Tanzania flights to Beijing, Muscat (with the inaugural flight scheduled for this month), and Lilongwe (Malawi), as well as other African destinations. Contrary to the newspaper's report, Dubai is already being served.

https://dailynews.co.tz/tanzania-eyes-r ... ation-hub/

[rwandan-flyer]

Keyamo orders fast-track of Nigeria–Belgium Air services agreement

The Federal Government has directed the immediate conclusion of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Belgium, in a move aimed at paving the way for direct air connectivity between both countries.

The directive was issued by Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, during a farewell visit by Pieter Leenknegt, the outgoing Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, in Abuja.

[...]

He said direct air services between Lagos or Abuja and Brussels would significantly boost trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, noting that many Nigerian travellers currently transit through neighbouring countries, including Cotonou, to access flights to the Belgian capital despite Nigeria’s large passenger market.

https://businessday.ng/news/article/key ... agreement/

[rwandan-flyer]

Eleven years after Air China launched flights to Addis Ababa—flights that were short-lived (https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/ ... 354540.htm)—China Southern will become the second Chinese carrier to serve Addis Ababa.

About Air China, although there was a codeshare agreement with Ethiopian (as both are Star Alliance members), it is possible that demand at the time could not sustain two carriers, or perhaps Ethiopian managed to capture the majority of the market.

Starting October 12, 2026, China Southern will operate the Guangzhou–Changsha–Addis Ababa route using a B787-9, three times a week (https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260727-czoct26add). Note that this follows the same routing pattern as the service to Nairobi, which the airline operates on select days. There is also a non-stop Guangzhou–Nairobi service, in addition to Kenya Airways' flights to Guangzhou.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260727-czoct26add

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260529-czjul26nbo

However, I remain (somewhat surprised) not to see a Nairobi–Shanghai route yet, operated by either China Eastern or Kenya Airways. Given China Southern's departure from SkyTeam, PVG (Shanghai Pudong) stands as the major SkyTeam hub in China.

Chinese airlines have been serving Africa for nearly 20 years. The first was China Southern Airlines in 2007 (Beijing–Lagos via Dubai), followed by Hainan Airlines in 2009.

In 2009, Hainan Airlines launched a route between Luanda and Beijing via Dubai, followed by a route between Khartoum and Beijing via Abu Dhabi. It is interesting to note that, prior to this, the Asian airlines most active in Africa from the 1990s through the early 2010s were:

Thai Airways (serving Johannesburg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_T ... stinations)), Malaysia Airlines (serving Johannesburg, Mauritius, Cairo, and Cape Town https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_M ... stinations ), and Korean Air (serving Libya, Kenya, and Egypt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_K ... stinations).

The rise of Middle Eastern carriers prompted these airlines to discontinue those routes. I have not, of course, mentioned Air India, which also maintained an extensive network in Africa.


The last airlines managing to hold out are Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines—both operating in South Africa.

[rwandan-flyer]

I posted this message few days on others forums

For nearly a week, Uganda Airlines has been teasing new routes. It seems most people are betting on Cape Town, Guangzhou, or Kigali. Saudi Arabia is also frequently mentioned.

03/08/26 : https://x.com/UG_Airlines/status/2084192845066289584
01/08/26 : https://x.com/UG_Airlines/status/2083463581958566279
31/07/26 : https://x.com/UG_Airlines/status/2083102888046236016
30/07/26 : https://x.com/UG_Airlines/status/2082737963851764203

Uganda Airlines will start routes between Entebbe and Accra (starting October 27, 2026) and Entebbe and Kigali (November 17, 2026). Accra will be served five times a week, and Kigali daily. https://ugdiplomat.com/uganda-airlines- ... a-flights/

In 2025, point-to-point traffic between Entebbe and Kigali totaled 61,000 passengers. Kigali is Entebbe's third-largest African market, while Entebbe is Kigali's second-largest African market. RwandAir currently operates three flights a day. Passengers traveling to and from Kigali will be able to take advantage of connections to Dubai, Juba, Mumbai, Accra, Johannesburg, Harare, Lusaka, London, and, of course, destinations within East Africa.

