Africa Archives - Aviation metric

Walsh: It’s bizarre that a lot of traffic from Africa to Africa goes over the Middle East

Posted on June 15, 2026June 15, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Willie Walsh is the outgoing Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In this interview with WOLE SHADARE at the IATA82nd AGM in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he speaks about issues, prospects of the global airline and aviation industry, Africa’s slow implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and how the continent can realise its potential Willie, could you give an appraisal of your tenure as you leave your role as the…

‘Why Nigeria Is Missing Out As Africa’s Aviation Powerhouse’

Posted on June 11, 2026June 11, 2026 by Wole Shadare

…seeks unified African sky The Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, said Nigeria should be a powerful aviation market, given the country’s population and underlying wealth. Walsh, who spoke to Aviation Metric on Monday on the sidelines of the 82nd International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. Walsh Walsh disclosed that Africa…

Crisis Emptying Nigeria, Africa’s Jet Fuel Reserves

Posted on June 9, 2026June 9, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The crisis threatening to ground the continent’s aviation industry is far more visceral, and it is unfolding thousands of miles away, writes WOLE SHADARE The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has sounded a resounding alarm, warning that Africa’s jet fuel storage is rapidly drying up. For decades, the standard playbook for African airlines battling operational turbulence has relied on familiar variables: fluctuating currencies, heavy tax regimes, and regulatory gridlock. What began as a localised military flare-up…

IATA: Africa Outpaces Global Average in Air Freight Growth Despite Headwinds

Posted on May 28, 2026May 28, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Despite punishing fuel costs and network rerouting, African aviation has proven remarkably resilient, maintaining its position as a primary bright spot in the global logistics landscape. According to the latest global air cargo market data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the continent’s aviation sector is maintaining a strong growth streak despite a highly turbulent global operating environment. The 7.7% surge in Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (CTKs) for African carriers comfortably outpaced the global average…

Air Peace Launches Historic Lagos-Barbados Flight, Deepens Africa-Caribbean Ties

Posted on May 26, 2026May 26, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Government of Barbados, with the support of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), formally welcomed Air Peace at a high-level forum and media launch held at the Indigo Hotel in Barbados, following the airline’s inaugural commercial flight from Lagos to Barbados on May 24, 2026. The forum brought together senior government officials, diplomatic representatives, tourism executives, airline delegates, members of the media and key stakeholders, reflecting growing institutional support for enhanced connectivity between Africa and the…

IATA: Aviation taxes in Africa are 15% higher than the global average

Posted on April 29, 2026April 29, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Accident rate highest among all regions The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recently intensified its advocacy for African governments to integrate aviation as a pillar of their national economic strategies. Meanwhile, the clearing house for more than 300 global airlines lamented that the cost of doing business in African aviation is high. Removing roadblocks to ease doing business, it noted, is essential for aviation to thrive. A key element of this is the taxes…

African aviation’s tech spend isn’t delivering full value – SITA report

Posted on April 15, 2026April 15, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The latest SITA Air Transport IT Insights report for 2025/2026 highlights a critical paradox in the African aviation sector: while IT spending is on the rise, the full value of these investments is being choked by systemic and structural bottlenecks. The 2025 report identifies poor data integration as the single largest barrier to ROI. Airlines and airports are spending a record $50.8 billion globally on IT. The African Reality: While 83% of airlines prioritise data-driven…

Munetsi: Africa’s limited aircraft pool reflects regulatory, economic constraints

Posted on April 7, 2026April 7, 2026 by Wole Shadare

..airlines struggle to scale, expand routes, compete globally The stark contrast in the scale of global aviation was a central theme at the recently held Nigerian Aircraft Acquisition and Investment Summit (NAAIS) in Lagos. Industry leaders, including Aaron Munetsi, CEO of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), highlighted a sobering reality: the entire African continent, home to 54 countries and 1.4 billion people, operates a commercial fleet of fewer than 1,000 aircraft. He argued…

175 new routes across Africa opened in three years

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Secretary-General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Adefunke Adeyemi, said 175 new air routes, often rounded or projected to higher figures in broader sectoral discussions, have been opened across the continent over the past three years. This expansion is a direct result of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative, which aims to liberalise African skies. She highlighted this milestone during her address at the Nigeria Aviation African Investment Summit (NAAIS) in…

Air Finance: Breaking the African risk premium

Posted on March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 by Wole Shadare

With the AfDB and Afreximbank acting as the first loss guarantors, the private sector is finally finding the courage to invest in African skies, writes WOLE SHADARE For decades, the story of African aviation has been written in red ink, hampered by a risk premium that forced local carriers to pay up to 25% more for aircraft than their global peers. But as of March 2026, the script is being rewritten. A new, continent-wide financial policy…

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