The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) convened its 57th Annual General Assembly (AGA) in Luanda from 30 November to 2 December 2025, bringing together airline chief executives, regulators, aircraft manufacturers, maintenance organisations and policymakers to examine the future of African aviation.
Hosted by TAAG Angola Airlines in partnership with the Government of Angola, the Assembly was held under the theme Sustainable Skies, Connected Africa and featured two days of intensive discussions covering airline resilience, fleet strategy, maintenance capacity, connectivity and regulatory reform.
CEO and OEM roundtable discussions examined the structural and operational challenges facing African airlines, with particular focus on how carriers can build resilience in a high-cost operating environment where profit margins remain extremely thin. Attention was placed on operating the right fleet for the right routes and networks, supported by appropriate financing structures and a stable regulatory environment. The discussions also highlighted that sustainability extends beyond fleet composition to include delivery certainty, with airlines requiring confidence that aircraft will be delivered on time to support network planning and growth.
Supply chain disruption and aircraft availability emerged as recurring concerns, with new deliveries, maintenance delays and parts shortages placing significant pressure on African airline operations and impacting bottom-line revenue. Another issue raised was the absence of a dedicated continental forum to address maintenance capacity, supply chain constraints and the long-term sustainability of MRO support within Africa.
The upcoming inaugural AFRAA MRO event to be held in March 2026 will focus on these issues and is set to prioritise the development of a resilient in-continent maintenance base to support African airlines. The event will be held in partnership with four AFRAA member MRO organisations: EgyptAir Maintenance and Engineering, Kenya Airways MRO, South African Airways Technical, and Ethiopian Airlines MRO.
Intra-African connectivity featured prominently throughout the Assembly. While progress was acknowledged, improvements remain slow and uneven, largely constrained by regulatory fragmentation and non-physical barriers.
During the AGA, AFRAA outlined the key pillars of its 2026 to 2030 strategic plan, with the expansion of Free Route Airspace identified as a central priority. Building on the successful deployment of the concept in Western and Central Africa, the focus for 2026 will be to extend Free Route Airspace to Eastern and Southern Africa. Early results have already demonstrated measurable benefits, including lower fuel consumption, shorter flight times and reduced carbon emissions.
In addition, AFRAA confirmed its leadership structure for 2026, with Kenya Airways serving as Chair of the AFRAA Executive Committee, Tunisair as First Vice Chair, and RwandAir as Second Vice Chair. Fly Gabon will hold the Presidency for 2026, with its Chief Executive Officer serving as President of the association.
The 58th Annual General Assembly will be held in Libreville, Gabon, from 15 to 19 November 2026.