I really liked the comment made by the CEO of Uganda Airlines (formerly of Ethiopian Airlines): Kigali should have been served sooner. And indeed—though relations between Rwanda and Uganda can sometimes resemble a Cold War, despite the fact that the two presidents (Rwandan and Ugandan) have been close friends since the 1980s.

[rwandan-flyer]

Ranking of the busiest African airports in 2025. Around fifteen African airports could make the top 100 list for Europe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_t ... _in_Europe).

Cairo is soaring ahead of Johannesburg, which is still feeling the aftershocks of SAA's troubles; Algiers has crossed the 10-million-passenger mark, while Addis Ababa is steadily approaching 15 million. An extra 2 million passengers is nothing for ADD

If Middle Eastern airports weren't included, we might have seen other airports from East Africa (Kilimanjaro and Kigali) and North Africa (Oujda) on the list. And surely one or two from Central Africa—I'm thinking of Douala.

Nairobi is the largest airport in terms of freight volume: 407,000 tonnes.

Sadly, for a continent with a population of over 1.59 billion in 2026 (https://www.worldometers.info/fr/popula ... opulation/), the figures remain quite low. In a normal world—without the political, economic, and logistical barriers specific to Africa (which we’ve already discussed)—we would be closer to Asian figures... I wouldn't hesitate to say the continent would be on par with, or even surpass, Europe.

However, Africa appears quite resilient. It is currently the continent experiencing the fastest growth in air transport. For 2026, the projected growth rate is 6%, compared to 4.9% globally.

https://voice4africa.com/africas-aviati ... -strength/

In May 2026, growth actually reached 6%, while the global figure stood at -2.2%. https://360mozambique.com/opinion/afric ... es-moment/

https://fracs.aero/fr/2026/04/28/air-tr ... vril-2026/

Push Ctrl + to see the pix bigger

[rwandan-flyer]

Air Canada has announced the launch of a route to Lagos (Nigeria) for 2027, subject to government approvals. It is highly likely to operate out of Toronto. Point-to-point traffic between Lagos and Toronto totaled 68,346 passengers in 2025. AC will able to tap into US trafic with Nigeria

https://www.aircanada.com/media/air-can ... d-nigeria/

Then Accra, the Toronto–Nairobi route saw 36,000 point-to-point passengers in 2025 (my predictions for route openings) once again, AC will able to tap into US trafic with Ghana and Kenya. It is not certain that AC will stop there; there are opportunities for AC in Africa .

Air Transat's flights to Africa also seem to be performing well. The Dakar route is set to become a year-round service.

[rwandan-flyer]

Tourism industry stakeholders are calling on the Ugandan government to suspend Emirates Airlines' license in Uganda. It means they want Emirates to stop serving Entebbe. They claim that the UAE forced Uganda Airlines to suspend its Dubai-Entebbe route (I haven't found any information confirming this). https://www.pulse.ug/story/uganda-urged ... 4524707797

Indeed, due to the Ebola outbreak, the UAE implemented restrictions on Ugandans; even though—as the article notes—Uganda has not recorded an Ebola case in several months, the restrictions remain in place. The consequences for Uganda are nonetheless severe.

FlyDubai, which operates two daily flights, no longer serves Entebbe, and Air Arabia has suspended its daily Sharjah-Entebbe route until at least October 2026. I was actually surprised not to see any flights for several weeks, which is how I came across this news.

