John Lamola told during an interview on July 4, 2024, that he hoped to increase the number of aircraft at the airline to 21 by March 2025 and launch nine new destinations from Johannesburg by April 2025.听听

In March 2024, attempts by the South African government to sell a 51% majority stake in South African Airways failed after three years of negotiations.听听听

The plan had been for the South African government to hold onto the remaining 49% and become the new Strategic Equity Partner (SEP) holding 51% of the airline.听听

鈥淲e are cash positive as a company, and we are able to survive in the next 12 to 18 months on our own,鈥� Lamoma told Bloomberg. 鈥淥ur strategic position is to differentiate ourselves as a national flag-carrier to be able to offer the country the connectivity with key investment and trading partners.鈥� 

Lamona also stated that the airline today is 鈥渄ifferent鈥� to the pre-COVID South African Airways. 

鈥淭he pre-COVID South African Airways was fueled by taxpayers’ money. It had a history that is well known for corrupt practices and so on,鈥� Lamona added.  

However, Lamona said the carrier is now 鈥渟urviving on our own steam鈥� and the culture at the company is now one of pride.  

The CEO was unable to add further details of the nine new destinations due to commercial sensitivities.听听

SAA精东影业 privatization deal collapses after three years of negotiations

• Airlines
• Civil Aviation

byMichael Jonga

2024-03-14

Renowned for its vast wildlife preserves, Kenya is one of the most important landscapes for the protection of the 鈥楤ig Five鈥� which includes elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and the African buffalo.  

And it was with the safari industry in mind that partly attracted Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A which owns AirAsia X, to open this new frontier for the airline.听听

鈥淲e are thrilled to announce a direct new route, bridging Malaysia and Kenya. This new route not only opens up Asia to Africa but also has the potential to strengthen ties in tourism, business and trade between the two continents. It marks the beginning of a new journey into Africa, and while our roots are in Asia and Asean, our dream has always been to make Kuala Lumpur a global low-cost carrier hub. This expansion brings us closer to that vision, giving us a solid footing to build global connections and opportunities,鈥� Fernandez said.  

The new route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) will commence on November 15, 2024, with the Airbus A330-300 service operating four times a week.听听

The airline said on July 1, 2024, that the new route comes off the back of a 鈥渟trong start鈥� to the year and a 鈥渞obust trajectory鈥� in its financial results thanks in part to increased load factors.听听

鈥淓mbarking on this new adventure into Africa is truly exhilarating, particularly in light of our significant growth trajectory earlier this year. We anticipate carrying over 156,000 travellers annually on this route, which will strengthen ties and boost the tourism sectors in both Malaysia and Kenya,鈥� Benyamin Ismail, CEO of AirAsia X, said.  

The new service will also provide an effective connection to Nairobi for customers in Southeast Asia, Northern and Central Asia, and Australia. 

鈥淭he Nairobi route serves as a crucial link in connecting Asia to Africa, fostering stronger trade, tourism and business ties within the region. By facilitating direct air travel between Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi, the airline aims to enhance accessibility and spur economic opportunities for both countries,鈥� AirAsia X said in a statement. 

AirAsia X previously flew to the African island Mauritius in what was the airline精东影业 first-ever expansion into Africa.听听听

AirAsia X flying high as profits soar in 1Q24, plans for new A321XLR听

• Airlines
• Aviation Economics & Finance

byLuke Peters

2024-05-28

The aircraft registered as 6V-AJE was performing Transair flight R2 3043 from Dakar to Bamako at around 04:30 local time on May 9, 2024. While the aircraft was accelerating for takeoff from Dakar’s runway 01, the flight crew decided to reject the take-off attempt due to a suspected hydraulic leak.

During the rejected take-off sequence, the aircraft reportedly veered off the left side of the runway about 6,000 ft (2,000m) from the point marking the start of its takeoff run, eventually coming to a halt on the soft ground next to the Senegalese Presidential Pavillion at the airport. On coming to a stop, the plane精东影业 left wing and engine caught fire. All occupants evacuated the damaged aircraft via the emergency escape slides.

