Welcome to AeroTrail

This week’s AeroTrail edition delivers a comprehensive, data-driven overview of aviation developments across Africa and global markets, spanning regulatory shifts, infrastructure investments, fleet modernization, route expansion, financial performance, and safety events. Key highlights include the symbolic reopening milestone at Goma International Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Benin’s licensing of Amazone Airlines, major fleet additions by Ethiopian Airlines, EGYPTAIR, and TAAG Angola Airlines, and expanding connectivity across Africa–Europe and Asia-Pacific corridors. The trail also examines airport performance benchmarks, aircraft utilization rankings, rising global cancellation trends, large-scale infrastructure financing initiatives, evolving air service agreements, and strategic partnerships shaping regional integration. Complemented by updates on executive appointments, legal proceedings, visa reforms, and recent incidents, the report provides a structured snapshot of operational resilience, competitive positioning, and long-term growth dynamics influencing Africa’s aviation ecosystem.

Week 5, 2026 AeroTrail Africa captures a highly consequential week for African and global aviation, marked by heightened regulatory action, strong traffic performance at key hubs, accelerating route and fleet activity, and rising geopolitical and security risks. The week was dominated by an unprecedented FAA emergency airworthiness directive affecting Canadian-assembled aircraft worldwide, alongside major regulatory, safety, and compliance developments across Africa. At the same time, airports such as Cairo, Conakry, and AIBD reflected divergent traffic trends, while airlines expanded connectivity through new regional, intercontinental, passenger, cargo, and charter routes. Significant fleet additions, infrastructure investments, financial recoveries, visa liberalisation, leadership changes, and security incidents further underscored a week that highlighted both the resilience and vulnerability of Africa’s aviation ecosystem amid regulatory, operational, and geopolitical pressures.

Introduction. In January 2026, the Aviation Safety Network recorded 296 aviation occurrences globally, resulting in a total of 78 fatalities. The deadliest accidents involved both commercial and military operations. Significant single-incident fatalities included 15 deaths in Colombia when a Beechcraft 1900D operated by SEARCA–SATENA crashed east of Ocaña Airport on 28 January, 10 fatalities in Indonesia following an ATR 42-512 crash near Mount Bulusaraung, South Sulawesi on 17 January, and 6 fatalities in the United States during a Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R crash at Juan José Rondón Airport in Paipa, Boyacá, Colombia, on 10 January, as well as another 6 deaths in India when a Learjet 45XR operated by VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd crashed at Baramati Airport, Maharashtra on 28 January. Additional smaller-scale fatal incidents included multiple private aircraft accidents across the U.S., Brazil, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, and Vietnam, with single- or double-fatality events contributing to the total. These statistics highlight that while the majority of occurrences in January 2026 were non-fatal or minor incidents, a few high-casualty events, particularly involving commercial, cargo, and military aircraft, accounted for the bulk of the fatalities recorded.

Week two of 2024 brought positive developments from the Nigerian government, with the Central Bank of Nigeria redeeming outstanding liabilities […]