Air Transport in Africa Outlook - 2019-2023

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rwandan-flyer
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Denver Airport is in talks with 2 African companies for the launch of a line between Colorado and Africa. The 2 companies are Egyptair and Ethiopian Airlines. No surprise that it is 2 Star Alliance companies, Denver being a United Airlines hub.

https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news...light.html

Of course there is the question about the demand and the profitability of routes between Africa and South America. Some American states host a large African diaspora, but it is very dispersed and not necessarily found in large cities. This is the case in California and Texas. 2 states that were served by Ethiopian, but the company has closed its lines to Los Angeles and Houston.

But the situation is not the same on the East Coast

Washington (Royal Air Maroc, United Airlines to Accra, Ethiopian Airlines and Egytpair)
New York (Royal Air Maroc, Delta Airlines on Accra Dakar and Lagos, Air Senegal, Ethiopian Airlines, United Airlines to Johannesburg and Cape Town Kenya Airways and Egytpair are very well served. These are the 2 American cities with the largest African diaspora.


There is also a large presence of the African diaspora in the Midwest or in Georgia, but only Chicago is served by Ethiopian and at ATL Delta flies to South Africa and Nigeria. And I don't think Kenya Airways will take the risk of going to Detroit, Atlanta or Minneapolis (SKyTeam hubs). Royal Air Maroc serves Miami & Montreal, while Ethiopian serves Toronto.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_i ... ted_States

Article from Jeune Afrique in 2017, dealing with the Africa-North America market (therefore including Central America and Canada). Because there is also Canada and Central America, with Cuba and Panama.

3,712,343 passengers flew between Africa and North America in 2017

Transits on Paris Cdg represent approximately 11% of traffic with 431,971 passengers ((note that AF serves Denver in summer now)). If anyone has the figures for Istanbul, Amsterdam, and Brussels that would be interesting.

Cairo-New York (148,097 passengers)
Casablanca-Montreal (136,394 passengers)
Addis Ababa-Washington (112,053 passengers).
Casablanca-New York (106,254 passengers)

Article reserved for subscribers, but free reader https://www-jeuneafrique-com.translate. ... r_pto=wapp
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

The next destination for Ethiopian in USA will be Altanta from May 2023 which is SkyTeam hub. The airline plans to add code share with Delta. Tewolde Gebremariam the former Ethiopian Airlines CEO is now Senior Strategic Advisor at Delta Airlines

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tewolde-geb ... me-profile

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/br ... codeshare/

Atlanta's top 15 African markets

Booking data shows Atlanta's 15 most popular East, Central, and Southern African markets in 2019, as summarized below. Most that Ethiopian will target are small:

Lagos: 30,000 (helped by Delta's non-stop)
Johannesburg: 28,000 (helped by Delta)
Nairobi: 21,000
Addis Ababa: 15,000
Cape Town 9,000 (Delta launched Cape Town in 2022)
Accra: 11,000
Cape Town: 10,000
Abuja: 7,000
Entebbe: 6,000
Dar es Salaam: 3,000
Kinshasa: 2,000
Douala: 2,000
Blantyre: 2,000
Kilimanjaro: 2,000

https://simpleflying.com/ethiopian-airl ... s-atlanta/
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Saudia will serve Dar Es Salaam from Jeddah from March 26, 2023, 4 times a week by A320. https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230124-svdar

It will be interesting if the company will stop. The line to Entebbe was operated by A330 and departing from Riyadh with no possibility of connecting to SV's long haul. That said, with better schedules, a more suitable aircraft and flights from JED instead of RUH, flights to EBB could be still there. Maybe the airline will make a return via Dar Es Salaam or Kigali

I say this because Saudia Airlines has finally activated its code share a few weeks ago on Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), Kigali (Rwanda) and Bujumbura (Burundi) departing flights from Nairobi operated by Kenya Airways. In addition FlyNas has its code share on Addis Ababa Entebbe and RwandAir has code share on Saudi Arabia departing from Doha on all daily flights to Damman and Ryadh.

The traffic component between Saudi Arabia and these countries is mainly workers living in Saudi Arabia (not necessarily in good conditions but this is not the place to talk about it). The Saudis are also starting to be active in this region, but the country wants to be a hub that will overtake Doha or Dubai. SV having a good network in Europe, North America and India. The big markets of East African countries.

The proximity of Jeddah to big cities in East Africa is also an advantage (a little less than 3130 km for the furthest = DAR)
rwandan-flyer wrote: 20 Aug 2022, 23:10
rwandan-flyer wrote: 04 Feb 2022, 18:52 Almost full flight for the 1st flight on an A330-300. SV announce the first flight via a Facebook post less than 2 weeks ago :o


Saudi Airlines launches direct flights to Uganda

Saudi Arabian carrier, Saudi Airlines, on Wednesday commenced direct flights from Riyadh to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport.

