Middle East 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…

IATA: Prolonged Middle East conflict may lead to imminent jet fuel shortages

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

Director of Flight and Technical Operations at the International Air Transport Association, Stuart Fox, has warned that if the war in the Middle East continues, it won’t be long before the world sees fuel shortfalls. Flexibility, he said, could help the industry make better use of fuel and keep schedules intact, stressing that the recent pressure on the global supply of aviation fuel due to the war in the Middle East has put a spotlight on…

How conflicts impact Africa, Middle-East global aviation profitability

Posted on January 20, 2026January 20, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Africa remains the least profitable aviation region globally. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts that African carriers will generate just $200 million in net profit in 2026—a marginal 1.3% profit margin compared to the global average of $7.90 per passenger. The conflicts in the continent and the Middle-East have the potential to do more damage to aviation profitability, writes WOLE SHADARE The continent has seen conflicts in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Libya, and…

IATA: Competition from European, Middle East carriers shrinks African carriers’ demand to 0.3%

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Wole Shadare

The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest analysis of the passenger air transport market, based on capacity (supply) and traffic (demand) data worldwide and by region for June 2025, indicated that African airlines experienced a 0.3% year-over-year decrease in demand. Capacity was up 0.3% year-on-year. The load factor was 74.6% (-0.5 ppt compared to June 2024). The decline in African load factor, according to the clearing house for over 350 global airlines, may be due to increased…

European, Middle East Airlines, others foray into African market with codeshare deals with continent’s airlines

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Wole Shadare

European, Middle East and American airlines have begun to see Africa as a fertile ground for airline business as they begin to ink codeshare pacts with the continent’s airlines to expand their operations in the region. The latest pact is the one involving Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier of Türkiye. The carrier has signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement with South Africa-based Airlink to strengthen its presence on the African continent. The agreement, which will take…

Africa, Middle East record lowest mishandled baggage numbers

Posted on June 12, 2025June 12, 2025 by Wole Shadare

Global traffic increases 8.2%, mishandled luggage drops to 6.3% The Middle East and Africa’s air transport sector kept pace with global passenger surges in 2024, achieving remarkable baggage results despite increasing system demands. According to the newly released SITA Baggage IT Insights 2025, the region maintained one of the world’s strongest performances, reporting 6.02 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, slightly up from 4.5 in 2023, but still among the best worldwide. The global picture…

Boeing, Airbus in fierce battle for Middle East, African market with 5,320 aircraft projection by 2043

Posted on February 17, 2025February 17, 2025 by Wole Shadare

Passenger air traffic in Africa will increase 6.4 per cent annually Two of the biggest aircraft manufacturers in the world, Boeing and Airbus are beginning to see the Middle East and Africa as the two regions of interests for the sale of their airplanes. While Airbus expects fleet size in the Middle East to more than double in the 18-year period to 2043, the world’s third-fastest rate after China and the Asia-Pacific region, Boeing…