Afrijet embarks on a new ERA

The initiative of the Gabonese private airline is part of the company's strategy to meet the strong demand of its customers in Africa.

This includes both its historical markets, like South Africa, and emerging markets, such as mining, oil and natural gas exporters in Nigeria.

Marc Gaffajoli, CEO of Afrijet, said: "We want to set up new services in Kinshasa in the DRC, Lagos and Port Harcourt in Nigeria, Dakar in Senegal and Johannesburg in South Africa.”

The airline recently announced the lease acquisition of a Bombardier CRJ-900 to support air traffic to and from Congo-Brazzaville and Benin.

Gaffajoli told African Aerospace that 2023 is the airline's "best year" since its inception in 2004, with a return to growth surpassing 2019’s revenue level by 20% and two exceptional quarters in non-recurring charter activities.

He added that the $13 million fundraising from regional public banks will enable Afrijet to implement its 2022-26 development plan by enlarging its network, digitising its services and modernising its fleet. It will also help the company to acquire a stock of spare parts and maintenance tools.

The airline's fleet consists of seven aircrafts: one Falcon 900 for charter flights and VIP services as well as one ATR42-500, one ATR72-500 and four ATR72-600. 

Rooted in one of the 10 countries with a net carbon-absorbing footprint, Afrijet pursues its commitment to decarbonise its activities and promote a sustainable regional aviation. It signed a letter of intent with Aura Aero, a French manufacturer pioneer in low-carbon aviation, with respect to the electric regional aircraft (ERA) at the last Paris Air Show. This will be a first in Africa and another landmark for Afrijet.

Thanks to its versatility, the ERA will be able to carry up to 19 passengers (or 1.9 tons of cargo) and has a range of 1,600 km. It can also be configured for business aviation to accommodate eight or nine passengers. The aircraft will be able to land both at international airfields and on short or unprepared runways. The first flight test is scheduled for 2026.

For Marc Gaffajoli, the ERA is "a realistic and mature project". He says that it is the "best technological compromise" and will meet the needs of the market, evolving on the development curve in several segments including medical evacuation.

The ERA will also be instrumental in grafting African air transport onto the global decarbonisation roadmap and consolidating Afrijet's network sustainably on the continent, especially on mid-size regional routes.

According to its manufacturers, the aircraft will require little maintenance and offer around 80% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with traditional regional jets. In addition, it will enhance passenger comfort, with quieter engines and a modern pressurised cabin.

Afrijet’s future development strategy consists in establishing investment projects and partnerships as well as strategic alliances with other African states and regions. The airline is also ready "to clone" and export its business model to underserved or remote areas to develop intra-African connectivity.