The inaugural flight arrived in Entebbe at 7am with about 300 passengers aboard an Airbus 330-300, according to the airline, and was welcomed with a traditional gun salute.

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/bu ... da-3703070

The Middle East-East Africa capacities must surely be one of the largest in the world (classifying by region). I don't know if Saudi and Air Arabia have plans to serve Tanzania and Rwanda. But it's quite impressive. There is a lot of point-to-point but also a lot of connecting either intra airlibes or via code shares or interlines.

I wonder if we are not almost at the same level as Europe-East Africa flights (and there are still a lot of Russian, Ukrainian, Polish charters on Kenya and Tanzania) and surely above the above the East African -Rest of Africa capacaties (and they are Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and RwandAir).
The reservations are already closed. The last flight seems to have operated on August 01, 2022. :( (https://www.airportia.com/flights/sv490/kampala/riyadh/) . Flights were not great for connections to Europe, India, and the USA. With an arrival at RUH at 12:45 p.m., which means long layover, same thing if you fly to EBB, long layover at RUH, while the biggest base of SV is in Jeddah.

SV wanted probably to tap into the point-to-point estimated at 23,000 passengers. But it is a traffic mainly from Ugandans working in Saudi Arabia. There are not too many Saudi tourists in Uganda, unlike in Mauritius.

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/br ... rica-link/

Quit sad, maybe with A320 / A321 with a tag on Dar Es Salaam or Kigali with better timetables, the route could be work well. Emirates / FlyDubai and Qatar Airways (with a little help from RwandAir to pick up pax via DOH) do not have too much to worry. For the past 10 years, Gulf Air and Etihad have tried to tickle them on Entebbe (EY, GF), Dar Es Salaam (EY), Addis Ababa (GF, EY) and Nairobi (GF, EY). Results: routes closed.

Air Arabia UAE and Oman Air are still there, but with a "small" networl, in the region.
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

IATA Welcomes Restoration of ‘Class A’ ATC Services over Somalia

Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomes the reclassification of airspace over Somalia and the surrounding region to Class A. This will take place at one minute past midnight on 26 January 2023 when air traffic control services will be operationally restored after a 30-year disruption.

https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2023- ... -01-25-01/


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After supplanting Abidjan, the AIBD of Dakar wants to measure up to Casablanca https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1411806/ec ... asablanca/


With an increase in attendance compared to 2019 and a brand new carbon accreditation, Dakar airport, which has just celebrated its fifth anniversary, still has significant levers for development.

Reserved for subscribers
January 25, 2023 at 2:15 PM
By Nelly Fualdes - special correspondent in Dakar



On January 19, Blaise-Diagne International Airport (AIBD) obtained level 3 of the "Airport carbon accreditation", a global carbon management program in which several hundred airports around the world are involved.

A timely certification for the infrastructure which celebrated its fifth anniversary on December 7th. Askin Demir, the general manager of Limak-AIBD-Summa (LAS), manager of the airport, hoped to obtain it for 2023.
2.6 million passengers

“The first two steps [of mapping and reducing carbon emissions, respectively] were relatively simple. Level 3 [optimization] requires more ambition", confided the leader to Jeune Afrique in December 2022, listing the efforts made in terms of waste management, elimination of plastic or even replacement of the equipment of his partner 2AS. by electrical devices...

Of the thirty African airports participating in the program, only two others have obtained level 3: that of Reunion and that of Hammamet, in Tunisia. Abidjan airport is the only one on the continent to reach the next level, that of carbon neutrality.


It is not only in environmental matters that the two airports are competitors: by exceeding 2.6 million annual passengers in 2022 (i.e. 5.53% more than in 2019), the AIBD better than Houphouët-Boigny airport, which has not yet returned to its pre-Covid figures (2.09 million passengers in 2022, eight points less than in 2019).

For the CEO of LAS, the new challenge is none other than Casablanca's Mohammed-V airport, still far ahead with its 7.6 million passengers in 2022. "It's an ambitious goal, but why not? Dakar has the great advantage of being the best placed for Latin America”, assures Askin Demir, who would dream of seeing “the historical link, that of the Aéropostale”, re-created towards the American subcontinent.
New destinations

Pending these possible connections, the AIBD still has strong growth potential. Because if it records a number of passengers greater than 2019, it has not yet found the same number of flights. In 2022, 26,734 aircraft movements were recorded, which is 6% less than in 2019. “The international market has grown by 4 to 5 points, but there is around 10% of continental traffic that we do not have. not found”, comments Askin Demir.

