The Big Five Disruptive Strategies for African Aviation

African aviation punches below its weight. Although 15% of the world’s population resides on the African Continent, just 3% of all departing scheduled airline seats leave from there…

African aviation punches below its weight. Although 15% of the world’s population resides on the African Continent, just 3% of all departing scheduled airline seats leave from there. Furthermore, despite higher economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa than among OECD member countries, 4.2% vs 1.7% in 2014, airline seats to and from Africa have only grown by an average of 2% p.a. since 2011.

For all the talk amongst African leaders of encouraging competition, there is still resistance to opening aviation markets. African states have protected their home markets from other African airlines but the threat is now perceived as being greater from non-African airlines. In September 2015 Emirates will operate scheduled services to 20 destinations in 17 African countries from its Dubai hub.

Similarly, Turkish Airlines now operates to 29 destinations in 19 African countries from its Istanbul hub, though total capacity is just over half of that of Emirates due to fleet differences. Emirates averages 367 seats per aircraft, whilst Turkish, with a more varied fleet, has an average of 178. For some of Africa’s thinner routes, the Turkish model appears a better fit for these markets, although Emirates network east of Dubai, and the latent power of Flydubai, mean it is likely to be more of a threat in the long term than Turkish Airlines.