The airport精东影业 single runway (01/17) was immediately closed following the incident. An inbound Air Senegal flight from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) to Dakar was descending towards Dakar at the time of the incident and was diverted to Banjul (Gambia) as a result.

Footage posted on X shows the immediate aftermath of the accident with the aircraft精东影业 wing and left engine still covered in fire suppressant foam. The engine appears to have sustained heavy damage from the impact with the ground and subsequent fire while the aircraft fuselage appears to be damaged but largely intact.

All flights at the West African airport remain suspended at the time of writing while the aircraft is recovered.

Transair Senegal is based at Blaise Diagne Airport and operates domestic flights and international routes within West Africa. According to ch-aviation, the airline operates a fleet of five aircraft – 听the 737-300 involved in this incident plus a single 737-500 make up the Boeing fleet while an Embraer 120 Brasilia turboprop and a pair of Embraer 145 regional jets make up the balance.

6V-AJE is 29.6 years old having first been delivered to TAROM Romanian Airlines in November 1994 as YR-BDG. 听The aircraft accommodates 134 passengers in a two-class configuration 鈥� eight in business class and 126 in economy class.

FedEx pilot lands Boeing 767 cargo plane without nose gear in position: video听

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-05-08

According to a report issued by the Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (SCAAA), an Emirates Boeing 777 and an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 narrowly avoided a mid-air collision while flying over its territory on the date in question. More concerning still, is that the incident is the second of this nature within a month over the same airspace, raising concerns over the risks of flying in the area and the competency of the country精东影业 air traffic control service.听

According to data obtained from Flightradar24, the Emirates 777 was en route from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) operating as flight EK722. The flight was one of two flights that are operated by Emirates daily between the two cities. On March 24, 2024, flight EK722 took off from Nairobi at 19:54 UTC and safely touched down in Dubai at 00:29 UTC. 

The other aircraft involved was an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 en route from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) to Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) in India. Flight ET690 departed Addis Ababa at 20:36 UTC and landed without further incident in Bengalaru at 01:55 UTC.听

The incident occurred as both flights were in the cruise at 37,000ft over Somaliland. According to the report, the two aircraft 鈥渘arrowly avoided a collision鈥� around 21:43 UTC as their flight paths converged on a single waypoint. Allegedly, the flights had received contradictory instructions from air traffic controllers in Mogadishu, Somalia精东影业 capital, according to the SCAAA. 

Upon notification of the converging flight paths, the crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane initiated an immediate climb to 39,000ft to ensure safe separation was maintained and to avoid a possible collision.听听

Despite the severity of the SCAAA report, Emirates has since taken to social media to refute any suggestion that the two aircraft almost collided.  

鈥淓mirates can affirm that there was no occurrence of an aircraft proximity incident compromising safety over the airspace and during the specified date and time. All Emirates aircraft are capable of maintaining safe separation and distance during operations,鈥� the airline commented in a statement.  

Presumably, with both aircraft involved being relatively modern and with both likely to have functioning traffic collision and reporting systems (TCAS) active, the crews of both planes were already aware of each other and had already identified a possible confliction issue, hence the Ethiopian crew taking avoidance action.   

A second occurrence  

However, whether it was the air traffic controllers, the crews, or TCAS that can take the credit on this occasion, it is likely to heighten the awareness of aircrews flying in the region with this being the second such incident in recent weeks.听听

The earlier incident (in February 2024) involved a Qatar Airways 787 and an Ethiopian Airlines A350 both flying about 180 nautical miles northeast of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. The Qatar Dreamliner was cruising at 38,000 ft and in contact with Mogadishu ATC. The Ethiopian A350 was at 39,000 ft in contact with Hargeisa controllers.听

Having been instructed to climb to 40,000 ft, and while ascending through 38,500 ft, the crew of the Qatar Airways plane aircraft received a TCAS resolution advisory to descend immediately. The crew descended their aircraft to 38,000 ft and a possible collision was averted.听听

London-Heathrow welcomes first passenger-carrying Boeing 747 in eight months听听

• Aircraft
• Airport

byLuke Peters

2024-03-28

Khartoum International Airport was at the epicentre of the conflict on April 16, 2023, the first day of fighting. In fact, the situation developed so quickly that a Saudia A330-300 (HZ-AQ30) was hit by gunfire while still on the tarmac preparing to depart on a regular commercial service to Riyadh. 

