Airbus aircraft preferred choice in Africa

For the overall region, today’s fleet comprises : 142 single aisle aircraft such as the best-selling A320 Family and 91 wide-body aircraft such as the popular A330 Family, and the latest generation eco-efficient aircraft A350 XWB.

Customers in the region account for over 250 orders. Several more carriers operate leased or pre-owned Airbus aircraft. The move to Airbus aircraft is driven by state of the art technology, highest efficiency level, unprecedented comfort. In 2016 Airbus stood at over 80 % market share in terms of new aircraft sales in Sub-Saharan Africa.

With Ethiopian Airlines taking delivery of its first A350-900s and Air Cote d’Ivoire being the first airline on the continent to order the A320neo, 2016 has proven to be an exciting year for Airbus in Africa. RwandAir has taken delivery of its brand new A330-200 and A330-300, followed by South African Airways which has taken delivery of three out of five A330-300s. This year, Air Mauritius will start operating the first of its six A350-900s and the A330neo in 2018.

According to Airbus studies, passenger traffic from and to Africa including Southern Indian Ocean region will increase by 5.5 per cent yearly over the next twenty years well above the 4.4 per cent world average growth rate and far beyond developed markets such as North America or Western Europe.

Tourism, economic growth, expanding middle classes, business development, increased urbanisation and further opportunities from market liberalisation are some of the factors which contribute to attract increasing connectivity to and from the Africa and Southern Indian Ocean regions. 

“International passenger traffic is predicted to grow in the coming years” said Hadi Akoum, Vice President Sales Sub-Saharan, Africa and Southern Indian Ocean at a media briefing in Mauritius. “With this positive outlook, Mauritius will reinforce its position as one of the best tourism destinations and will be a key player in the African market growth. The air transport market in Africa has significant potential”.

The vital role of air connectivity opens up markets, drives trade, creates and supports jobs, stimulates economic growth and creates prosperity. Urbanisation, long distance travelling between trading centres and the lack of a continuous and reliable surface transport system means that aviation is and will continue to be the most efficient way to connect people within Africa, and with the rest of the World. International traffic is doubling every15 years

Airbus has sold over 17,000 aircraft to some 400 customers worldwide with cumulative deliveries totaling around 10,300 aircraft. The Airbus’ overall backlog stood at nearly 6,800 aircraft representing around 8 years of production.