The leader also explains that if the infrastructure is fully used between 8 p.m. and midnight, it only operates at between 20 and 25% of its capacity during the rest of the day, opening up possibilities for other airlines "which could quickly increase traffic to 5 or even 7 million passengers a year,” says Askin Demir. The latter is thus pleased that in 2022, the charter company TUI allowed the AIBD to serve six new destinations (Bratislava, Düsseldorf, Porto, Gatwick, etc.) which had never had a direct connection with Dakar.



Regular companies could also increase their rotations there, but Senegalese civil aviation is very vigilant. In addition to the flights to Paris, which are very supervised (1 flight per day for each of the two national companies), the granting of new frequencies is very strict, including at the regional level, to the great displeasure of Nowel Ngala, commercial director of Asky, who nevertheless believes that additional rotations “would occupy the platform and cover the cost of its construction, for the benefit of the country”.

Clean, functional, equipped with high-performance Wi-Fi, a sufficient number of seats, a small number of but complementary and varied restaurants and shops, and play areas for children, the AIBD offers a pleasant passenger experience, even if some deplore a ministerial lounge "isolated and without a warm welcome".

Constant costs

On the other hand, it has the major handicap of being some 57 km from downtown Dakar, congested by traffic. The TER, the second phase of which was officially launched on March 5, 2022 and which is supposed to "eventually" allow the journey to be made in 45 minutes, does not yet have a deadline for its commissioning. Its first section, inaugurated in December 2021, currently only goes to Diamniadio.
This new airport has generated a considerable change in habits for former Yoff employees, some of whom have moved to Mbour or Thiès", concedes Askin Demir, who specifies that the company organizes the transport of its employees and offers staggered timetables. for functions that can. With respect to passengers and crew, LAS strives to communicate. "We have a new website, social networks, soon an application where we warn in particular if there is a traffic problem on the highway", specifies the manager.


Another recurring criticism of Dakar airport from companies is the question of airport charges – an unavoidable debate between the two camps, especially on the continent, where they are pointed out as particularly high. Normal, replies Askin Demir, “since African airports are generally of lower capacity, but certain costs, such as lighting a runway, are constant regardless of the number of flights concerned”. According to the manager of LAS, electricity is one of the main items of expenditure for LAS, along with salaries and the concession – the airport also plans to produce its own energy via a photovoltaic installation of 20 MW.

In addition, "the rankings made by the companies often include State royalties, which are not included in our accounts but which, in the case of Senegal, allow the State to renovate all its regional airports, which will make the a much more attractive country in terms of tourism", notes Askin Demir, specifying that the contribution of LAS to the State of Senegal was 160 billion CFA francs (nearly 244 million euros) over five years.

Low transit
Of its 2.6 million passengers in 2022, the AIBD had just over 162,000 (or 6%) in transit. A number still insufficient to validate the hub strategy targeted by the airport. These passengers in transit mostly travel on Brussels Airlines, Emirates or Turkish Airlines.
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Indonesia is coming to Africa. Indonesians interested in starting a company in...Guinea Conakry. https://en.tempo.co/read/1684551/indone ... ion-sector

The Guineans want to benefit from the expertise of the Indonesians about aviation. The Indonesians have made great efforts in terms of aviation security since all companies have come out on the EU blacklist. We can therefore assume that Guineans think that's a good argument. https://flightsafety.org/eu-lifts-ban-o ... -airlines/

The Indonesians therefore wish to provide assistance in the field of infrastructure and in the creation of an airline. This will allow Indonesia to surely sell its planes in Africa for the first time.

In fact, the plane are Western planes (notably from the CASA) built under Indonesian license or alternate version. Some aircraft including CASA are also built for civil aviation

We can think of the Dirgantara Indonesia N-219 built from the CASA Aviocar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia ... pace_N-219
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Kenya Airways seems to close its route to Bangkok. Route opened in 2003 (https://www.travel-impact-newswire.com/ ... r-to-asia/). If it's confirmed, a page is turning for the company.

In the 2000s, under Titus Naikuni CEO, KQ had launched an ambitious growth plan with the arrival of the B777-200ERs (order of converted 767-400ERs (https://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/1- ... 200er.html), 767-300ER, ERJ 170 and B737-700 and B737-800.

The company had opened its first flights to the Far East with Bangkok, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The company had also launched a route to Istanbul and relaunched its route to Paris CDG.