This was not the only civilian aircraft written off as a loss after getting caught in the fighting. 

A Boeing 737-800 operated by Ukrainian airline SkyUp was also heavily damaged in the first moments of combat, as was an Embraer ERJ135 operating on behalf of the United Nations. 

Airliners damaged in battle for Khartoum airport

• Airport

byMiquel Ros

2 minute read

Other civilian aircraft destroyed on the ground include a Boeing 737-300 (registration PK-YGW) operated by Asia Cargo Airlines, and a Boeing 737-800 operated by local carrier Badr Airlines (registration 4L-MWA), which was seen being engulfed by flames at Khartoum airport in the evening of April 20, 2023. 

Sudan精东影业 presidential aircraft, a Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-62M, has also been a victim of the fighting. 

According to social media accounts following events on the ground, as of April, 20, 2023, the total number of aircraft, both civilian and military, confirmed destroyed at several locations around the country may have reached 30. 

Understandably exact details remain sketchy, but in addition to the aforementioned airframes, 4 Antonov An-12, 3 An-26/32锔� and 2 An-72/74s may have also been destroyed, along with a number of combat aircraft including 3 Su-25 attack aircraft and 3 MiG-29M/M2 fighters. The latter belongs to the Egyptian air force, one of whose detachments was captured by RSF militiamen in the northern Sudanese city of Merowe. Two Chinese-made FTC-2000 advanced trainers and seven military helicopters of different types are also said to have been lost. 

This article was originally published on January 31, 2022.

Africa精东影业 aviation sector is building up momentum in the wake of improvements, reformations and restructurings across the continent and its air services. While Africa accounts for 17% of the world精东影业 population, the continent精东影业 air service activity holds a share of about 2% of the global air service market.  

Global crises have long been the catalyst for changes to air travel. During periods such as the 1985 Gulf crisis, the 2009 financial crisis, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, passenger travel either stalled or declined. However, these events were followed by increased passenger traffic and volume.  

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa’s aviation sector was notorious for its fragmented nature, which made free travel within the continent troublesome. However, as global air travel begins to recover, what is the sector精东影业 trajectory? And will the continent精东影业 passenger traffic flows and fleet capacity eventually hold a greater share in the global market?   

Here is 精东影业精东影业 roadmap to understanding aviation in Africa today.   

Domestic and International Passenger Traffic  

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, global air travel has continued to make a steady recovery from the sharp decline experienced in 2020 and despite disruptions caused by the surge in Omicron cases. 

According to the (IATA), demand for air travel globally, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), increased to 41.6% of 2019 levels, an improvement from the 34.2% recorded for 2020. The load factor, a measure of how full planes are, stood at 67.2%, down 15.4 percentage points compared to pre-crisis levels. 

In Africa in 2021, overall air travel demand reached just 37.2% of 2019 levels, while the load factor was just 59.5%, both measures therefore performing worse than the global average. 

However, in terms of international traffic, Africa actually performed better than the global average – demand for international travel measured in RPKs was down 65% compared to 2019, while the global figure was down 75.5%. However, it should be noted that Africa only accounted for 1.5% of international air travel demand in 2021, according to the IATA data. 

If we look at December, on the other hand, IATA says Africa was the only region where international RPKs weakened in that month due to the impact of travel bans to and from several African countries after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Otherwise, all other regions of the world saw improvement in RPKs for December, boosted by people visiting friends and family over the Christmas and New Year travel period. 

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) also provides a snapshot of how Africa is performing, but in terms of passenger numbers. 

How have African safari flights changed during the pandemic?

