bird story agency

Kenya Airways recently became the first African airline to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel in a commercial long-haul flight between Nairobi and Amsterdam.

The national carrier participated in the Sustainable Flight Challenge – a competition among global airlines to test their ability to fly sustainably.

According to Allan Kilavuka, the CEO of Kenya Airways, the pilot flight was a collaboration between KQ and energy giant Eni and "will be a significant milestone for Kenya Airways and the broader African aviation industry."

The quest to fly sustainably is part of a transformative wave blowing across Africa's aviation sector as fleets rebuild after the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is also leading to a tussle for dominance between the two leading aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus.

While the African market is dominated by Boeing, which prides itself in supplying more than 500 aircraft to 60 airlines, Airbus is becoming an attractive and most appealing option for African airlines.

Of all the new fleet additions in Africa that have been announced in 2023, Airbus models are the most preferred.

Joep Ellers, Airline Marketing Director, Airbus Africa and Middle East, explains some reasons that have propagated the airline's appeal among African airlines.

"We are known to being fuel efficient…this is especially important for airlines in Africa considering the high fuel costs," he pointed out.

"Besides, Airbus has a wide range of aircraft families to choose from, which allows airlines to select the aircraft that best meets their specific needs, both in terms of size and range," he added.

RwandAir in March added a third Airbus model to its fleet, an Airbus A330 known for its wide body and effectiveness in long-haul services.

This happened less than a month after EgyptAir became Africa's first operator of the Airbus A321neo, a new class of the single-aisle A321 series that offers larger interior space, up to 244 passengers in a high-density layout and up to 220 in a standard design.

Besides these latest additions, Ellers explains that 37 airlines operate more than 253 Airbus aircraft across the continent.

"African carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines, Air Senegal, South African Airways, Air Cote d'Ivoire, Air Mauritius, Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania have chosen to operate some of the most technologically advanced aircrafts such as A350XWB, A330neo, A320neo and the A220," he explained.

"In fact, all of Airbus' latest generation aircraft are operated or on order by African airlines," he added.

South African Airways will add six new aircraft to its fleet as the Rainbow Nation's national carrier re-launches international routes.

Five of Airbus' A320 models and an A330 will be leased by September, according to a statement by the airline's interim CEO John Lamola.

Apart from the growing commercial segment, other units such as helicopters, satellites and military aircraft are also turning to Airbus for supply.

For instance, Airbus Defence and Space in France is developing Angeo-1, the first very high-performance Angolan Earth observation satellite. 

Airbus Helicopters Southern Africa, a subsidiary of Airbus Group headquartered at Grand Central Airport in Midrand, South Africa, has also increased helicopter sales in the region, especially in the SADC bloc.

In terms of infrastructural development, several new ultra-modern structures, including runways, airport terminals and other critical airport infrastructure, are being advanced.

The latest significant advancement saw Sierra Leone commission a US$200 million new passenger terminal, about five times the size of the pre-existing terminal at the Freetown International Airport in Lungi.

In Rwanda, Kigali International Airport, a new mega airport project, is being developed at a US$2 billion cost and is expected to be completed by 2026.

Ellers believes the growing population in Africa, high urbanization rates, and booming middle-class development coupled with inbound and intra-African tourism will contribute to national economies besides driving traffic demand.

"We predict that Africa-based carriers will need about 1230 new aircraft by 2041. 26% of these will serve for the replacement of current in-service aircraft, while 74% will serve for growth," he explained.

"Of these 1230 new aircrafts, an estimated 980 aircrafts will be small single-aisle aircrafts," he said.

bird story agency