Competitors do not appear to be capitalizing on the situation to and from Entebbe. RwandAir, FlyNas, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways (aside from their usual 11 weekly flights during summer and Christmas) have not added any flights. Kenya Airways, occasionally deploys the 787-8. Ethiopian Airlines remains capped at a maximum of four flights per day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This route leaked about two years ago, but this time it looks like a sure thing. Emirates is set to launch a Dubai-Kinshasa route, from FEB27—a connection that an Airbus study identified as one of the highest-demand unserved routes in Africa. https://www.airbus.com/sites/g/files/jl ... -_2024.pdf

Emirates is very optimistic: one daily flight using the B777-300ER. https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260812-ek1q27af


With Etihad’s arrival, it will be interesting to see how the competition plays out. While Asia is obviously the primary market targeted by Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways (which has been serving Kinshasa for nearly three years), all three carriers could also benefit from traffic originating in Europe. I’m less convinced about North America; it involves a significant detour. However, African travelers are willing to make major detours for various reasons even if it means a very long journey.


For example in this 2018 article, we learn that Houston, New York, Lisbon are among the most popular destinations for passengers flying to and from Luanda via...Dubai. Long detour if we compare a trip via Europe: https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/em ... a-service/


You often see people—and not just the occasional traveler—taking routes like London-Kigali-Lagos or Toronto-Dubai-Lagos, or even flying between two African countries via hubs elsewhere (e.g., Dakar-CDG-Antananarivo, Casablanca-Dubai-Nairobi, or Algiers-CDG-Luanda). Some intra Africans routes simply wouldn't be profitable right now, knowing challenges facing the aviation sector in Africa.

A striking example was observed during the 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Algiers: delegates from Kenya and other countries had to transit through Paris, turning a six-hour journey into a 15-hour odyssey due to the lack of direct flights. European hubs such as Paris, London, and Frankfurt continue to dominate African skies thanks to superior infrastructure, high flight frequency, and regulatory stability. Air France, for instance, remains the primary air link between Nairobi and Algiers—a route deemed commercially unviable for African airlines. Europe remains a major destination and transit point due to historical ties, tourism, business, and migration/diaspora flows, ensuring strong demand for routes passing through European hubs. https://northafricapost.com/90604-groun ... urope.html

Kenya Airways might face some turbulence; even though they’ve put the 787 back on the Kinshasa-Dubai route, it is no longer a daily service. As for Ethiopian, I’m not worried; they have the capacity to handle the competition, with a vast network across Asia—especially China and India—the Middle East, and Europe. It operates two flights a day to Kinshasa.

Where I am a bit concerned (though "concerned" might be too strong a word, I admit) is regarding the two legacy European carriers: Air France and Brussels Airlines. Paris and Brussels are the two major point-to-point markets for FIH (Kinshasa) in Europe. We’ll have to see how Air Congo might disrupt them. With the failure to receive two additional A330s for 2027, SN almost certainly won't be able to add capacity to Kinshasa (assuming that was even in the plans). As for AF, the airline has been reducing its seat capacity during the summer season over the past two years, switching from the A350 used in winter to the B787-9. Yet, during the strong post-COVID recovery period, it was using the... B777-300ER!!!!

We saw how, over the course of a decade, British Airways literally slashed its African network, not hesitating to abandon long-standing markets like Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

Regarding EgyptAir (two flights a week), Royal Air Maroc, and Turkish Airlines—both of which suspended flights in June 2026 due to rising oil prices, with suspensions lasting at least until autumn 2026—they, too, face a likely risk of being disrupted, especially if TK and AT decide to extend their suspensions. For Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania, the focus is certainly on point-to-point travel and connections within East and Southern Africa—and, in Air Tanzania's case, likely some service to China as well.

The advantage these airlines have is that Etihad and Emirates aren't launching flights until early 2027, giving them time to prepare for the competition.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Congolese airspace over the coming months . Right now, Kinshasa appears to be the only market in Central Africa capable of attracting a significant number of airlines; Douala, Brazzaville, and Libreville seem to be lagging behind.

[rwandan-flyer]

TAAG Angola will resume Luanda Cabo Verde service by adding Praia (Cabo Verde) that will be operated via Dakar from 31Oct26. https://www.verangola.net/va/en/082026/ ... ctober.htm


Interesting route. I guess they will rely on the point to point demand between Dakar and Praia (over 45 000 pax in 2025), if they have 5th freedom rights. Then with Praria, they can probably tap into Lusophone Market in Africa (Angola, Sao Tome and Mozambique), i doubt they will target demand to and from Brazil (it's a very big detour).