• Aviation in Africa

byJean Carmela Lim

2022-01-29

According to, Africa saw 74 million international passengers in 2021, which gives it a 6% share of the global market, up from 4% in 2019. This correlates with the IATA data that the international air travel market in Africa, while small, has held up better than elsewhere in the world.  

Like other regions across the world, domestic traffic in Africa has recovered faster than international traffic over the course of the pandemic. 

According to ICAO, international passenger numbers in the Africa region dropped 59.5%, compared with 2019 figures, to 30 million passengers in 2021. In 2019, international passengers were 74 million, before dropping to 21 million in 2020.  

Domestic numbers were down a smaller 39.6%, versus 2019 figures, to 24 million in 2021. The number of domestic passengers stood at 41 million in 2019 and fell to 15 million in 2020.  

That means that domestic travel now accounts for a larger share of travel on the continent than before the pandemic. In 2019, domestic travel accounted for 36% of passenger traffic in the African region. In 2020, it rose to 42% and in 2021 it accounted for a 45% share of traffic, according to the ICAO data. 

The pandemic has also seen intra-regional travel – travel on routes within the continent – recover faster than inter-regional routes – ones to outside of the continent.  Inter-regional traffic accounted for a 61% share of passenger traffic in 2021, down from a 66% share in 2019. Meanwhile, the share of intra-regional traffic – ones within the continent of Africa – increased correspondingly to 39% from 34%.    

For 2022, ICAO predicts international passenger traffic in Africa will continue to recover although it will still be some way off pre-pandemic levels. It expects passenger numbers to be down by between 37.5% and 32.0% compared with 2019. Domestic traffic is expected to fall by between 21.5% and 17.0% compared with 2019. 

Fleet Orders and Deliveries 

As new airlines and flag carriers emerge in Africa, fleet orders and deliveries across the sector indicate a strong focus from airlines to bolster the continent精东影业 regional fleet capacities. 

Plane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing estimate that more than 1,000 new aircraft will be required to meet travel demand in Africa by 2040. According to Boeing精东影业 , which was released in October 2021, the continent will operate a fleet of more than 1500 aircraft by that time.  

Over the past three years, there has been an increase in deliveries and orders of short-haul narrow-body jets. A large share of this increased fleet capacity has been recorded in West and Central Africa. 

West Africa & Central Africa 

At the Dubai Airshow in November 2021, Dakar-based Air Senegal announced that it would lease five A220-300s through Australia-based Macquarie AirFinance. Initially, the carrier made a firm order of eight A220-300s in January 2020, however, it opted to choose the leasing route to deploy its A220 fleet on routes from Dakar from 2023. 

Nigeria-based Ibom Air signed an agreement with Airbus in November 2021, to acquire 10 Airbus A220 aircraft. Ibom launched in 2019 and operates five Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. The airline became an A220 operator in July 2021 after wet-leasing two A220s from EgyptAir. 

Lagos-based Overland Airways plans to expand its regional fleet capacity after firming an order for three Embraer 175 jets with purchase rights for three more in November 2021. Value at USD 299,4 million, the aircraft will be delivered to the operator from 2023 onwards, adding to its fleet of ATR 42, ATR 72 and Beech 1900D turboprops. 

Air Peace took delivery of two Airbus A320 aircraft in January 2022, leased from EU-based ACMI charter and cargo operator, SmartLynx Airlines. In April 2019, the airline placed a firm order for 10 Embraer E195-E2s, which was later increased to 13 aircraft with purchase rights for an additional 17 units. Air Peace became the first E2 operator in Africa after receiving the first of its E2s in the second quarter of 2020. The airline announced that it will receive all 13 aircraft on firm order by the end of 2022. Additionally, the 737 operator has 10 Boeing MAXs on order.  

Established in 2015, Nigerian start-up airline Green Africa Airways currently boasts the largest aircraft order on the continent following its 2020 announcement that it was interested in adding 50 Airbus A220-300s to its fleet while having provisionally signed for up to 100 Boeing 737 MAXs in 2019. Delivery dates for these aircraft have not yet been confirmed. 

