Welcome to the tenth edition of AviaDev Insight Africa's Connectivity update, the podcast offering insight into the new route developments in Africa, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa.

This month's guests are: 

Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH SEAN

Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant. CONNECT WITH BEHRAMJEE

Key topics discussed:

✈️ Qatar's 25% investment into Airlink

✈️ Uganda Airlines to launch Lusaka, Abuja and Harare and London rumours

✈️ Air Botswana's regional expansion and fleet expansion to Namibia and South Africa

✈️ Air Senegal's network reduction and management changes

✈️ Kenya Airways reporting a net profit for the first time in over 10 years. 

✈️ Ethiopian's Winter expansion and schedule changes

✈️ South African Airways increasing Mauritius to double-daily and starting Lubumbashi

✈️ TAAG increasing flights to South Africa and more managerial changes

✈️ Air France suspending Accra

✈️ Etihad re-advertising Nairobi

✈️ Air Tanzania launching Dubai-Zanzibar

✈️ FlyGabon to launch iminently

✈️ Emirates' latest update on restarting Nigeria operations

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the podcast to never miss another episode and share this episode with someone in your network who would benefit from listening. 

In this episode, we focus on a carrier that has recently announced it will be launching services to mainland Africa for the first time. 

Air Asia will launch Kuala Lumpur - Nairobi on 15th November with a 4 weekly service and deploy an Airbus A330-300 comprising 12 business class and 365 economy seats. 

I am joined by Paul Carroll, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Air Asia Group and together we cover

• An introduction to the Air Asia offering and business model
• Why Nairobi was chosen as the first entry point in Continental Africa and why now?
• How strong are the commercials on the route?
• What has the reaction been in the short time since the route was announced and put up for sale?
• How important is the Chinese market in the route's success?
• How will Air Asia stimulate the market to support the growth it will need to ensure the route is viable and successful?
• Why start with 4 frequencies per week?
• Are there plans for partnerships/ interlines with African carriers?
• What is the distribution strategy in Africa?

Connect/ Follow Paul on LinkedIn here

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the podcast to never miss another episode and share this episode with someone in your network who would benefit from listening. 

In this episode, I am joined by Natalia Rosa to elaborate on the partnership between AviaDev and SADC Business Council and preview the Air Route Development Masterclass which will be held during AviaDev Africa 2024.

Together, we discuss:

Natalia's background, role, and mandate

Air Access as a policy focus of SADC

Are policy-makers listening to the industry?

The format and purpose of the workshop and partnership

To find out more and register visit www.aviadev.com 

This March will see the first live, in-person aviation event in Africa for 2 years. The 67th ACI Africa Board and Committee meetings regional conference and exhibition will take place 12-18 March in the wonderful location of Mombasa, Kenya and AviaDev will be present.

ACI Africa is the Voice of African Airports, with its prime objective to represent and advance the collective interests of African airports

In this podcast, I am joined by the Secretary-General of ACI Africa, Ali Tounsi and together we preview the conference and discuss the key issues of focus for ACI as we look to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Find out more and register for the event here: http://aci-africa.net/

In this episode, I am joined by the co-hosts of one of my favourite podcasts, Bryanair.

The podcast was a real support to me personally during the Covid lockdown. It was a weekly dose of industry news and flight deck banter, which offered an escape from the negativity around us and it has gone from strength to strength over the last 2 years. 

In the podcast, we cover:

• The Bryanair origin story
• The overall aim of the podcast and how it has developed
• The format and audience 
• The beauty of the podcast medium and its adoption in Africa
• What to expect from the podcast in the future

You can discover the show for yourself by subscribing on your platform of choice or by clicking here https://bryanair.libsyn.com/ 

You can connect with Bryan here 

You can connect with Ryan here

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don't forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

You can also visit the AviaDev website, www.aviationdevelop.com to sign up for the AviaDev newsletter. 

2021 was yet another disastrous year for African airlines in terms of profitability and any recovery was impacted by the Omicron variant. 

The African Airlines Association or AFRAA was a member of the multi-sectoral task force that met and created a document that called for the safe reopening of borders back in February 2021 and there is now a renewed effort to implement the recommendations.

Together with Mr Berthe, we discuss

Why is now the right time for a renewed effort to harmonise travel protocols.

How AFRAA is supporting the African CDC and what AFRAA member airlines want to see in terms of progress?