With Dakar they can tap into Central African Market (Kinshasa, Brazzaville) and Nairobi (point to point demand was 18 291 pax in 2025)

[rwandan-flyer]

A very interesting podcast

An update on AviaDev’s September 2026 connectivity insights with Sean Mendis and Behramjee Ghadially: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSkznklaAQw

Jon Howell joins Sean Mendis and Behramjee for a dynamic overview of major aviation news from across Africa and beyond.

If you are looking for sharp, insightful analysis on African aviation strategy, network planning, and the commercial realities behind the headlines, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.

Subscribe to receive monthly analysis and news on African air connectivity from AviaDev. Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

03:18 Airlink flypast in Cape Town (note: this refers to the debate surrounding the low-altitude flypast by Airlink ERJ aircraft over the Cape Town Stadium a few days ago)

16:09 Airlink’s new domestic route, codeshare with Qatar Airways, and E2 route updates

28:19 Kenya Airways results and management changes

38:34 South African Airways: management instability and strategy

44:15 FlySafair launches a third daily Johannesburg–Harare rotation

53:53 FlySafair acquisition and competition concerns

01:00:18 Malawi Airlines increases frequencies to Johannesburg

01:02:08 Canada–Nigeria bilateral agreement and opportunity for Air Canada on the Toronto–Lagos route

01:17:11 Air Peace expansion in West Africa and planned Lagos–São Paulo route

01:19:59 ValueJet adds Boeing 737s and plans network expansion

01:24:15 Africa World Airlines resumes service to Abidjan

01:26:53 Ethiopian Airlines winter schedule changes

01:35:22 Mesfin Tasew’s term extended; fleet strategy

01:37:51 Tewolde GebreMariam joins Air India

01:40:33 Air Congo launches service to Paris via Brussels

01:42:24 RwandAir considers service to Manchester

01:44:36 Etihad increases flights to Zanzibar to twice daily

01:49:17 New CEO for Zambia Airways

01:51:23 ProFlight Zambia adds Jetstream 41s to its fleet

01:52:26 Jambojet launches route Nairobi–Entebbe

01:55:17 Uganda Airlines announces flights to Accra and Kigali

02:02:12 Air Sierra Leone relaunches service to Gatwick

02:04:23 TAAG Angola adds Dakar–Praia route and codeshare with LATAM

02:13:03 Summary and conclusion

[rwandan-flyer]

After China Southern, Xiamen is also set to launch flights to Addis Ababa starting November 26, operating once a week from Xiamen. That isn't a particularly high frequency, though. The service is seasonal for the time being.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260902-mfnw26add

The high flight frequencies to China—largely driven by the Addis Ababa hub (which likely absorbs a significant portion of the demand between Addis and China)—should not negatively impact Ethiopian Airlines. However, they shouldn't underestimate these carriers that will offer connections to the rest of Asia and Australia (a region not yet served by Ethiopian, though it is in the pipeline). This gives more choice for travelers flying to and from Addis Ababa..

While European-based carriers have largely given up ADD market (the last non-Star Alliance European airline to leave Addis Ababa was KLM in 2013: https://www.ethiosports.com/2013/02/23/ ... an-market/), Chinese airlines do not seem deterred to compete with Ethiopian.

So, I believe this is Xiamen Airlines' first destination in Africa. Currently, Air China, China Southern, Shanghai Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and China Eastern serve Africa.

[rwandan-flyer]

IndiGo is expected to launch service to Tanzania in October 2026. Indigo's East Africa manager is currently in Tanzania

https://thebizlens.co.tz/2026/06/25/tca ... -tanzania/

This will be its third destination in East Africa. IndiGo currently serves Nairobi and the Seychelles. In Africa, it also serves Mauritius and Réunion (French Overseas Dept).