In Africa in 2000s, we had the addition of Bangui, Malabo, Libreville, Brazaville, Freetown, Monrovia, Ouagadougou, Kisangani to name few one. I do not include the short lived routes in the 2010s during the Project Mawingu also under Titus Naikuni which lead the company into the crisis which has affected it for 10 years.

https://www.google.com/search?q=kenya+a ... s-wiz-serp

Today about route launched or relaunched in 2000s; only Paris, Ndola, Cape Town (route operated in the early 2000s and reopened in the late 2010s), Bangui (route closed then reopened), Freetown and Monrovia are still there. Now the bulk of KQ's network in Africa is East and Southern Africa. In Central Africa, the company only serves the DRC, The Central African Republic, and Cameroon and in West Africa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ghana.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230203-kqea
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

With the easing of restrictions for China, Jeune Afrique has redone a (very good) article about China Africa traffic. At present, only Ethiopian Airlines, Air Algérie, Egytpair and Kenya Airways will resume or currently serving China. Royal Air Maroc is in negotiations with the Chinese authorities to relaunch its flights. Stand by for RwandAir which had relaunched its flights in 2021 then canceled them the same year. The arrival of the 3rd A330 could surely change the situation. Stand by for Air Maurtius when Madagascar Airlines (ex Air Magadagascar) not sure that the A330 leased from Air Belgium enables to the airline to serve Paris and China. Surely wait for the 787.

The demand is still low

The Chinese companies (China Southern, Sichuan Airlines and Air China) have relaunched all their lines (Egypt, Kenya and South Africa)

In 2020, JA had already published an article on this subject. Africa-China traffic amounted to 2,540,000 in 2018. The Algiers Beijing (105,000 pax) and Algiers Guangzhou (147,000 pax) lines were the busiest. And yet Algiers and Cairo are not part of the top 5 airports that received the most Africa China traffic. The reliable network in Africa did not penalize them, because the point-to-point traffic is very important.

Ethiopian Airlines topped the rankings with 589,000 pax transiting via ADD between Africa and China followed by Emirates. Air France ranked 5th with 77,000 pax. Turkish Airlines which the largest network in Africa for a non-African company was not in the top 5.

With the covid things have surely changed a little. https://www-jeuneafrique-com.translate. ... r_pto=wapp

Image

Ethiopian, Air Algérie, RAM… Who will board for China?https://www-jeuneafrique-com.translate. ... r_pto=wapp

Comeback, timid comeback or no comeback at all? While Beijing is easing access to its territory, African airlines are refining their strategy to resume their links with the Middle Kingdom. But three years of closure have left their mark.

"Beijing, we're coming back!" rejoices Air Algérie in the advertising campaign announcing the resumption of its flights between Algiers and Beijing, at the rate of two rotations per week from February 19.

The announcement follows closely that of Ethiopian Airlines, which anticipates not a recovery – the company, which was the last African company to serve China in 2020, maintained as many routes as possible – but a intensification of its program, to the point of reaching the pre-Covid level on March 1.

It will then offer daily flights to Beijing and Shanghai, ten weekly flights to Guangzhou and four to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, not to mention four rotations to Hong Kong.

Delay of nearly 75%

For its part, Kenya Airways has not yet announced a direct connection, but continues to connect Guangzhou twice a week, via Bangkok. Contacted by Jeune Afrique, the company did not wish to speak further.

In Egypt, Yehia Zakaria, CEO of Egyptair, announced for March a daily return of the link between Cairo and Guangzhou, three flights a week to Beijing and three to Hangzhou. Again, this will be a return to pre-Covid “normal”, when Egypt is one of the twenty countries (with, in Africa, South Africa and Kenya) towards which Beijing is preparing to reauthorize group travel for its nationals, starting February 6.



"A week after this announcement, which took place on January 20, reservations for these three destinations have increased by 123% compared to the same period last year", notes Olivier Ponti, vice-president in charge of strategy at ForwardKeys firm.

Although the variation is high, it should be put into perspective, because based on particularly low 2022 figures: "Chinese outbound flight bookings to Africa for the first quarter of 2023 are 74% behind what they were at the same time before the pandemic in 2019, while flight bookings from Africa to China for the first quarter are 73% behind 2019”, continues the analyst.

Last minute reservations

With significant differences depending on the city: “Total bookings from Africa to Beijing are behind 87% compared to 2019, to Guangzhou by 74% and to Hong Kong by 71%”, indicates ForwardKeys. Conversely, "as of January 27, total reservations for Algiers in the 1st quarter are 59% behind what they were at the same time in 2019, for Addis Ababa by 89%, for Cairo by 89% and for Nairobi 77%”, specifies Olivier Ponti.

The latter nevertheless says he is “optimistic” about the improvement in these figures, the pandemic having pushed the market to favor last-minute purchases, to limit as much as possible the impact of changes in travel restrictions: quarantine, isolation, PCR testing…

If the Chinese authorities lifted the quarantine requirement for travelers from abroad on January 8, getting there remains complicated. Tourist visas are still not issued, unlike residence permits for work, study, personal business or family reunification, and the prices are high.