At the Dubai Airshow in November 2021, Gabon-based Afrijet ordered three ATR 72-600s to substitute its ageing fleet of ATR 72-600s. 

In January 2021, Congo Airways, the flag carrier of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, placed a firm order for two Embraer E195-E2 regional jets, which are expected to be delivered in 2022. The agreement follows a previous order and delivery of two smaller E190-E2s delivered in Q4 2020.  

Why have African airlines never flown the Airbus A380?

• Aviation in Africa

byVyte Klisauskaite

2022-01-28

East, North and South Africa 

At the Dubai Airshow in November 2021, Dar es Salaam-based airline Air Tanzania firmed an order with Boeing to add capacity to its cargo operations as well as its short and long-haul operations. The airline announced that it would add two Boeing 737 MAXs to its fleet, as well as one Boeing 787-8 and one 767-300 freighter. 

In April 2021, Egypt-based Air Cairo took delivery of the first of two Airbus A320neos joining the airline精东影业 all-Airbus fleet. The new A320鈥痜leet was deployed on the airline精东影业 regional and international network to serve destinations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 

EgyptAir became the first airline in Africa and the Middle East to operate both of Airbus精东影业 A320neo and A220 aircraft in its fleet. The airline took delivery of its first A320neo in February 2020, leased through AerCap following its announcement in 2017. The agreement included eight A320neos and seven of the larger A321neos. The carrier operates eight Airbus A220 aircraft in its EgyptAir Express division. 

In November 2019, the Ghanaian government revealed an interest in adding three Boeing 787-9s and six De Havilland Dash 8-400s to its new flag carrier. In October 2020, EgyptAir signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help relaunch the state carrier. Pressure is mounting as local firms have revealed their interest in partnering with the government to relaunch the airline. 

From a firm order of two Airbus A330-800, Entebbe-based Uganda Airlines took delivery of its first A330-800 in December 2020, and the second in February 2021. The added capacity bolsters the airline精东影业 ambition to expand its long-haul operations. 

In January 2022, Ethiopian Airlines (EA) revealed its interest in adding five Boeing 777 freighters and additional Airbus SE A350s as the airline looks to ramp up its cargo operations. The airline’s ambition to become the leading aviation group on the continent is backed by a fleet of 131 aircraft. For its regional and domestic operations, EA operates Boeing精东影业 737-800, 737-700NG and Bombardier精东影业 Q400. In February 2022, the airline will operate over 60 aircraft on its domestic and regional routes with the return of its B737 MAX 8 fleet. Ethiopian Airlines has firm orders for 25 Boeing 737 MAXs, one Boeing B737-800SF and two Bombardier Q400. 

Regulatory and Policy 

To date, 34鈥痗ountries鈥痟ave signed up to the African Union精东影业 Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) These are Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d鈥橧voire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea (Bissau), Guin茅e, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tchad, Togo, Zimbabwe. 

Combined, these countries represent more than 80% of the existing aviation market in Africa.  

A majority of African airline fleet orders and deliveries coincide with states signed onto the SAATM, hinting towards increased regional capacity for intra-Africa traffic flows and air service competition between these states. 

Turning the tide: How policy change is reshaping African air services

• Aviation in Africa

byMichael Jonga

2022-01-10

That can present additional challenges for the aid organizations which operate on the continent. Often the areas that require the most urgent help are inaccessible by road and aren鈥檛 served by commercial air services.  

So how do these organizations use aviation to carry out their crucial work saving lives in Africa? How do the aid workers get food, medicine and other supplies to areas that have been cut off by natural disasters or conflict? 

One way is thanks to The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which is part of a logistics cluster run by the World Food Programme (WFP). 

UNHAS offers passenger and light cargo transport for the humanitarian community, providing transport to and from areas of crisis. According to its , published in June 2021, UNHAS operates more than 100 aircraft and serves over 400 regular destinations in 24 countries. 

