#aviadev2025 | Day 2 | Flightpath to Growth – Rethinking ownership, market access, and unlocking capital for African airlines 🎤 Insights from Panel moderated by Hilka Birns, ch-aviation A powerful exchange of insights from some of Africa’s most influential aviation leaders: 🔹 HELEN AIGBE BRUME, ACCA, Director, Projects & Asset-Based Finance, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) 🔹 Munawer Dhirani, CEO, Flightlink 🔹 Julian Edmunds, Group Strategy & Development Director, fastjet 🔹 @Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines 🔹 @Peter Ulanga, Managing Director & CEO, AIR TANZANIA COMPANY LIMITED Here are 12 key takeaways that stood out: 1️⃣ Ownership ≠ Success Whether state-owned or private, airline success comes from good governance, autonomy, and commercial discipline — not just the ownership model. 2️⃣ States should enable, not operate Governments must act as facilitators, not direct competitors, to unlock growth and investment in the sector. 3️⃣ Public-Private Partnerships work — if structured right Success stories like Malawi’s joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines show PPPs can thrive with the right vision and leadership. 4️⃣ Pan-African strategy over profit Ethiopian Airlines invests not for short-term gains but to build a strong, interconnected African aviation network. 5️⃣ Good governance attracts capital Private and state airlines that are professionally managed with sound revenue strategies are seeing increased investor interest — including from the Gulf. 6️⃣ Unlock local capital Africa’s pension and sovereign wealth funds hold potential — but need proper vehicles, trust, and a favorable policy environment to support aviation. 7️⃣ Market access remains limited SAATM slow implementation and restrictive bilateral agreements continue to stifle intra-African connectivity. Liberalization is overdue. 8️⃣ High cost of doing business Taxes, airport fees, and leasing premiums are major pain points. African carriers often pay more than global peers for the same aircraft. 9️⃣ Severe talent drain Pilots, engineers, and skilled staff are being lured abroad. Local training pipelines and retention strategies are urgent. 🔟 Risk diversification matters Franchise models and group-level risk pooling, as seen in Fastjet, offer resilience and improve access to capital. 1️⃣1️⃣ Visa policy boosts tourism and traffic Rwanda's experience proves it — removing visa barriers increases traffic and drives economic impact. 1️⃣2️⃣ Time for a mindset shift Africa needs to think regionally, embrace innovative leasing models, and build its own air connectivity — on its own terms. 🌍 The message is clear: Africa’s aviation growth is within reach — if the right policies, partnerships, and priorities are in place.