ADDIS ABABA Ethiopian Airlines received the Fastest-Growing Airline (Africa) honor at the Athens International Airport 2026 Awards, marking another major recognition for the carrier as it continues to expand its presence between Africa and Europe. The recognition highlights Ethiopian Airlines’ continued dominance in African aviation as the carrier accelerates expansion, grows passenger capacity and strengthens its role linking Africa with major international markets. “This achievement reflects Ethiopian Airlines’ unwavering commitment to connecting Africa with the rest of the world,” the airline said in a social media post on Tuesday. The award in Athens follows the airline’s win at the 2026…
Author: Nandi Biko
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Lush palm trees lining picture-perfect sand shores; crystal clear waters bursting with tropical sealife; dense forests teeming with monkeys. Sound idyllic? Yeah, we think so too. Which is why we’re here to tell you the good news: a trip to a gorgeous holiday spot with all the above is about to get much easier. The destination itself is Zanzibar, a jaw-dropping Tanzanian archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The cluster of islands is known by many names, depending on who you ask, including the ‘backpackers’ Maldives’ and the ‘Spice Island’ for its fertile soils where cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla grow in…
Nigeria has expanded its African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) air cargo corridor through a partnership with RwandAir, opening new export routes to East and Southern Africa and reducing freight costs for eligible exporters seeking access to regional markets. “Our goal is clear: to make it easier and cheaper for Nigerian businesses to trade across Africa,” said Jumoke Oduwole, minister of industry, trade and investment, on Friday during the launch of the expanded Nigeria-East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor in Lagos. “With RwandAir, we are widening that corridor, opening more routes, and giving our exporters more options to compete.”…
Building on recent successes, destinations in Africa and Asia remain prime targets for new business opportunities, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) officials say. But finding new opportunities necessitated nuance and persistence, said Paul Bobson, the authority’s vice president for airline business development. Finalizing service agreements with Asian carriers “requires the development of trusting relationships,” Bobson said at the July 15 meeting of MWAA’s strategic development committee. At the meeting, he provided updates on new international service at Dulles International Airport. In Asia, the authority has focused recent efforts on South Korea and Taiwan, with each bearing success. Air Premia inaugurated…
Matshela Seshibe, the 32-year-old Acting CEO for South African Airways, who stepped into the role following the sudden departure of Professor John Lamola last month, is confident the airline is on a positive trajectory following the recent scrutiny of its financial reporting. In April, Lamola, alongside three non-executives, stepped down amid scrutiny over a financial reporting crisis, which has shaken confidence at the highest levels of government. SAA’s Acting CEO addresses concerns over the airline’s financial reporting Speaking to the media on a webinar hosted by Raphael Kuuchi on behalf of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) on Wednesday, 13 May,…
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in partnership with RwandAir, has formally flagged off the expandedNigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor, a major step in Nigeria’s practical implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The RwandAir partnership expands the existing corridor by opening new exportroutes from Nigeria to Kigali, Rwanda; Lusaka, Zambia, and; Harare, Zimbabwe while also providing Nigerian exporters with an additional carrier option on the Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa routes. Through this arrangement, cargo rates on the routes operated by RwandAir are set at under US$2 per kilogram…
The Lufthansa Group has announced that it will operate an unprecedented number of flights between Europe and South Africa during the 2026-27 northern winter/southern summer season, starting at the end of October. Extra flights will take the total number of flights operated to and from South Africa by the Lufthansa and SWISS airlines to 38 a week. “South Africa is one of Lufthansa Group’s most important long-haul markets in Africa, and our [northern] winter 2026-27 schedule reflects that confidence,” affirms Lufthansa Group Airlines senior director North, East and Southern Africa René Koinzack. “With more flights, better overnight timings from Johannesburg…
As African governments accelerate airport expansion in support of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), aviation experts warn that new terminals and runways alone will not deliver better air connectivity. At the SAATM Pilot Implementation Project Airshow in Harare, Zimbabwe, earlier this month, Zimbabwean Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said the time had come for African countries to build modern aviation infrastructure to solve Africa’s constrained air services. Indeed, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola and Zimbabwe have either completed or are planning major airport upgrades and expansions in the hope of improving connectivity and supporting tourism growth.However, aviation expert Sean Mendis has…
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in partnership with RwandAir, has expanded the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa air cargo corridor, with air freight costs falling below $2/kg, to boost intra-African trade growth. The partnership expands the existing corridor by opening new export routes from Nigeria to Kigali, Rwanda; Lusaka, Zambia, and; Harare, Zimbabwe while also providing Nigerian exporters with an additional carrier option on the Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa routes. Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Lagos, Jumoke Oduwole, minister of industry, trade and investment, described the partnership as another concrete demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to…
Ethiopian Airlines Group is in early discussions with Airbus SE over a potential aircraft order as Africa’s largest carrier moves to expand its regional and long-haul operations. According to people familiar with the talks, the airline is considering purchasing around six Airbus A350 widebody jets and roughly 20 A220 regional aircraft, Bloomberg reported. However, the discussions remain at an early stage, and no final decision has been made on whether the order will proceed or on the exact size of any potential deal. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier, is scaling up its global ambitions with new…
Africa’s aviation bottlenecks are well documented. High costs, ageing infrastructure, limited intra-African connectivity and bold sustainability goals top the list. All are issues that Berthé is well-positioned to tackle. A pilot and former CEO of Air Mali and Air Burkina, he brings nearly 40 years of aviation expertise to the role. As Secretary General of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) – a role he took on in 2018 – Berthé is focused on unlocking intra-African routes, reducing operational barriers and positioning aviation as a powerful driver of trade, tourism and economic growth. Source link