Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 9, 2025.

Introduction.

The Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and La Réunion were on high alert Thursday as Cyclone Garance, an intense tropical storm, posed a direct threat to the popular tourist destinations. Mauritius closed its main airport on Wednesday, followed by La Réunion on Thursday, as authorities braced for severe weather. The cyclone was classified as a Class 3 storm by Mauritius—the second-highest alert level—bringing gusts of up to 70 km/h (43 mph). Air Mauritius suspended all flights, while Kenya Airways, Air India Limited, and several other airlines also canceled flights to Mauritius due to safety concerns.

African Aviation: Projections and Statistics.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2024 Annual Safety Report, reflecting both progress and ongoing challenges in aviation safety. The all-accident rate stood at 1.13 per million flights, an improvement over the five-year average of 1.25 but slightly higher than 2023’s 1.09. A total of seven fatal accidents were recorded across 40.6 million flights, a sharp increase from just one in 2023 and exceeding the five-year average of five. Onboard fatalities rose to 244, up from 72 in 2023, though the fatality risk remained low at 0.06, below the five-year average of 0.10, but double the 0.03 recorded in 2023.

Africa experienced a challenging year in aviation safety, with 10 reported commercial accidents in 2024, raising the all-accident rate to 10.59 per million sectors—higher than 8.36 in 2023 and surpassing the five-year average of 8.46. Despite the increase in incidents, the fatality risk remained at zero for the second consecutive year, meaning no fatalities occurred. The most common accident types were runway excursions and landing gear-related issues, with 40% of accidents involving turboprop aircraft.