Digitizing travel in 2022 and harmonizing the inter-operability of solutions

AFRAA's aims and objectives for 2022.

You can find out more at www.afraa.org 

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don't forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

You can also visit the AviaDev website to find out more and sign up for AviaDev Africa taking place on the treasure island of Madagascar this June.

The Covid crisis has had a profound impact on the aviation sector in Africa and these shifting sands have demanded resilience and have inspired new innovative approaches to ensure survival.

One airline famed for its innovation is South Africa's FlySafair and they have announced that they will launch their first service outside of South Africa's borders on March 8 2022 with a two weekly service to the beautiful island of Mauritius.

Kirby Gordon joins me for this podcast and is full of optimism for the immediate future. 

Together, we discuss:

• Why now is the right time to launch the Mauritius route and what is the passenger profile expected on the route
• FlySafair's regional expansion plans. What does the airline look for from a potential airport/ destination partner?
• FlySafair's approach to partnerships
• Further innovations to add to the product mix. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don't forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

You can also visit the AviaDev website to find out more and sign up for AviaDev Africa taking place on the treasure island of Madagascar this June.

In this episode, we meet Simon Newton-Smith, who joined SAA in August 2021 as Interim CCO. He has a deep and varied background including having previously worked with SAA some 20 years ago. 

SAA emerged from business rescue in April 2021 and the airline has entered a turbulent market. 

In the podcast, we cover:

• How Simon would sum up the progress made since exiting business rescue
• Where the bright spots are and how the route network has been developed
• What SAA are looking for from potential airports/ destinations that want to attract the airline
• Clarification around the KQ/SAA strategic partnership
• SAA's fleet plans. 
• His thoughts on the recovery of business travel
• Immediate strategic objectives for 2022

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone that you think would benefit from listening and don't forget to leave us a review so we can be found by even more people.

Find out more about AviaDev at www.aviationdevelop.com/africa 

This is the first podcast of 2022 and as such I am delighted that we are discussing a positive and uplifting pan- African project that aims to spotlight opportunities for intra-africa trade and tourism development across the value chain.

The event is the Walk for Love and in this episode, I discuss the concept of the project, why it's needed and how you can get involved with event organiser, Toni Ukachukwu, plus include a snippet of a new song that will be released alongside the walk. 

EMAIL: walkforloveafrica@gmail.com

INSTAGRAM @walkforloveafrica

TWITTER @wfl_africa

FACEBOOK @walkforloveafrica

Song of love by Vicky Sampson out 12th Feb.

For this episode, I am joined by Derek Nseko, Publisher of Airspace-Africa and together we meet Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines. 

Uganda Airlines was recently crowned the world's youngest fleet by ch-aviation and operates a fleet of CRJ-900s and A330s. 

In this wide-ranging conversation, we discover the following:

• Jenifer's background and passions
• The priorities of Uganda Airlines in 2022 and beyond
• How Uganda Airlines views partnerships and collaboration
• Network and fleet development plans

Find out more about Uganda Airlines here

Connect with Derek here and visit airspace-africa

In this episode, Sylvain joins us to discuss a fascinating article focused on the opportunity for African airlines to wet-lease in capacity during peak times. 

Is this a solution that can allow airlines to operate profitably? 

What type of airline is it most suited to?

Is it a way to ensure important connectivity without the huge price tag of a long-term lease or aircraft purchase?

You can read the blog here

Want to know more about the opportunity?

Connect with Sylvain here

Email Sylvain@avico.com

In the light of the recent events AviaDev team talks to Dirk Singer, Head of Research at Simpliflying who has been covering the implications of the pandemic on the world of travel since the early days.

Also today, Dirk is very actively commenting end explaining the current situation on Linkedin and also on Simpliflying corona weekly newsletter.

On 25th November we heard the first news about a new variant of covid-19 which was discovered by the scientists in South Africa and later it was named Omicron by WHO. What followed was very quick reaction of the international community to ban the flights from South Africa and other African countries. 

With Dirk we are discussing the current situation, what we do know about Omicron on 30 November 2021, how effective the travel bans are and what can we expect in the coming weeks. 

This episode is a recording of a session delivered on 11th November 2021 at the Future Flying Forum, presented by Simple Flying and powered by AviaDev. 

