Only 7 African Airlines Fully Operational, 1 Profitable, Operator Warns

Only seven of Africa’s 52 scheduled airlines are fully operational, with just one turning a profit, the chief executive officer of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa, Aaron Munetsi, has warned.

Munetsi raised the alarm over the fragile state of airline operations across the continent, revealing that only one airline in Africa is currently profitable.

Munetsi made this disclosure during the Nigerian Aircraft Acquisition & Investment Summit held in Lagos, where he painted a grim picture of Africa’s aviation landscape.

He expressed concern about the slow pace of aircraft acquisition and the continent’s inability to leverage its vast population and geographic scale to build a competitive aviation sector.

According to him, although Africa has about 52 scheduled airlines, only 7 are fully operational, with just 1 running profitably.

Munetsi further highlighted the stark disparity between Africa and more developed aviation markets, noting that the entire fleet of African airlines, estimated at about 1,000 aircraft, falls short compared to Delta Air Lines, which operates roughly 1,500 aircraft.

He said the comparison underscores the scale of the gap in capacity and investment between the continent and global aviation leaders.

The AASA boss also decried Africa’s minimal contribution to global aviation, describing it as disproportionately low despite its demographic strength.

“With a population of about 1.4 billion people, the continent contributes just two per cent to global aviation. That is not commensurate with our size or potential,” he stated.

Munetsi attributed the sector’s challenges to a mix of economic constraints and regulatory inefficiencies, explaining that many African economies lack the structure to support sustainable airline operations or fleet expansion.

He added that the weak revenue base of most African airlines remains a major concern, revealing that some operators generate less than $1 million in returns, an unsustainable figure for a capital-intensive industry like aviation.

He also pointed to ageing fleets across the continent, citing industry data that shows Africa operates some of the oldest aircraft globally, further compounding operational and competitiveness challenges.