Medium-sized jet market shows promise

The aviation manufacturing market should not entirely be viewed as a titanic struggle between Airbus and Boeing. Brazilian medium-sized aircraft specialist Embraer is particularly enthusiastic about Africa’s vast untapped air travel potential. While there are just 500 scheduled routes between African destinations, there are 800 between African airports and the rest of the world. The lack of services between even relatively populous African countries means travellers often take long, uncomfortable road journeys or fly via other continents just to get to a neighbouring African country.

Embraer therefore hopes that its medium sized E170 and E190 aircraft with just 70-120 seats can fill the gap by making it commercially viable to offer direct flights between African destinations. Its regional jets dominate similar markets elsewhere in the world and could help reduce the cost of medium-haul transport for both airlines and

African passengers by increasing load factors – the proportion of seats sold on any flight.

African load factors currently stand at about 70%, in comparison with a global average of 82%. Some airlines use wide-body aircraft on medium-haul routes because they want the flexibility of being able to use the same planes on longer routes or they hope to grow markets, but this can result in too many unsold seats.

Moreover, demand for business jets in Africa is higher than before the pandemic, even in struggling Nigeria and South Africa, according to consultants WINGX Advance. Often regarded as the preserve of the super rich, business jets are being used in a variety of commercial environments. Indeed, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has sanctioned some private jet operators for offering commercial operations without a licence. While illegal, this black market does highlight the level of untapped demand for air travel in the continent’s most populous country.