Sean Mendis took to the stage to present on the topic of the future of African aviation. 

Sean is an aviation expert who has started up benefits airlines on the continent, along with time spent managing Mogadishu airport in Somalia and a cargo airline.

He is known for his informed and honest opinions and has a deep-rooted passion for the African aviation industry, which is something I am sure we all share.

On the 18th April 2024, Norse Atlantic announced the launch of a 3 weekly service from London Gatwick to Cape Town International starting at the end of October. 

In this podcast, I am joined by Philip Allport, Senior Vice President of Communications and together we discuss:

✈️ Norse's business model, fleet and network
✈️ Why Cape Town is the first African destination and the role the Cape Town Air Access team played in attracting the route
✈️ Norse's approach to other popular destinations in Africa- will we see them served in the future?
✈️ Why their low-cost, long-haul model can succeed where others have failed
✈️ Their approach to interlining and partnerships
✈️ Their distribution and sales strategy

This episode was recorded at the Dubai Airshow with Nuno Pereira CEO of Bestfly, an Angolan-based aviation company with operations in Cabo Verde, Angola and Aruba. I was also joined by Sameer Adam, Senior Vice President Commercial, ACIA Aero Leasing ("ACIA"), a leading provider of regional aircraft leasing and lease management services. 

The companies agreed to the lease of two aircraft, one Embraer E-190 and one ATR 72-600, which are joining the other two ATR72-600s on lease from ACIA in the carrier's fleet. ACIA and Bestfly also agreed to further expand the E-190 lease portfolio in 2022.

Together we discussed the planned deployment of the new aircraft and longer-term plans for diversification

You can connect with Sameer here

This episode is the recording of the interview I conducted on 10th November for the Future Flying Forum, an event brought to you by Simple Flying, the world's largest aviation news website, which was delivered in conjunction with the AviaDev team.

Over 2 days, we took our delegates on a journey from Australia to Alaska stopping off on the way.

Rodger has been a guest on the podcast before and he has been the CEO of Airlink since inception in 1992 and the airline has grown to operate a fleet of over 50 commercial aircraft.

In 2020, Airlink began operating on its own 4Z code ending a 23 year franchise agreement with SAA.

Today, Airlink is the second biggest airline in Africa by number of flights operated and has signed numerous codeshares and interlines over the last 12 months.

Together we discuss the partnerships, fleet plans, his thoughts on sustainability and take a look into the future. 

On November 1st 2021, SITA announced that in a bid to support the recovery of travel and tourism globally, their digital travel declaration solution will be available free of charge to all governments globally.

The solution allows passengers to share required health and travel documentation with governments ahead of travel, streamlining the process

In this episode, I am joined by Jeremy Springall, Vice President, SITA AT BORDERS to understand how the solution works and how it can support Africa's aviation and travel recovery. 

Read all about it here https://www.sita.aero/pressroom/news-releases/sita-launches-free-digital-travel-declaration-solution-supporting--governments-in-safely-opening-their-borders/ 

In this episode, we welcome back Tom from AviAssist to discuss the world of aviation safety, which is the bedrock upon which our great industry is built, ahead of the SiAA conference.

Together we discuss the safety environment in African aviation ahead of upcoming AviAssist Safety in African Aviation Conference, which was beautifully delivered on a virtual platform in 2020 and will once again take place virtually this year. We discuss the topics, speakers and format to offer a flavour of what you can expect on 19th November and 7th December. 

You can register for just $7 here

In this episode, I am joined by Meir Hadassi-Turner ,Founder and CEO of AeroCRS, an innovative Software as a Service (SaaS) provider of passenger services systems and much more. 

In this episode we discuss the changing landscape of distribution and how and why airlines must understand this customer behaviour to ensure they are prepared for the future including a move towards:

• Last minute bookings
• Desire for flexible fares
• Direct booking with the airline
• The increasing role of insurance
• The ability to amend bookings easily and directly

The upcoming AeroCRS Virtual customer conference will take place 23rd and 24th November and you can register today here

To listen to our previous interview, which features AeroCRS customer Lift, click here

Today's podcast focuses on the next generation.

In September, with the support of Embraer, we embarked on the African Aviators Webinar Series which spotlights a different aviation profession each month. Our aim is to feature both aspiring and serving aviators that can offer practical advice on how to get involved in our great industry. 

