African Pilot Weekly Magazine 32:2026
African Airline
Airlink Embraers Complete Two-Pass Flypast over Ellis Park
Airlink Embraers ZS-YAE and ZS-YDE completed reciprocal and formation passes over Ellis Park ahead of the first Springboks–All Blacks Test, with six captains crewing the operation.
Airlink Embraers Complete Two-Pass Flypast over Ellis Park
Airlink Embraers ZS-YAE and ZS-YDE completed reciprocal and formation passes over Ellis Park ahead of the first Springboks–All Blacks Test, with six captains crewing the operation.
African Airline
58th AFRAA Annual General Assembly and Summit — Save the Date
AFRAA and host airline FlyGabon have confirmed the 58th AFRAA Annual General Assembly and Summit for 22 to 24 November 2026 in Libreville, Gabon.
Association Event
Air Botswana Moves to Appoint ACC Aviation as Aircraft Lease Consultant
Air Botswana has issued a notice of intention to appoint ACC Aviation ME FZCO as its aircraft lease consultant through direct procurement, with a five-working-day enquiry period before any award.
Tenders
Airlink Expands NDC Distribution Through NDC Gateway
Airlink’s NDC content is now distributed through NDC Gateway, giving IATA-accredited agencies on the platform access to the airline’s fares, ancillary products and servicing through a single interface.
Airline Distribution
Aircraft Debut
Do228 NXT Makes African Debut at El Alamein Airshow and AAD 2026
General Atomics AeroTec Systems will bring its new Do228 NXT turboprop to Africa for the first time in September, exhibiting in Egypt and South Africa.
Do228 NXT Makes African Debut at El Alamein Airshow and AAD 2026
General Atomics AeroTec Systems will bring its new Do228 NXT turboprop to Africa for the first time in September, exhibiting in Egypt and South Africa.
Aircraft Debut
Babasky Technologies Demonstrates Counter-UAS System in Abuja
Nigerian defence technology company Babasky Technologies has demonstrated a counter-unmanned aerial system able to detect drones and locate their operators at up to eight kilometres.
Counter-UAS
Advertisement
Eve Air Mobility and RV Connex Sign MOU on Thailand Urban Air Mobility Regulation
Eve Air Mobility and Thailand’s RV Connex have signed an MOU to jointly advance regulatory development for Thailand’s Advanced Air Mobility industry.
Urban Air Mobility
Saab Showcases Full-Scale Uncrewed Aircraft Concept
Saab has shown a full-scale concept model of the A3-001 uncrewed combat air system at Malmen Air Base, with uncrewed demonstrators intended to fly before 2030.
Uncrewed Aircraft
Terra Industries Closes US$52 Million Seed Round Ahead of Ghana Drone Factory Opening
Terra Industries has closed its seed round at US$52 million and plans to open Pax-2, its second African drone factory, in Ghana in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Aviation Investment
Tanzania Positions Itself to Benefit More From Drone Technology
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority has launched a National Drone Team to strengthen coordination, regulation and technical capacity as the country prepares for increased drone operations towards 2030.
Drone Regulation
Personal eVTOL
CoolFly Launches Urban Standing-Position Personal Aircraft
CoolFly has launched Urban, billed as the world’s first standing-position personal aircraft, alongside its Dream series and NA80 flight control system, at a product launch event in Hangzhou.
CoolFly Launches Urban Standing-Position Personal Aircraft
CoolFly has launched Urban, billed as the world’s first standing-position personal aircraft, alongside its Dream series and NA80 flight control system, at a product launch event in Hangzhou.
Personal eVTOL
Airports of Mauritius Seeks Advanced Airfield Operations Training Provider
Business Opportunity
Airports of Mauritius Co Ltd (AML) is inviting proposals from aviation training organisations to design and deliver a 40-hour Advanced Airfield Operations and Safety Training Programme at SSR International Airport.
ESWACAA Seeks Consultant for Baseline Stakeholder Engagement Survey
Business Opportunity
ESWACAA is seeking a consultant to design and conduct a baseline stakeholder engagement survey.
Ravinala Airports Seeks BOT Partners for New Cargo Terminals at Antananarivo and Nosy Be
Business Opportunity
Ravinala Airports has launched a call for expressions of interest to identify Build-Operate-Transfer partners for new cargo terminals at Antananarivo and Nosy Be international airports in Madagascar.
Senegal Moves to Update Civil Aviation Framework Following ICAO and FAA Reviews
ANACIM has convened an ad hoc commission to update parts of Senegal’s civil aviation legal framework, addressing ICAO recommendations and the conclusions of an FAA mock audit.
Aviation Regulation
Zambia Airways Appoints Aman Wole Gurmu as Chief Executive Officer
Zambia Airways has appointed Aman Wole Gurmu, formerly of Ethiopian Airlines Group, as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 August 2026.
Airline Leadership
MHI to Build World’s Largest Automated People Mover at Dubai’s Al Maktoum Airport
MHI has received an order to build a 50-kilometre automated people mover, the world’s largest, at Dubai’s new Al Maktoum International Airport.
Airport Infrastructure
Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces Deploy Extensive Aerial Fleet in National Forest Fire Response
Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces are leading the country’s aerial forest fire response with a fleet of Canadair CL-415, Turbo Thrush and Super Puma aircraft under a national four-tier response system.
Aerial Firefighting
Ryanair Sets Record Morocco Winter Schedule
Ryanair will operate its largest winter schedule to date in Morocco, offering 5.3 million seats across 156 routes and opening a new base at Rabat.
Route Expansion
SORA Technology Deploys TSUBASA Drones in Benin Malaria Control Programme
SORA Technology is using its TSUBASA drones for larvicide application in a malaria vector-control programme across six communes in Benin, funded by the Government of Japan.
Humanitarian Drones
United and CAE Complete Phase One Expansion of World’s Largest Pilot Training Facility
United Airlines and CAE have completed phase one of an expansion at United’s Flight Training Center in Denver, described as the world’s largest pilot training facility, adding 40 new training devices since 2022.
Pilot Training
Airbus Kicks Off Wing Facility Extension with Major Investment into Belfast Site
Airbus has started construction on a 6,221 square metre extension to its Belfast wing facility, the sole global source of A220 wings, supporting a production ramp-up to 13 aircraft per month by 2028.
Aircraft Manufacturing
Moody’s Upgrades Bombardier Credit Rating to Ba2
Aircraft Finance
Moody’s Ratings has upgraded Bombardier’s credit rating to Ba2 from Ba3, its second upgrade from the agency in 12 months, alongside a strong set of second-quarter results.
IATA Calls for New Approach to Airline Payment Strategy
Airline Payments
IATA has urged airlines to treat payment as a strategic capability rather than a back-office function, launching a new framework to help management teams evaluate payment options.
Côte d’Ivoire Confirms Acquisition of Two Wing Loong II UAVs
Defence Procurement
Côte d’Ivoire has confirmed the acquisition of two Chinese-built Wing Loong II UAVs for border surveillance, maritime monitoring, counter-terrorism and fire-support missions.
Rodrigues Airport Runway Programme Moves Forward Under Revised Procurement Plan
Airport Development
A World Bank procurement plan confirms a roughly USD 166 million runway construction project is under way at Rodrigues Airport in Mauritius.
