Connecting Africa with Embraer. A recap of the top 10 unserved intra-African routes with Theo Wensink, Head of Airline Marketing, Middle East and Africa

·1 hr 17 min·5 clips

Sean Mendes bets 100 rand that Airlink will announce Cape Town to Lagos by 2026, citing it as the perfect E2 route.

The episode begins with host Jon Howell introducing a special deep dive into the 'Connecting Africa' report, originally presented at AviaDev in Zanzibar. Guest Theo Wensink from Embraer explains the report's origins, noting Embraer's presence in Africa since 1978 with 270 aircraft currently flying. He outlines the methodology, which includes a stimulation curve based on 10 years of historical data to predict traffic growth on new routes. The main segment counts down the top 10 unserved intra-African routes, starting with number 10: Brazzaville to Dakar, with 19 passengers per day each way. Commentators Baramji Gadiali and Sean Mendes provide context on each route, discussing factors like traffic types, existing carriers, and viability. For example, on Cape Town to Dar es Salaam, they debate potential operators like Airlink and aircraft suitability. The countdown continues through routes like Abuja to Nairobi and Bamako to Brazzaville, with discussions on hub connectivity and market stimulation. At number 4, Cape Town to Lagos is highlighted as a strong candidate for Airlink's E2 aircraft, with Sean Mendes making a confident prediction. The top route is Abidjan to Douala, with 50 passengers per day each way. Throughout, themes include the importance of right-sized aircraft, the role of hubs like Lomé and Abidjan, and the need for reliable service over mere route existence. Theo concludes by emphasizing the report's focus on blue ocean opportunities and enhancing hub frequencies, with an updated version to be released at the next AviaDev event in Botswana.

As heard by us

A practical look at African connectivity, where route demand, hubs, carriers, and aircraft size meet.

AviaDev Insight Africa turns an aviation report into a clear market test, asking which unserved intra-African routes might actually support flights once traffic, hub links, and aircraft size are put together.

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Why you'd press play

You get a practical route test for Abuja-Nairobi: unserved demand, political traffic, and what might make it fly.

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