As part of the event, we run a live quiz which tests aviation knowledge and our first winner was Kingsley Okoli, who is an active member of the African aviation Facebook group.

After his win, I caught up with Kingsley and he is a remarkable young man and that is why we are here today as his story is similar to so many others out there.

He is actively looking for his next role, so connect with him here https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingsley-okoli-617651121/ 

Kingsley has also written a though provoking article expanding on the points raised in the podcast, which you can read via his LinkedIn profile. 

This podcast is a recording of the first Skyheroes Africa that took place on 7th October 2021.

Skyheroes is an AviaDev innovation, aiming to keep the African aviation community, informed, educated and entertained in equal measure.

Expect strong opinions, fierce debate and to raise a smile.

Our sky heroes are: 

Aaron Munetsi, CEO, Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA)

Sean Mendis, Aviation Expert

Kwame Bekoe, Aviation Professional

On 30th September, Etihad, the Abu Dhabi based international airline announced that they will be launching 3 new routes to the African continent.

Starting in November, the airline will begin serving Cape Town, Johannesburg and Zanzibar. 

In this episode, we are going to discover why these routes were chosen, how Etihad views Africa as an opportunity and how it views cooperation with airline partners in the sun-Saharan region.

To do this, I was joined by Javier Alija, the Head of Network Planning and alliances at Etihad. 

You can plan and book your next trip with Etihad at www.etihad.com 

This episode was guest hosted by Kojo Bentum-Williams, Publisher of VoyagesAfriq and host of the VA tourism podcast, which you can subscribe to here: https://thetourismpodcast.podbean.com/ 

Kojo was attending the Africa Travel and Tourism Summit hosted by South African Tourism and took the opportunity to discuss the following with Thomas:

Regional market attractiveness

The financing of the operation

The fleet and expansion plans

In this episode, I am joined by Toni Ukachukwu, Founder of Aviators Africa, an integrated PR, marketing and consulting company. 

He joins me to talk about the Maiden Edition of the Aviators Africa tower awards and 3rd CEO's forum, taking place 27-28th October 2021 live in Lagos and online too. 

Nominations can be made here. Deadline 10th September 2021

Connect with Toni here

In this episode, we discuss the role and importance of ancillary revenue for African airlines.

Today, it is not just a case of upselling, but personalising an offer that the passenger will benefit from. 

Protect is the world leader in refundable booking protection and work with a variety of airlines globally, including Ethiopian Airlines. 

I am joined by Nick Ashton, Global Airline Lead,and Andrew Ridgway, Head of Strategic Partnerships and together we discuss:

Their aviation industry experience

The Protect proposition

The current environment in African aviation when it comes to ancillaries and trip protection

How to overcome scepticism of the product from both an integration perspective at the airline and from a passenger perspective

The involvement of the airline in the refund process

The Protect team will be in Windhoek for AviaDev Africa in June. 

You can contact them here:

Andrew:

LinkedIn

Email

Nick:

LinkedIn

Email

If you enjoyed the conversation, please share the episode with your network and leave us a review so we can be found by more people.

This episode is dedicated to a new webinar series focused on offering practical advice to the next generation of African aviators.

Joining me for the discussion is the Publisher and Editor of Airspace-Africa, Derek Nseko and Chidozie Uzoezie, Founder of the African Aviation Group on facebook, which boasts over 260,000 members. 

Over the next 6 months, we will convene monthly to focus on a different industry discipline bringing qualified Africans to share their experience and advice. 

The series is brought to you by AviaDev, Airspace-Africa and the African Aviation Group (on facebook) and proudly supported by Embraer.  

At the end of each discussion, there will be a live aviation quiz with prizes provided by our event partner, Embraer.

Registration is open now here

In today´s episode we discuss with Arran Rice (CEO & Founder at Simple Flying), Joanna Bailey (Managing Editor at SimpleFlying) and Jon Howell (CEO & Founder at AviaDev) new online event: The Future Flying Forum.

The event is brought to you by SimpleFlying and powered by AviaDev. Safely strapped into your own comfortable seat, we'll follow the sun from East to West, touching down along the way to chat with aviation's leading CEOs.

More information and registration is available at futureflyingforum.com. 

Moses Ngwanah is now based in Madagascar, having gained experience working for Camair-Co in his native Cameroon and ASKY in Togo. 

