• Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya Airways, has assumed the presidency of AFRAA, paving the way for collaborative advancements in African aviation.
• Kenya Airways received the Airline of the Year award for Best Improved Profitability at the AFRAA General Assembly.
• Kilavuka is among Africa aviation experts advocating for airline consolidation in Africa to address unsustainable fragmentation and improve connectivity.

Muyela Roberto is a business journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 9 years of experience in digital media, providing in-depth insight into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka has been appointed as the new President of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

He assumed this role during the 56th Annual General Meeting and Summit in Cairo, Egypt. His appointment marks an important step for Kenya Airways and the African aviation industry, positioning it to guide the sector towards sustainability and global competitiveness.

During his one-year term, Kilavuka will oversee the strategic direction of AFRAA, advocate for the interests of its member airlines and champion policies that strengthen collaboration and growth within Africa’s aviation sector .

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This role comes as the industry faces challenges including post-pandemic recovery and market fragmentation.

During his acceptance speech, Kilavuka expressed his gratitude and optimism about his new responsibilities:

“It is a privilege to be entrusted with the role of President of AFRAA. I deeply appreciate this opportunity and look forward to working alongside my industry peers to amplify Africa’s voice in global aviation, build on greater collaboration and lead strategic initiatives to enable Africa to be heard. airlines to meet current challenges and seize new opportunities.

Kilavuka succeeds João Carlos Pó Jorge, the outgoing CEO of LAM Mozambique, who led AFRAA for the past two years. Under Jorge’s leadership, the association has achieved significant milestones in promoting sustainability and fostering strategic partnerships. Kilavuka should build on this foundation, ensuring continuity and progress.

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At the same event, Kenya Airways received the Airline of the Year award for Best Improved Profitability.

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This award highlights the airline’s strong performance in 2023, marked by operational excellence, improved profitability and its central role in advancing the aviation narrative in Africa.

AFRAA, founded in 1968, represents more than 40 airlines across Africa, covering more than 85% of the continent’s air transport operations.

The association is committed to fostering industrial collaboration and promoting the sustainable development of African aviation. Through advocacy and strategic initiatives, AFRAA aims to create a safer, more competitive and efficient aviation environment across the continent.

Kenya Airways’ path to collaboration

Kilavuka has repeatedly emphasized the importance of joint ventures and partnerships to address the challenges of the fragmented aviation market in Africa.

Kenya Airways has entered into cooperative agreements including joint ventures with Air Mauritius and Ethiopian Airlines, as well as a strategic proposal with South African Airways to create a pan-African airline group.

Despite delays due to restructuring, the partnership with South African Airways has grown, with the two airlines sharing resources such as airport lounges. Kilavuka stressed that consolidation and collaboration are crucial to reduce operational costs, lower ticket prices and improve connectivity for African travelers.

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Talk to TUKO.co.ke On the sidelines of the African Aviation Innovation Summit in Nairobi, Kilavuka highlighted the urgent need for consolidation to transform the destiny of aviation in Africa.

“As Kenya Airways, we already have certain types of cooperation with other players. Airlines can consider things like interlining, code shares, joint ventures, mergers, equity participation, etc. We We’ve already started this.

The path to consolidation is not easy. We are working on it and have shared the concept with some of our partners. I remain optimistic because I really think that if we want to develop air transport in Africa, we must avoid this fragmentation,” Kilavuka said.

Source: TUKO.co.ke