Royal Air Maroc waiting

Faced with a timid increase in demand, the supply of flights between Africa and China has far from emerged unscathed from these three years of crisis. RwandAir, Air Mauritius and Air Madagascar (now Madagascar Airlines), which all served Guangzhou from their respective hubs, have not yet mentioned a recovery. The Rwandan company had however been one of the first to try the experience again, from January 2021.

Neither did South African Airways, which served Hong Kong and should have opened Guangzhou in January 2020. But the South African flag has since come very close to liquidation, and has seen its international destinations dwindle. Johannesburg remains served to Beijing, and Shenzhen on a weekly basis by Air China, which announced in November 2022 its ambition to increase to three flights per week.

Finally, Royal Air Maroc had bad luck with its Casablanca-Beijing line, inaugurated on January 16, 2020… and suspended 15 days later. According to our information, the Moroccan flag is trying to relaunch this line but must receive the approval of the Chinese authorities for this.


Air China, China Southern and Sichuan Airlines back

On the Chinese side, in addition to Air China, mentioned above, China Southern has resumed its connections between Guangzhou and Nairobi since January 9, while Sichuan Airlines connects Chengdu to Cairo three times a week.

“Chinese carriers are currently offering 28% less seat capacity than pre-pandemic levels, while African carriers are offering 36% less capacity,” notes Olivier Ponti. But, here again, the delay must be put into perspective: before the crisis, Ethiopian alone carried out more traffic between Africa and China (29% of the market in 2018, according to OAG) than all the Chinese companies combined.
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by sn26567 »

Why is Guangzhou the preferred destination in China for African airlines, ahead of Shanghai and Beijing which are preferred by European airlines?
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

sn26567 wrote: 05 Feb 2023, 22:20 Why is Guangzhou the preferred destination in China for African airlines, ahead of Shanghai and Beijing which are preferred by European airlines?
There is a strong african coummnity in Guangzhou. The city is some times called the little Africa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africans_in_Guangzhou
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

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A Sudanese company back in Europe since Sudan Airways stopped to fly there in the mid-2000s. The company served CDG until the early 2000s.

The Karthoum London Gatwick flight is scheduled to start on February 24, 2023 https://badrairlines.com/en/index.php

Like Uganda Airlines, which cannot operate its Entebbe London Heathrow route non-stop because Ugandan civil aviation does not meet the criteria of British aviation in terms of safety (it lead to a scandal in Uganda).

It will be probably hard to fill the plane, not because there is not a marked but the market between UK and Sudan is highly competitve

Badr Airlines will make a stopover in Egypt to carry out all the necessary security tasks for UK CAA

The type of aircraft used suits well to the load factor projections (here a B737-800) but cargo capacity will be limited.

There are a maximum of around 35,000 people of Sudanese origin living in the UK (1000 from South Sudan) https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transpar ... ingintheuk. Sudan being a former colony. But there is also a large diaspora in the USA and Australia. Most having fled the civil war which lasted for 2 decades or the dictatorship of Al Bashir. The point-to-point market is surely good, but with a fragile economic situation, the last EU companies left Sudan a little over 10 years ago.

KLM has operated AMS-KRT-Addis Ababa and Lufthansa has operated FRA-Asmara (Eritrea)-KRT. Turkish Airlines opened a route, but it was the companies of the Middle East has a strong presence in Sudan. Point-to-point traffic is certainly important between Sudan and the Middle East, but these airlines can easily pick up pax from Europe or the USA.

Badr does not have an important regional network apart from the Middle East in addition to Ethiopia, and Kano (Nigeria). A destination served in the East African Community (Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan Tanzania and Rwanda) but others not served which represents a strong market for the UK (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda). It would seem that Badr nevertheless plans to fly to Uganda in 2023, which would make its 2nd destination in the EAC with Juba.


Entebbe International sees strong recovery during 2022

Entebbe’s prospects for 2023 are looking up because of the expected entry of BADR Airlines into the Entebbe-Khartoum Sector. https://airinsight.com/entebbe-internat ... ring-2022/
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Ethiopian wants to go everywhere. They want to serve....Malta.
With the possibility of continuing to the USA. https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/br ... potential/



Note that Air Malta planned to serve more destinations into Africa (outside North Africa) with their brand new A320Neo late 2010s (https://newsroom.aviator.aero/air-malta ... and-bases/). Ghana was planned to be the first destination https://corporatetravelcommunity.com/an ... -of-584900

I won't be suprised to see Air Malta add its code share code on Malta Addis Ababa service enabling connecting from the Air Malta network in Europe.



