AviaDev Insight Africa – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we cover the latest route and fleet developments in African aviation.

Topics include:

SAA's new Johannesburg - Gaborone route and fleet RFP

Proflight Zambia's new Maun route via Livingstone 

Airlink's new Zanzibar route from June on E2 
Airlink to Nacala from Feb 2026
Airlink is increasing Blantyre to daily

Malawi Airlines Liliongwe to Johannesburg increased to 10x weekly
New Lilongwe to Entebbe route 4x weekly

Air Cote d'Ivoire to Beirut from Jan 26

Lufthansa Group's Africa expansion
Brussels airlines to open Kilimanjaro
Nairobi-Frankfurt on LH increased from 5 weekly to daily
Munich to Johannesburg to move to year-round
Zurich to Windhoek new route on Edelweiss
Discover to add A350s
Frankfurt to Seychelles to become year-round

Air Seychelles to go daily to Abu Dhabi

Air Peace's Caribbean charter flights 

Ethiopian increasing Rome to double daily from 1 June 2026 

This month's guests are: 

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE 

In this episode of AviaDev Insight Africa, host Jon Howell speaks with three inspirational AviaDev ambassadors—Mahek Shah, Usman Cisse, and Ellah Wafula about their experiences at the recent ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals event in Durban, August 2025.

Supported by Airlink, these young aviators not only attended the event but also spoke to a global audience.

They discuss their backgrounds, motivations, and key insights gained from the summit.

The conversation highlights the importance of mentorship, structured pathways, and collaboration across generations to empower the future leaders of the African aviation industry.

They also emphasize the role of social media in engaging and inspiring the next generation.

The episode includes reflections on the impact and legacy of such events and calls for more structured support to bridge the gap for young aviation enthusiasts in Africa. 

Connect with Ousman on LinkedIn

Follow Ousman on TikTok

Follow Ousman on Instagram

Connect with Mahek on LinkedIn

Follow Wings for Women on Instagram

Find out more about Wings for Women

Connect with Ellah on LinkedIn

Find out more about AWAM Kenya

In this episode, I am joined by Andrew Lester, ACMI and Leasing Manager for India, the Middle East, and Africa at Chapman Freeborn Airchartering. 

Together, we delve into the intricacies of ACMI (Aircraft Crew Maintenance and Insurance) leasing, comparing it to renting a tuxedo for event season, and discuss its strategic advantages for African airlines facing unique market challenges.

The conversation covers the benefits, common misconceptions, and regulatory hurdles of ACMI leasing, while highlighting African success stories such as Lift and Uganda Airlines.

Andrew emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and partnership to maximize profitability and meet seasonal demand, advocating for a broader acceptance and smarter implementation of ACMI as part of a fleet strategy in Africa.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

Email Andrew: 

Find out more about Chapman Freeborn here  ACMI Leasing & Aircraft Leasing Solutions

Download the brochure:  Chapman Freeborn ACMI Leasing Solutions by Chapman Freeborn

This podcast is a recording of a panel session from June 15th 2023.

Join us as we discuss how the OEMs have supported their customers to adapt their strategy to open new routes and deliver new revenue streams during and since the pandemic. 

MODERATOR: Aaron Munetsi, CEO, Airlines Association of Southern Africa

In conversation with:

Dominique Dumas, Vice President Sales Africa & Indian Ocean, ATR

Joep Ellers, Airline Marketing Director - Africa, Airbus

James Bosse, Director Sales, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited 

Raphael Haddad, President, Jetcraft Commercial

Stephan Hannemann, VP Sales & Marketing, Head of MEA, Embraer

Jason Sutcliffe, Regional Marketing Director, Rolls-Royce

This episode is a recording from June 15th. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities facing African airline CEOs as they work to integrate sustainable practices into their operations.

Can African airlines prioritize sustainability over profit in the short-term?

MODERATOR: Hilka Birns, Aviation Journalist, ch-aviation

In conversation with:

• Jenifer Bamuturaki, Chief Executive Officer , Uganda Airlines
• Eduardo Fairen, Chief Executive Officer, TAAG 
• Linden Burns, Communications Advisor, Airlink
• Allan Kilavuka, Group MD & CEO, Kenya Airways

This is a recording of the AviaDev Africa panel session from June 15th focused on How the latest technological innovations enable the African aviation industry to operate more efficiently and sustainably. 

MODERATOR: Habba Hadijah Kamwesiga, Head of Marketing & Communications , RwandAir

In conversation with:

Richard Ortega, Commercial Director EMEA, Kiu System Solutions

Judy Waruiru, Managing Director, DPO Pay 

Javed Malik, Chair of the Advisory Board, Ink Innovation

Brett Preston, Executive | Aerospace and Aviation, Technodyn International

Manish Shrivastava, Co-Founder , Tourish

This is a recording of the session entitled "Creating a winning formula for airport hotels in Africa: Understanding the requirements for success"

Moderator:

Trevor Ward, Principal, W Hospitality Group 

In conversation with

Shamil Manek, Director, The Merwest Company

In just over 2 weeks, the African aviation industry will convene in Nairobi, Kenya for AviaDev Africa.

We have a panel dedicated to discussing new technologies at the event. Post Covid, digitisation is one of the hottest topics in the industry and one of the companies blazing a trail in this space is Technodyn International, which already support a multitude of companies across the aviation value chain.

In this episode, we discuss:

How Technodyn and IFS are related and what solutions are on offer

How Technodyn International Supports the aviation industry

The tangible benefits of deploying the IFS solution

Understanding the level of technological adoption currently within African aviation

The capital investment required to implement the IFS solution

To find out more you can visit the Technodyn website here

Connect with Brett on LinkedIn

Connect with Esenthren on LinkedIn

Meet the team at AviaDev in Nairobi 14-16th June 2023

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone in your network that you think would benefit from listening

In this episode, we meet the leader of a true African success story.

Since its inception in 2006, DPO Pay has played a vital role in changing the payments landscape across Africa. 

Together, we discover how DPO supports its airline customers to process transactions seamlessly and prevent fraud, whilst simplifying the process for the general public and making air travel more accessible. 

Find out more about DPO Pay here

Connect or follow Judy on LinkedIn here

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone in your network that you think would benefit from listening. 

This podcast was recorded 10th May on-site at the AFRAA aviation stakeholders convention in Addis Ababa, where I was joined by Rodger Whittle, The commercial director for Africa at Kiu, a company with a global footprint that offers an innovative and robust Passenger Service system and suite of airline Solutions.

Rodger himself has vast African aviation experience and is now leading the charge to support airlines to reduce their cost of distribution.

Today's episode is supported by an article that is featured in the current edition African skies, AFRAA's magazine which focuses on containing costs affecting airline distribution in Africa. 

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Together, we discuss:

The current state of airline distribution in Africa 

Why Kiu's solutions make sense for Africa

Kiu's full suite of solutions

Future trends affecting the technology and airline distribution space 

You can connect with Rodger via LinkedIn here

Find out more about Kiu's solutions here

You will also be able to meet Rodger and the team at AviaDev in Nairobi this June.