Aviation Africa set milestones in aviation collaborations and innovation

The event, themed "Bridging Skies and Leveraging Growth," exceeded expectations and set new milestones in aviation collaborations and innovation, when the two-day event took place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng on 16 & 17 September 2024.

With participation from 34 African countries, 1,234 delegates, 92 airlines and operators, and more than 100 exhibitors and sponsors, this instalment of Aviation AFRICA Summit and Exhibition was the best ever staged.

This year’s event was co-sponsored by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) who, together with Times Aerospace Events, united industry leaders for focused discussions on the future of aviation.

This event also marked the first co-location partnership with AfBAA (African Business Aviation Association), and this three-way partnership ensured industry leaders, airlines, regulators, airports, OEM’s and business aviation companies would come together and engage in aviation specific conversation for the future.

The summit was officially inaugurated by South Africa's Minister of Transport, the Honourable Barbara Creecy, in what was her first engagement with aviation stakeholders since being appointed to the portfolio in July.

In giving the keynote address Minister Creecy, highlighted the global aviation recovery with air passenger numbers, a sign that the sector was almost at cruising altitude again after some economic turbulence that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic era.

“I am pleased to see that air transport is almost at pre-pandemic levels economically,” highlighting the recovery in global passenger and cargo numbers. A strong aviation network is essential for boosting tourism in Africa. With its diverse landscapes, rich cultures, and vibrant cities, Africa has immense potential to attract international tourists,” said Minister Creecy.

Ms. Poppy Khoza, the Director of Civil Aviation at the SACAA, emphasised the importance of events such as Aviation AFRICA in fostering collaboration among stakeholders to strengthen the industry.  She said: “Despite past social and humanitarian challenges, we are now a continent with great potential for growth on condition that we make use of the networks and collaborative opportunities in this and similar events.”

The Summit Chairperson, Alan Peaford, opened the proceedings by honouring the late Nick Fadugba, former Chairperson of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) and Secretary-General of the African Airlines Association, where Peaford acknowledged his contributions to aviation development across Africa.

Peaford said ”SACAA and AfBAA involvement helped us attract leaders from across the African industry and delegates from more than 70 countries.  There was an open spirit of honest debate about the issues that are holding back Africa’s aviation industry from realising its true Potential.”

The event included a range of panel discussions and deliberations on key topics, such as:

•           How Africa can ensure that it develops a skilled workforce to match its growth potential in the air and on the ground.

•           Why challenges still exist to finance Africa's aviation ambitions.

•           Human Capital for sustainable Airport Projects.

•           Adaptation to challenges on climate change, and many more.

A notable addition to this year’s instalment was the Insight Theatre, which operated concurrently in the Exhibition Hall, and where it facilitated robust debates on key aviation topics where two South African commercial airlines, the South African Airways (SAA) and Airlink, presented their organisational strategic plans to the audience.

The event also highlighted significant industry announcements that included a strategic agreement between Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) and Global Air Navigation Services (GANS) to collaborate on various aspects of Air Traffic Management.

In closing, the official flag was passed on to the Republic of Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure, the Honourable Olivier Kabera, to designate the East African country as the next hosts for Aviation AFRICA 2025.

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