In operation for more than 40 years, UNHAS has transported over 2.5 million passengers since 2013, and provides services predominantly in Africa, including Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Doctors Without Borders

UNHAS is a service used by M茅decins san Fronti猫res (Doctors Without Borders), among other organizations. 精东影业 spoke to Anwar Sadat, field support advisor for logistics at MSF, to learn more about how the organization uses UNHAS and other air services for its operations in South Sudan. 

Most recently, Sadat has been helping to coordinate the response to the devastating floods in South Sudan in 2021. The floods, described as the , affected more than 800,000 people, impacting essential services, food supply and drinking water.

鈥淚f it精东影业 an emergency, it精东影业 all about timing. The first 72 hours is crucial. That精东影业 why we need charter aircraft,鈥� Sadat says.

MSF has three big international supply centers – in Amsterdam, Bordeaux and Brussels. Staff usually fly to Kenya from Europe and then to the South Sudan capital Juba using commercial services. From there is when things get trickier and MSF has to use other aviation services. 

Typically, MSF uses three Cessna Caravans in South Sudan for regular flights to different locations, whether to transport people or goods. It also charters larger aircraft in Juba, such as Fokker or Dorniers, for bigger cargo jobs, and uses the UN logistics cluster. MSF staff use their knowledge and expertise from work on the ground to help brief pilots, and the charter companies that MSF uses are subject to regular audits to ensure high levels of safety. 

During the recent flooding, MSF deployed helicopters for three weeks to reach areas that were cut off and where aircraft were no longer able to land. 

Air transport also helps to save lives by ensuring faster transport of people needing hospitalization and surgery. 

鈥淚t精东影业 a crucial factor for us, especially in a country like South Sudan. Without aircraft, we just can鈥檛 move,鈥� Sadat says. 

Clearing the airstrip

Sadat recounts his first experiences of working for MSF in South Sudan back in 2007, taking off in the Cessna Caravan from Lokichogio in Kenya, where MSF kept goods, medicines and supplies for distribution to South Sudan. 

One of the biggest challenges was flying during rainy season, because it can mean airstrips becoming flooded with little notice and therefore no longer available for landing. 

鈥淭he weather could change really quickly,鈥� Sadat explains. 鈥淏efore taking off we would have radio contact with the destination to ask about the weather, whether we could land there and they would say yes. Then an hour after taking off, it精东影业 changed.鈥�

The changing seasons also mean different transport links once planes have landed, Sadat says. During rainy season, it精东影业 better to use boats for onward transportation, but in dry season, when the rivers shrink to nothing, goods need to be loaded onto cars. 

All pilots check the runway is clear before landing. In South Sudan in 2007, it sometimes wasn鈥檛, according to Sadat. People and cattle were often to be found crossing the runway if airstrips were unguarded. 

鈥淪ometimes we couldn鈥檛 land immediately and had to wait for teams on the ground to secure the area.鈥�  

Things have changed since then, becoming more organized, Sadat says, However, that can also bring some issues. 鈥淵ou need to talk to a lot of people sometimes to deploy a helicopter. And sometimes you need one more signature and that person isn鈥檛 there.鈥�

Overall, it精东影业 clear that aviation is a big help to those organizations providing aid to those in need across Africa. 

As Sadat tells 精东影业: 鈥淚f we didn鈥檛 have air services, we couldn鈥檛 operate.鈥� 

Africa is home to some of the world精东影业 longest-running conflicts. For many countries on the continent, having a military force is paramount. 