Moses recently released an article all about why and how Africa must unite in terms of civil aviation rulemaking and how this can support the implementation of SAATM. You can read that here: 

In this episode we explore the following:

• Why is African aviation so fragmented in its rule-making?
• What is the specific solution and what are the benefits for all stakeholders? 
• Which industry actors should be responsible for implementation and do they have sufficient power? 
• How would it be funded and where do we start?

To connect with Moses, click here

My guests for this episode are Dr. Andre Schulz, General Manager, South and Eastern Africa at the Lufthansa Group and Marco Götz, Chief Revenue Officer at Eurowings Discover. 

Together we discuss the launch of a new leisure carrier from the Lufthansa stable that launched operations to Mombasa and Zanzibar on 25th July 2021. 

We discuss:

• Why Eurowings Discover was created and the gap it aims to fill?
• Why Mombasa and Zanzibar?
• Where next?
• How big a part cargo plays in the operation?
• The types of destinations the carrier is looking to serve
• What Discover is looking for in an approach from a destination/ airport
• The fleet

You can connect with Andre here

You can connect with Marco here

This podcast is the audio recording of the financing African aviation session and brings together some familiar voices to our community representing both the banks and the lessors active in the African market.

Moderator:

Dickon Harris, Editor, ISHKA

Panellists:

Eddie Browne, AVP Marketing, Europe, Africa and CIS, Aergo

Sameer Adam, SVP, Commercial, ACIA Aero Leasing Group

Bradley Gordon, Head of Aviation: Africa, Investec

James Geldenhuys, Head of Aircraft Finance, Nedbank

Ishka, https://www.ishkaglobal.com/ provide data, insight, analysis and advisory services to help inform investment strategies.

Jonathan Ayache
CEO, lift

Hilka Birns
Journalist, ch-aviation

Technology only moves in one direction. Constant progress through continuous improvement and innovation. 

The Covid pandemic has provided an opportunity for the entire aviation industry to revisit existing processes, identify inefficiencies in these processes and adapt accordingly.

But can cutting-edge solutions be provided without huge capital expenditure?

Session moderated by

Kwame Bekoe
Aviation Professional

Panelists:

Nick Ashton
Head of Partnerships & Industry Affairs, Dohop

Blaine Powell
Chief Sales Officer, Ink Aviation

Ciaran Wilson
Head of Sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Cellpoint Digital

This episode was recorded on Wednesday 9th June 2021 at the AviaDev Africa online conference.

Air travelers do not fly to an airport. They fly to a destination.

In 2018, 57% of tourists arrived at their destination by air.

So why are tourism authorities not more involved in the process of attracting airlines, often leaving it to the airport authorities?

With airport revenues decimated by the impact of the pandemic, is it time for tourism authorities to take a front seat and lead the conversations with airlines?

Session moderated by: Mafalda Borea Co-Founder and CEO of Sustainable First ™; Sustainability Editor, VoyagesAfriq

Panellists:

Hon. Najib Balala Cabinet Secretary for tourism and wildlife, Republic of Kenya

Carol Hay CEO, McKenzie Gayle Limited and Former Director of Marketing UK & Europe for the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)

In this wide-ranging panel session, we ask the tough question "Just what is the role of a National Airline?"

Should it be seen as a Commercial enterprise or strategic economic enabler?

Is it possible that it can be both?

After 74 years of operation, Air Namibia was formally liquidated in March 2021.

In this session, we explore what has happened to air connectivity in Namibia in the months following the cessation of the national carrier and how connectivity can be improved to, from and within the country.

We also discuss the role of a new SAA and its prospective challenges

Session moderated by:

Wrenelle Stander Former CEO, Comair Ltd

Panellists:

Escher Luanda Former Chairperson, Air Namibia

Rodger Foster Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Airlink

In this episode, we catch up with the CEO of NavPass, Tom Perkins, who joined us back in episode 124 to outline the solution. 

Since then, NavPass have begun operations in the African market, supporting South Sudan with improving airspace safety and the collection of air navigation fees. We explore how they have delivered the solution, how the technology works and how it has been received by different stakeholders in the aviation ecosystem

To find out more visit www.navpass.aero 

Welcome to the seventh edition of AviaDev Insight Africa's Connectivity update, the podcast offering insight into the new route developments in Africa, hosted by Jon Howell, CEO and Founder of AviaDev Africa.