Summer 2021 network https://airmalta.com/fr/actualite/air-m ... t-schedule

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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

The well-informed The East African tells us that last week a "secret" meeting took place between Uganda Airlines and a delegation from Airbus and Boeing.

Objective: Uganda Airlines could order up to 6 medium-haul aircraft to fill the gap between its CRJ900s and its A330-800s. In particular to open routes in West Africa or operate "long haul" routeswhere the A330 would be too big.

Airbus would have offered the A321Neo, but we do not know the version: LR or XLR. Boeing logically proposed the B737Max. Nevertheless there are various factors about the cost per seat, the autonomy and the capacity.Depending on the type of aircraft the number of routes to be served would be limited. For example it's not possible to use the A321 (180 seats - 200 seats) on the routes in East Africa, Too big for the market. But maybe not the 737 Max7.

Only Ethiopian uses aircraft over 180 seats on routes in East Africa.

Embraer would be in the race.

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/bu ... rs-4119886


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Ethiopian Airlines eyes the Balkans. The logic would be Zagreb which is a Star Alliance hub, but the airport with the highest traffic is Belgrade. The CEO of Air Serbia says he would be happy to have a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines by talking about to the traffic rights that Ethiopian has in some parts in the world..

Can we see an Addis Ababa-Belgrade-Toronto? With code share with Air Serbia on the Addis-Belgrade and Belgrade Addis Ababa part.

https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/02/et ... egion.html


The bulk of the market between Africa and the Balkan countries is in North Africa. Nevertheless, there seems to be a demand for South Africa, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Seychelles.

Balkan Buglarian operated flights between the Balkans and Sub-Saharan Africa until the 1990s. And Zambia Airways in the 1970s operated a Lusaka-Nairobi-Belgrade flight via Rome or London

Balkan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_B ... stinations

Africa

Algeria
Algiers – Houari Boumediene Airport
Egypt
Cairo – Cairo International Airport
Ghana
Accra–Kotoka Airport
Kenya
Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta Airport
Libya
Benghazi–Benina International Airport
Tripoli – Tripoli Airport
Morocco
Casablanca – Mohammed V Airport
Nigeria
Lagos–Murtala Muhammed Airport
South Africa
Johannesburg – OR Tambo International Airport
Sudan
Khartoum – Khartoum Airport
Tunisia
Tunis – Tunis–Carthage Airport
Zimbabwe
Harare – Harare Airport

https://twitter.com/jamesblewett8/statu ... 32/photo/2

[url=https://servimg.com/view/11287103/2582]Image[ /url]
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by sn26567 »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 12 Feb 2023, 17:57 The well-informed The East African tells us that last week a "secret" meeting took place between Uganda Airlines and a delegation from Airbus and Boeing.
I guess there were two separate meetings ;)
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

In deed separrate meetings.


We talk about Africa China / Europe / North America / Middle East flights, but very little about flights between Africa and South Asia (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh).

While Air Peace (Nigeria) will launch flights to Mumbai next month (https://dailytrust.com/air-peace-kicks- ... -march-31/), Ethiopian will relaunch its flights to Pakistan (https://www.app.com.pk/national/ethiopi ... er-abdula/) , Vistara lands in Africa with a connection to Mauritius, Egyptair which has been serving Bangladesh since 2021 (https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangla ... from-nov-1) and Rwanda and Bangladesh wishing to open a connection (https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bang ... ent-567126) . Sri Lankan Airlines seems to have suspended its Colombo Nairobi route.

Indigo wishes to serve Kenya as the first destination in Africa. The flights will logically be operated in A321Neo. Air India is also starting to receive them. To see if the company plans to make a third return to Africa. The Nairobi-Mumbai route (closed in 2010 and reopened in 2019 https://livefromalounge.com/air-india-n ... i-nonstop/) was suspended during the covid, but the company operates a cargo flight on Ahmedabad in 787.

African countries connected to South Asia

Kenya: India
Ethiopia: India and soon Pakistan
Egypt: India and Bangladesh
Tanzania: India
Seychelles: Sri Lanka and India
Mauritius: India
Nigeria: soon India
Rwanda: India

Reunion Island (French Onverseas Dept): India

About 10 years ago there was a route between Asmara and Karachi via the UAE with Eritrean Airlines (https://historyofpia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19660)

IndiGo Plans Flights To Nairobi, Jakarta, Some Central Asian Destinations: CEO Pieter Elbers IndiGo, which is "back with a bang", is looking to start flights to Nairobi, Jakarta and some central Asian destinations.

Read more at: https://www.bqprime.com/business/indigo ... ter-elbers
Copyright © BQ Prime
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

After renewing its medium and short-haul fleet. Arrivals of Q400NGs and orders for A220s to replace its B737-700NGs, TAAG plans to renew its long-haul fleet.

