Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 39, 2024 Highlights.

Introduction.

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona, confirmed that the country had ratified and acceded to four key international civil aviation conventions. President Mnangagwa officially signed the 1999 Montreal Convention, the 2010 Beijing Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts relating to International Civil Aviation, and the 2016 Montreal Protocols amending Articles 50(a) and 56 of the 1944 Chicago Convention. This was formalized at the ICAO headquarters in Montreal, Canada, on August 29, 2024.

Meanwhile, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has issued a NOTAM (A0146/24) announcing partial runway closures at Entebbe International Airport due to scheduled maintenance. From September 30 to October 31, 2024, runway 17/35 will be unavailable daily between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. More details can be found in AIP Uganda AD 2-HUEN-1-6 (22 Feb 2024).

African Aviation: Projections and Statistics.

According to CAPA – Centre for Aviation, the Europe-to-South Africa airline market has seen a 2.8% decrease in seat capacity in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching only 77% of its 2019 levels. The market experienced growth in the three years leading up to COVID-19, but the pandemic’s impact, including the withdrawal of South African Airways (SAA) and three smaller operators, led to a significant reduction in capacity. The number of operators has dropped from 13 to 10 over the past five years, SAAs’ exit being the most notable. Heathrow-Cape Town remains the largest route by seats. Eight of the 14 Europe-South Africa routes are year-round monopolies, with three more operating as winter monopolies. British Airways leads the market with a 26.4% seat share in 2024, followed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa, each holding around 16%. Turkish Airlines ranks fourth with 13.8%, while Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines, and Condor Flugdienst GmbH hold smaller shares.