This month's guests are Sean Mendis, Aviation Consultant, and Behramjee Ghadially, Aviation Consultant.

Together, we discuss:

Turkish Airlines' continued growth and focus on Africa

Qatar Airways announcing 4 x weekly Kinshasa service

Access to European markets for African carriers. Is it a level playing field?

Uganda Airlines adding an A320 CEO. How and where will it be used?

SAA's potential change of leadership and what that means for thier strategy

Saudia launching Abuja 3 x weekly Abuja Jeddah nonstop from 11May. 

Emirates returning to Nigeria

Thanks for joining us today. If you enjoyed the conversation, please share the episode with your network and leave us a review so we can be found by more people.

In this episode, we are joined by Matheus Piorino, Director of Customer Finance, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Vadims Fokins, Deputy Marketing Director, Leasing at Embraer Commercial Aviation. 

Embraer has just released the African Market Perspectives report, which can be downloaded here

Some say it has never been a better time to start an airline as there is now an opportunity to disrupt previous business models and start operations without any legacy debt. 

Together we discuss:

• Right-sizing
• Will the African market be dominated by new or pre-owned aircraft?
• The challenge of financing fleet expansions and start ups
• The merits of leasing versus purchasing

You can connect with Matheus here

You can connect with Vadims here

In this episode, we travel to Nairobi, where I speak to Moses Mwangi, CEO of 748 Air Services Limited. Moses has over 25 years of experience in the African aviation industry. 

748 has a diversified business model and this has allowed them to thrive despite the global pandemic and even launch new domestic services to Kisumu and Mombasa in May 2021. 

748 were the global launch customer for De Havilland's Simplified Package Freighter (SPF) solution on their Dash 8's allowing them to shift from operating a passenger to freighter aircraft in just 1 hour. We discuss how they have worked with the OEM to adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

We also look to the future and talk domestic and regional expansion plans. 

In this episode, we discuss how technology will support the passenger journey and improve the passenger experience. 

We discuss why now is the perfect time to take a fresh look at how technology can replace or support existing systems and how often it is not as capital or labour intensive a process as it was in the past. 

Finally, we discuss the role of the health/immunity passport in the African market and how we can continue to travel in a part vaccinated world. 

Connect with Shawn here

Find out more about ink here: 

In this episode, we are joined by the Head of Partnerships and Industry Affairs at Dohop. 

Nick has over 15 years airline experience gathered at carriers such as British Airways, Qatar Airways, Virgin Australia and Vueling and outlines how partnerships between airlines have evolved over this time and where they are heading. 

We focus on the opportunity for African airports and airlines to harness this technology to improve the customer experience, drive more direct bookings and build their route network through partnerships. 

You can connect with Nick here

Find out more about Dohop at www.dohop.com 

In this episode, we are joined by Ciaran Wilson, Head of Sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Howard Blankenship, Head of Global Sales at Cellpoint Digital. 

In March 2021, Cellpoint was appointed by Avianca, to optimize their payments across their global operation. The Latin American market has huge similarities to that of Africa, so together we explore the unique challenges airlines face in the current market and the future of payments. 

You can connect with Ciaran here

You can connect with Howard here

Find out more about Cellpoint here

For this episode, we were joined by 3 members of the Collins Aerospace Avionics team, Jens Ziesel, Regional Sales Director; Kimberley Patel, Account Director and Philippe Hervy, Account Director.

Collins Aerospace Avionics has created a dedicated Africa team in 2020 and in this podcast, we explore how they have supported their customers, why they are so excited about the continent's prospects, and how they work to add value in this ever-changing climate.  

Connect with Jens here

Connect with Kimberley here

Connect with Philippe here

Find out more about Collins here

On 14th April 2021, Nowel Ngala, Group Commercial and Ground Operations Director at ASKY Airlines was appointed Chairman of the AFRAA Aero-political committee. 

Nowel published a comprehensive article outlining his key objectives in this role, which can be read here and forms the basis of this conversation. 

We discuss:

The distinction between taxes and charges

Whether taxes and charges will continue to rise in African aviation 

Whether governments understand the true value of aviation

How we as an industry can support a call for reforms

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, please share with your network and register now for AviaDev Africa, taking place 9-10 June online: https://www.aviationdevelop.com/africa/ 

This episode is the first in a new series of podcasts spotlighting innovation and the impact of positive disruption on the African aviation industry, ahead of AviaDev Africa 2021 ONLINE. 