The company is considering replacing its B777s (200ER / 300ER) with 787s or A330Neos according to Aviation CH (article reserved for subscribers). The Angolan press reported 787 last year.

The Angolan state would like to privatize the company. While the company remains on a failure on a partnership with Emirates (https://www.timesaerospace.aero/news/bu ... t-contract). However, this had borne fruit initially with reduced losses (profitable in 2016 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAAG_Angola_Airlines) in particular due to the closure of loss-making lines to Dubai and Beijing.

TAAG is trying to redeploy to the West with flights to Ghana and Nigeria. TAAG is trying to redeploy to the West with flights to Ghana and Nigeria. We will see if, with the new Luanda airport, the company will once again spread its wings. With Congolese companies that are missing and a tiny South African Airways, there is surely an opportunity to develop a hub in the region.

Angola is a big market, but quite protective in terms of traffic rights. Only TAP has daily flights (excluding TAAG). All the other companies are satisfied with weekly flights. Angola granting traffic rights piecemeal. In recent years Angola has lost only "4" companies:

Angola is a big market, but quite protective in terms of traffic rights. Only La TAP has daily flights. The other companies are content with weekly flights when Angola agrees to give them rights. In recent years Angola has lost only "4" companies:

Iberia, British Airways, KLM and Kenya Airways. KLM (Amsterdam-Luanda-Windhoek) and Kenya Airways (3 flights per week in ERJ190) having closed their line during the Covid. But Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines have arrived.


Angola's TAAG narrows down widebody choice to B787, A330neo https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news ... 87-a330neo

2022 (Portuguese article translated into English) https://angola24horas.com/sociedade/ite ... -frota-ceo

TAAG has ordered 14 aircraft from Boeing to renew the fleet. - CEO

TAAG has ordered 14 medium-haul aircraft from Boeing, as part of the company's modernization program, in addition to the latest generation Boeing 787s for long-haul routes.

The information was provided to the EFE agency by the president of the executive committee of TAAG, Eduardo Fairen Soria, who also said that the biggest project of the Angolan national company is to replace its fleet.

Regarding the privatization of the Angolan airline, he said that it should take place before 2025, noting that, for the moment, there are only expressions of interest.

Quoted by the EFE agency, the executive president of TAAG, Eduardo Fairen Soria, said that the idea of the Angolan government is to privatize the aviation sector, since, in January 2025, the country will be covered by "l 'open skies agreement', the Single African Air Transport Market Agreement (SAATM).

Although he indicated that the privatization of the company should take place before that date, Fairen Soria noted that so far there is no formal process, deadline or talks, only protests. interest from large companies.

TAAG, which "must update and be competitive like any other company", is immersed in a process of strategic change, focused on the expansion of the network of destinations and a greater international presence, he said. -he adds.

In this sense, the company has ordered 14 aircraft from Boeing to renew the fleet.

In February, Fairen Sorria had already admitted that the privatization of TAAG should not take place before 2023 or 2024, given the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

sn26567 wrote: 27 Sep 2022, 15:16 Air Namibia liquidation is progressing but the sale of its remaining assets is a challenging task due to a depressed aviation industry, says the government. Aircraft are included in the assets.


Talks with Ethiopian to relaunch Air Namibia have started. Along with Malawi Airlines and Zambian Airways, a relaunch of Air Namibia will allow Ethiopian to control southern Africa. Quite easy with South African Airways which is a small company and even if Airlink and Safair are real competitors in the region. Despite its failure in Mozambique with Ethiopian Mozambique Airlines, Ethiopian is not afraid to spread again its wings in the region

Emirates have been also contacted


Namibian President Hage Geingob has met with Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa) top executives to explore how the carrier could assist the Namibian government in reviving its defunct national airline, Air Namibia (Windhoek International), reports The Namibian newspaper.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news ... ir-namibia
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

A new airline in the South African sky. A sky which is suffering (on the side of the South African companies) since the covid with the bankruptcies of Mango, Comair, Kulula, South African Express and the placement under administration of South African Airways. However, there was the creation of Lift

This is a Cargo airline which will operate non-scheduled flights for the moment. For 2024, the company should start regular cargo flights to Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Angola and Rwanda .

Fleet: leasing of a 727-200F from Astral Aviation (Kenya) for its own flights. The airline will be able to use Astral Aviation's 747 and 757 for charter flights. Then possibility of acquiring ERJ 190F, B737-800F and A320F.

https://www.afraa.org/suid-cargo-launch ... o-airline/


Think about E2

AIR SENEGAL WITHDRAWALS FROM FLYING THE A220-300

Two years after signing the delivery contract for 5 A220 aircraft with Macquarie AirFinance, Air Senegal has just canceled this contract definitively.

https://www-seneplus-com.translate.goog ... r_pto=wapp
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Rwanda and Benin will create a company: Benin Airlines. Finally the company already exists to tell the truth (at least a company already bears this name).


