
Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 32, 2025.
Introduction. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its 2024 World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) report on August 4, 2025, revealing key trends shaping global aviation. Passenger traffic grew by 9.4% year-on-year, slightly trailing the global average growth of 11.5%, while the load factor improved by 0.7 percentage points to

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 31, 2025.
Introduction. International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged African governments to prioritize aviation as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation, and regional connectivity, highlighting its $75 billion contribution to the continent’s GDP and support for over 8.1 million jobs. With the sector projected to grow 4.1% annually and double

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 30, 2025.
Introduction. On Thursday, July 25, 2025, Senegal officially joined the Artemis Accords, becoming the 56th nation to commit to peaceful, transparent, and cooperative space exploration. The signing ceremony was hosted at NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters in Washington, following a recent meeting between Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 29, 2025.
Introduction. Namibia Civil Aviation Authority, in partnership with the European Union and EASA – European Union Aviation Safety Agency, launched a three-day aviation workshop in Windhoek from July 16 to July 18, 2025, to advance climate action in the sector. The focus is on key initiatives such as CORSIA, Sustainable

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 28, 2025.
Introduction. ACI World – Airports Council International has voiced strong opposition to a proposed international tax on premium air passengers, backed by countries including France, Kenya, and Barbados ahead of COP30. ACI argues the levy would undermine aviation’s role in global connectivity, particularly harming regions in the Global South that

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 27, 2025.
Introduction. From June 25–27, 2025, the African Union and African Civil Aviation Commission AFCAC held the inaugural meeting of the SAATM Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) Administrative Council in Dakar, Senegal marking a major milestone in operationalizing Africa’s air liberalization framework. Though established in 2022, this was the DSM’s first formal

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 26, 2025.
Introduction. Ethiopia officially joined the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD) system on June 25, 2025, becoming its 106th member. The certificate of participation was handed over during a ceremony held in Montreal, Canada, and received by Selamawit Dawit, Director General of Ethiopia’s Immigration and Citizenship Service,

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 25, 2025.
Introduction. From 16 to 20 June 2025, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Western and Central Africa (WACAF) Office convened a regional volcanic ash workshop in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The event brought together aviation regulators, meteorological agencies, volcano observatories, and air navigation service providers to develop a harmonized safety framework tailored

Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 24, 2025.
Introduction. AviaDev Africa 2025 took place in Zanzibar, Tanzania from June 11–13, drawing over 500 delegates from 46 countries, including representatives from 36 airlines. Held near Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, the event facilitated more than 1,200 route development meetings and featured panel discussions on sustainable operations, artificial intelligence, and