First, I am joined by Meir Hadassi Turner, Founder and CEO of AeroCRS, an innovative provider of passenger service systems and much more besides, to discuss the changing needs of airlines. 

We then move to Cape Town, South Africa, where I am joined by Jon Ayache, CEO and Cilliers Jordaan, Head of Commercial at lift. We discuss how they were able to leverage technology to launch in a short window and what their plans are in the short, medium and longer-term. 

Register now to attend AviaDev Africa at www.aviationdevelop.com/africa and find out more about AeroCRS at https://www.aerocrs.com/ 

This is a recording of a brand new format we introduced at AviaDev: SkyHeroes. SkyHeroes is the aviation talkshow where 3 of industry experts share their open opinions on hot aviation topics in a light way, sometimes controversial, sometimes not completely politically correct, sometimes funny. But if we can still laugh, even in these difficult times, it means we are still alive, right?

This time our experts were John Grant, Sean Mendis and Max Oldorf and the topics we were discussing included:

1. The return of 737 MAX
2. European Court decided that state aid to AirFrance and SAS was not discriminatory
3. New airlines on the rise in Africa
4. Turkish Airlines taking the leading position on the global market

It was a fascinating discussion. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

This episode is the seventh in our "Audience with" series of live audience interviews recorded live on 26th February 2021.

Sanjeev is the CEO of East Africa's largest private cargo airline, the Vice Chairman of The International Air Cargo Association and Vice Chairman of the AFRAA Cargo Task Force. 

In the session, we discuss the following:

• Astral's role in distributing the vaccine across Africa
• New markets that Astral are exploring
• Interlining agreements and co-operation
• Fleet expansion plans

To connect with Sanjeev click here

https://www.astral-aviation.com/

Aviation can be much maligned as an industry and we are all conscious of the challenges we face, but we must not lose sight of the fact that aviation has a unique way of solving unique problems. 

In this episode, I am joined by Will Travers OBE, Founder and Executive President of the Born Free Foundation, to discuss the positive impact of aviation in wildlife conservation.

Together, we discuss the story of Tsar and Jamil, two rescued lions, and the challenges of relocating animals. Will emphasizes the importance of lifetime care for rescued animals and the role of aviation in transporting them to safe environments.

We also address the dark side of aviation, such as wildlife trafficking, and the efforts of Born Free to prevent it. The conversation highlights the need for collaboration between airlines, airports, and conservation organizations to promote responsible travel and protect wildlife. 

Support Born Free/ visit the website https://www.bornfree.org.uk/ 

Connect with Will: will@bornfree.org.uk 

Follow The Born Free Foundation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-born-free-foundation/ 

This is a recording of a live interview Juraj Toth did with Dirk Singer on 23 February 2021.

Dirk works as a Research Director at Simpliflying. He produces daily newsletter with updates on how aviation, travel and tourism are responding to the ongoing pandemic, what measures are here to stay, how travel will look like in the part vaccinated world and other related topics.

Dirk is one of the very few people out there following the implications of the pandemic on air travel very closely from the very beginning.

In the interview guys discussed everything from vaccination, to testing and digital health passports and how all of this will reflect on the way summer 2021 will look for airports, airlines, destinations and general public.

If you haven´t done it yet, you can subscribe here to receive newsletter from Dirk with daily updates on air travel in a part vaccinated world.

This episode is co-hosted by AviaDev Special Advisor, John Barcroft.

Almost 20 months after the last live AviaDev Africa event, we meet the 3 ambassadors and check in on their professional progress since the event. 

We discuss their personal aviation stories and hopes and dreams for the future. 

Connect with Kgomotso

Connect with Shingai

You can watch the session from AviaDev Africa 2019 here

This episode is the sixth in our "Audience with" series of live audience interviews recorded live on 12th February 2021.

Mr. Berthé is the Secretary General of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the leading trade association for African airlines. He is also an air transport industry expert.

In the session, we discuss the following:

• AFRAA's current priorities
• Access to financing for all African airlines
• Member sentiment towards SAATM and AfCFTA
• Collaboration between member airlines through harnessing new technologies

Contact AFRAA at info@afraa.org 

You can download the infographic here