The world seems to agree. Before the pandemic began, Africa was the after Asia Pacific.

image source: scenicairsafaris.com

It all depends on听the听infrastructure…听

Most of听Africa精东影业听full-service carriers (FSC)听have chosen to stick with smaller and听more agile听wide-body听aircraft听such as Boeing 787听Dreamliners, Boeing听777s听or Airbus A350s. Why has the听largest passenger jet, the Airbus A380, been left out?听

The Airbus A380 was built to serve as a large听capacity听jet听to听transport听passengers听long distances听from concentrated hubs. But it can听only be used on select routes听which听have听the听necessary听demand听and can听accommodate the aircraft.听听听

听the Airbus A380听can听operate听scheduled flights听in airports which have听the Aerodrome Reference听Code F.听These听airports听have runways听which allow for听aircraft听with听massive wingspan and outer landing gear, usually the A380, Boeing 747-8 or Antonov听An-225听Mriya.听

The听A380听aircraft听is 80 meters wide and 73 meters听long and听is听almost the听length of a football field.听Therefore,听the听sheer size听of听aircraft听like the听A380听require听sophisticated airport infrastructure,听including听a wider and longer runway for听take听off听and landing.听听

听the听A380听is able to听operate听regular听scheduled flights听in 140 airports across the world.听In addition,听the manufacturer听says听that听the carriers听are capable of operating听the A380 not only from Code F but also from Code E airports 鈥渨ith听minimal changes to infrastructure and ground handling equipment鈥�.听

For instance, one of the most popular hubs for the A380, London Heathrow Airport (LHR), has听invested听拢450 million ($611 million)听to ensure it can听handle the听aircraft. Meanwhile,听New York精东影业听John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) has invested more than听$109 million听in infrastructure for the A380,听according to data presented in a report听by Peter Forsyth,听鈥樚�

The well-known double-decker can accommodate more than 500 passengers in a typical three-class configuration. This听requires more time for boarding, more ground handling equipment,听and听more听staff to serve the听aircraft.听The airport听also听needs听more gate space and dual passenger boarding bridges for the upper and lower decks of the A380.听

Thus,听many airports are not equipped to cope with听such a听large听aircraft.听Only a handful of Africa精东影业 aviation hubs, namely in South Africa,听Egypt听or Mauritius,听have听such capabilities,听meaning that only a few African听FSCs听can听operate听them听from their respective hubs.听听

…and听operational听costs听

Even before the听end of听production,听the听Airbus听A380 was one of the most expensive jets ever built, valued at听$445.6 million听at听a list听price.听听

鈥淭he A380 is a high-risk plane to operate because of costs,鈥� aviation analyst Desmond Latham tells听精东影业听in an emailed statement.听

Only 16听operators have听operated听the Airbus A380听aircraft, including听carriers from Asia-Pacific, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. However, none of the听African,听North听and South American airlines听ever flew the听aircraft.听

Latham says: 鈥淭he volume of passengers in Africa was only really听viable听from South Africa and pre-2017/18 by SAA which is now a small airline that has been poorly managed by the state here in South Africa. No other African region including Ethiopia could support such a听high-volume听demand plane because of the听high risk听in dollar terms.鈥澨�

Having the largest听aircraft听fleet in the continent,听Ethiopian Airlines听proved to be听one of the most successful full-service carriers in Africa.听But even for听them,听the A380 was not听viable听because it听鈥渙perates Boeings mainly so it would entail retraining and an entire new ethos in terms of ownership and operations鈥�,听according to听Latham.听

鈥淭he A380 costs around $26,000听an hour听to operate and its pax capacity is 500-525 pax. Only the big global players can afford that kind of money and volume of pax,鈥� Latham explains.听鈥淭he Boeing 737-800, the most popular plane in the world, costs $2,500 per hour and carries around 170 pax just to give you an idea about what we’re talking about here.鈥澨�

Has the ship听already听sailed?听

With听A380 production听already听over,听African airlines might be听too late to join the game, even if they wanted to.听

However, according to Latham, there might be a slim chance for African airlines to begin听operating听the听super听jumbos听once听their residual value is down.听鈥淏ut听don’t hold your breath.鈥澨�

He adds:听鈥淎ll airlines now are focusing on the single aisle听aircraft,听which听is听much more economical to operate,听so there’s a belief that the A380 will be flown by BA听[British Airways]听and Emirates amongst others but unlikely by any African airline.鈥澨�

Airbus A380 as a private jet: is it a pipe dream?

• Business Aviation

byVyte Klisauskaite

2021-11-24