It is interesting to note that IndiGo has been relatively quiet about plans for Africa (unlike Europe where Paris, Geneva and Brussels are often cited as next destinations). However, it appears the airline has set its sights on the continent. I wouldn't be surprised to see them launch routes to Uganda, Nigeria, Egypt, or Zambia using their A321XLR fleet—even though some of these countries are already connected to India via their national carriers.

These countries have strong point-to-point demand with India—demand that rivals the point-to-point traffic between certain European countries and India.

Point to point in 2025

Nairobi–Mumbai: 142,000 passengers
Dar–Mumbai: 63,000
Cairo–Mumbai: 61,000 passengers
Entebbe–Mumbai: 51,000 passengers
Lagos–Mumbai: 42,000 passengers
Lusaka–Mumbai: 32,000 passengers

Here we go: IndiGo is set to launch a daily flight between Dar es Salaam and Mumbai starting in November 2026. The official announcement should be coming soon: https://x.com/AviationAll_/status/2095886687700418674 5 (X page from an Indian Aviation News)

[rwandan-flyer]

EgyptAir is set to relaunch its route to Australia in 2027. Flights will operate via Singapore. The airline previously served Sydney between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s, following the delivery of its A340s. https://www.afr.com/companies/cairo-con ... 0925-kaxms

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... ey-flights

EgyptAir will become the third African airline currently serving Australia. Both South African Airways and Air Mauritius serve Perth.

Ethiopian Airlines is also reportedly on the verge of launching a route to Australia but is awaiting the delivery of new aircraft. Flights are expected to begin in 2028. https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... -australia

-----------------------------

[rwandan-flyer]

Uzbekistan Airways will operate charter flights between Uzbekistan and Mauritius in December 2026 and January 2027. If the demand is there, the flights will become regular from June 2027, once a week.

Mauritius will become the first Sub-Saharan Africa route for the airline, but not in Africa

https://daryo.uz/en/2026/09/08/uzbekist ... -december/

Uzbekistan Airways (https://www.uzdaily.uz/en/uzbekistan-ai ... -to-egypt/) and Air Samarkand (https://caspianpost.com/uzbekistan/air- ... rm-flights) serve currently Egypt. While in the same time Kazakhstan and Ethiopia intend to cooperate in the field of air transport (https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mf ... 97?lang=en)

Air Seychelles has also operated charter flights to Almaty in early 2020s.

Is Central Asia becoming a new market for Africa? For now, it is a niche market focused solely on tourism rather than business travel, the labor market, or even student mobility. However, these are areas where some African countries are already active—such as through visa waivers, sending more African students in Central Asia, and Central Asian companies investing in Africa’s agricultural or energy sectors.

The detour is not significant when traveling between Africa and East Asia, especially compared to routes via Dubai or Doha (referring to the region's hub-and-spoke airlines). However, the journey takes longer to or from Europe.

A market to watch over the coming years

[rwandan-flyer]

France in the DR Congo
@AmbaFranceRDC
·
23h
On Friday, the DRC and France signed a memorandum of understanding on air transport.

Starting in April 2027:

- Up to 11 flights per week, compared to 7 currently
- A long-term presence for Air Congo on the Kinshasa-Paris route
- More choices and direct flight options for Congolese and French travelers
- Strengthened cooperation to support the transition to more sustainable aviation, in line with both countries' international commitments.

https://x.com/AmbaFranceRDC/status/2099443062023782844

[rwandan-flyer]

The Burundian Air Force has just taken delivery of a B737-400F (https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/12214417). I wonder if it will also be used by FlyBurundi, which has a brand-new website: https://www.fly-burundi.com/

[rwandan-flyer]

Ethiopian has ordered 10 B777Fs (two standard B777Fs and eight B777-8Fs) and placed an option for eight additional B777-8Fs. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Boeing in 2022.

https://www.airdatanews.com/ethiopian-a ... wo-777-fs/

It has two B777-300ERFs on order. By 2028, it will therefore have a fleet comprising 16 B777Fs, four B767Fs, and four B737-800Fs. The B777-8Fs are due to arrive starting in 2033.