Rwanda (or RwandAir it mixes the 2 in the articles) would own 49% of the shares. The rest will be owned by Benin.

An old project planned in 2017 (https://www-air--journal-fr.translate.g ... r_pto=wapp). But eventually RwandAir opened a base in Cotonou with B737-700s to fly to Abidjan (initially served from Kigali) and Dakar (never served from Kigali). The flight to Dakar was then to be tagged via Bamako and Abidjan via Conakry.

Cotonou was also connected to Libreville, Douala and therefore Kigali. The covid crisis having arrived, RwandAir has closed its base in Cotonou and no longer serves Dakar and Abidjan. Flights to Cotonou are now operated 3 times per week instead of 6-7 flights per week.

Some people are not happy in the region, Asky accused RwandAir of practicing tariff dumping. A company subsidized by the Rwandan State which posts losses and which can provide a "low" fares on low traffic routes without seeking profitability.

Read last paragraph (article reserved for subscribers but you can read it) https://www-jeuneafrique-com.translate. ... r_pto=wapp (2018)

In 2019, RwandAir announced to have transported 45,000 passengers between Dakar and Cotonou. https://twitter.com/FlyRwandAir/status/ ... 5927151617

The visit of the Rwandan President to Benin in April 2023 should make it possible to move things forward
https://www-24haubenin-info.translate.g ... r_pto=wapp

(January 2022)

With Benin Airlines, Cotonou wants to find its place in the African sky

https://www-jeuneafrique-com.translate. ... r_pto=wapp
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by sn26567 »

Management of Lufthansa Group, and in particular Brussels Airlines, will not be pleased to learn that Qatar Airways is launching flights to Kinshasa. It remains to be seen at which price!

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/qata ... rlin-2023/
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Re: Air Transport in Africa Outlook

Post by rwandan-flyer »

sn26567 wrote: 07 Mar 2023, 18:40 Management of Lufthansa Group, and in particular Brussels Airlines, will not be pleased to learn that Qatar Airways is launching flights to Kinshasa. It remains to be seen at which price!

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/qata ... rlin-2023/
Don't forget that Egyptair serves also FIH. Competition start to be high in DR Congo

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


I had a warning on another forum saying that I should no longer put paid articles in full. So I will reduce the publication of full articles by making summaries.

Air France-KLM: “We want to strengthen our partnership with Air Côte d’Ivoire”

Synergies between Paris and Amsterdam, arrivals of Transavia in Dakar and Corsair in Cotonou, interruption of flights to Bamako… Jean-Marc Pouchol, vice-president Africa of the Franco-Dutch group, responds to Jeune Afrique.

https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1421598/ec ... e-divoire/

Quite interesting interview.

Africa represents 17% of the Air France KLM group's offer

Unlike a little over ten years ago, Africa is no longer the group's most profitable market. This can be understood in particular with the strong competition from Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, Turkish Airlines or Emirates.

However, it was the most resilient market during the Covid, with the opening of 3 routes: Zanzibar (KLM & AF), Monrovia (AF but closed again after reopening) and Banjul (AF)

The group transported 3,87,000,000 million pax to and from Africa in 2022. 5,500,000 if we add North Africa. But Transavia is not taken into account. I quote "As for the ratios, they vary according to the indicators: 75% for Air France in terms of passengers, two thirds if we are talking about passenger-kilometres, because KLM's routes are generally longer than those of 'Air France."

In recent years, the group has multiplied the double hub synergy. Destinations served by AF and KLM: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam. Who will be next? Entebbe? Kinshasa? Dakar? The journalist asked about a Dakar Amsterdam and the manager of Air France why not, but for the moment there is not demand. Of course i wanted to see Kigalu, but with RwandAir few chances to see AF to resume its Kigali service

the Africa France routes operated by Transavia enable to customers living in the province (France) to reach the continent without going through Paris. But in this specific case we are more about a tourist and community clientele.

Between Africa and France, more than 50% of customers do not have Paris as their final destination. Significant demand from the Province in France, but also from the United States and countries in Europe.

Not afraid of competition. Air France remains a solid brand. Dakar and Johannesburg will receive the new 777-300ER cabins. The opening of Ottawa should for example recover a lot of matches on Africa. The company wishes to find a partner company in Africa to have access to destinations not served by the group.

The company has organized itself well to deal with security problems in West Africa. Crews no longer sleep in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Then he talks about ecology. The same speech as usual.
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