- At the AFRAA Stakeholders Convention in Johannesburg, African Airlines Association chairman George Kamal urged the creation of a pan-African airline alliance, arguing that fragmented networks are undermining competitiveness and limiting intra-African connectivity, including air cargo flows.
- Structural inefficiencies such as low levels of direct intra-African routes and reliance on intercontinental hubs, alongside operational pressures including cost inflation, supply chain disruption and currency volatility, and said integration across scheduling, hubs, cargo and maintenance could strengthen resilience.
- South African Airways signalled continued openness to cooperation with Kenya Airways despite earlier stalled plans for a broader grouping, with both carriers maintaining selective collaboration while broader alliance discussions remain unresolved.
The prospect of a pan-African airline alliance moved back into industry focus at the 14th AFRAA Stakeholders Convention in Johannesburg, as senior executives highlighted structural inefficiencies across the continent’s aviation network and the knock-on effects for connectivity and market resilience.
George Kamal, chairman of the African Airlines Association and Group managing director and CEO of Kenya Airways, argued that African carriers have reached a point where deeper integration is no longer optional.
“If not now, then when? If not us, then who will do it?” he charged, arguing that African carriers can no longer afford to operate in fragmented markets.
Operational and geopolitical pressures are reinforcing the case for coordinated action rather than competition on marginal routes, with sustained cost inflation, supply chain disruption and currency volatility as persistent constraints on network stability, adding that recent global shocks had exposed structural vulnerabilities in aviation systems.
“Resilience is no longer aspirational. It has become an operational requirement for survival,” he said.
African aviation remains constrained by weak intra-continental connectivity, with only limited direct routing between African markets. In many cases, traffic flows still depend on interline connections via Europe or the Middle East, adding friction for both passenger and cargo operations.
Around 28 percent of intra-African routes are directly served, underscoring a mismatch between market potential and network design.
The competitive dynamics between African carriers operating thin routes.
“Why do African airlines compete aggressively against each other on thin routes, while foreign carriers consolidate traffic flows across our continent with stronger partnerships?” Kamal continued.
Under his proposal, a pan-African alliance could support coordinated scheduling, hub alignment, codeshare expansion and integration across cargo operations, loyalty schemes, maintenance and training. He also suggested it could strengthen Africa’s position within global alliance structures by consolidating access points through African hubs.
SAA signals openness to renewed cooperation
Responding to the proposal, South African Airways indicated that it remains open to deeper collaboration with African partners, including Kenya Airways, despite earlier attempts to form a broader structure stalling.
“I’m not closing any door on any future collaboration between us as two airlines. We collaborate beyond air traffic right now, for example our state-owned catering company has just concluded a three-year contract with KQ, and that’s one of the many areas of collaboration that we see. We have not closed any door, and we’ll continue to engage with them, [at] the level of chief executive officer,” Matshela Seshibe, acting CEO of South African Airways, said, during a media briefing at the AFRAA Stakeholders Convention.
The two carriers entered a strategic partnership framework in 2021 aimed at laying the groundwork for a wider pan-African grouping. The initiative subsequently slowed as both airlines faced balance sheet pressures and recapitalisation requirements.
South African Airways formally withdrew from the process in early 2025 following the collapse of its Takatso Aviation consortium transaction, which had been expected to stabilise its ownership structure. Kenya Airways is meanwhile continuing discussions with potential strategic partners as it seeks to strengthen its financial position and network reach.