Furthermore, it appears that the five B777-200LRs are set to be converted into freighters.

422
B747-437B
Posts: 10,015
Joined 24 years ago

#656

9 months ago

JeffHJ wrote:
The aircraft most likely to be operated on an ADD-Australia route would almost certainly be the 777-200LR (34J 284Y)



The 777-200LRs are all slated for freighter conversion and will likely have left the fleet before a route to Australia is actually scheduled. Instead, they are considering using 787s for this route initially: lower capacity and lower risk. https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtop ... #p25051423

In total, the airline has over 100 aircraft on order :

17 A350s
45 B737 MAX 8s
8 B777-9s
2 B777-300ERFs
26 B787-9s

...plus the order placed today. There is the possible major order for A220s or E2s.


Of course, some of these new aircraft will replace existing ones. The MAXs will replace the NGs; the A350-900s will replace the B777-200LRs (not in terms of quantity, but in terms of range); and the B777-8s and A350-1000s will replace the B777-300ERs.

Few airlines in Europe could afford such expansion. And the craziest part is that the airline will find markets to utilize these aircraft and remains profitable for the time being—all while operating in what is arguably the most challenging region in the world for running an airline. The costs of air transport in Africa, along with other challenges, are unlike anything found in other regions. Taxes in Europe are "ridiculous" compared to Africa, yet European airlines are less vocal about it. The lack of strong competition from African carriers helps; consequently, we capture the vast majority of the traffic.


Especially since, with its new wave of midday connections, it offers daytime flights to Asia (India, the Middle East, China, Pakistan).

[rwandan-flyer]

Oct 5, 2026 AviaDev Insight Africa - Connectivity Update https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8MeeLKks6M

The latest updates impacting sub-Saharan African aviation.

This episode covers a packed set of route launches, fleet moves, and network restructurings across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Jon Howell is joined by Aviation Consultants, Behramjee Ghadially and Sean Mendis to unpack several major airline stories, led by Kenya Airways’ operational reset, Jambojet’s Entebbe launch, and British Airways’ return to Tanzania.

Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome to the AviaDev Connectivity Update

04:35 - Kenya Airways leadership change and restructuring

09:28 - Kenya Airways fleet grounding and reliability challenges. Time to fix the fundamentals?

19:25 - Jambojet launches Entebbe. Can it stimulate a new market?

22:29 - Tanzania taxes and insurance costs impacting connectivity

30:16 - British Airways returns to Tanzania in Summer 2027 with Gatwick-Kilimanjaro-Zanzibar route

40:14 - Qatar Airways to Zanzibar, and the link to RwandAir’s A330 plans

51:37 - IndiGo’s Africa expansion to Dar es Salaam. A no brainer?

58:29 - Air Tanzania’s Moscow service reversal

01:00:32 - Ethiopian Airlines’ Durban relaunch and fleet updates

01:17:18 - ASKY’s Central and West African network changes and big fleet plans

01:25:22 - Nigeria’s domestic flight delays

01:31:55 - Airlink’s new routes to Mauritius and Zanzibar and continued fleet growth

01:38:17 - Fastjet Zimbabwe extends its A320 lease

01:40:40 - FlySafair expands into Lusaka from February 2027

01:46:13 - Turkish Airlines suspends African routes. Will they come back?

01:52:10 - Malawi Airlines updates

01:55:14 - Africa World Airlines receives its first E190

01:56:09 – Proflight Zambia’s Jetstream arrivals and fleet update

01:58:23 - Air Zimbabwe’s Gatwick schedule and 737-200

Sign up to the mailing list https://www.aviadev.com/keep-me-updated

#AviaDev #AfricanAviation #AirlineNews #AviationNews #Connectivity #Airlink #KenyaAirways #EthiopianAirlines #Jambojet #britishairways #FlySafair #AirPeace #RwandaAir #qatarairways