Some of the continent’s connectivity gaps have narrowed over the past year. Qantas added Perth to Johannesburg, Edelweiss introduced its A350 service to Windhoek, Air Congo announced a Brussels link to Kinshasa, and Ethiopian secured approval to serve Mauritius. If those routes can move from proposal to operation, why do others with similarly strong demand remain unserved?

That question sat at the centre of a discussion at AviaDev Africa 2026 in Gaborone, the continent’s main route development forum, where airlines, airports and tourism bodies meet to build new air links. It was chaired by Natalia Rosa, Project Lead at the Southern Africa Tourism Alliance (SATA).

The panel agreed that none of the stakeholders can make a route work alone. Airports need traffic, tourism boards need visitors and airlines need confidence that travellers have a reason to come. Rosa described it as a relationship, but as Keira Langford-Johnson, Business Development Director at Proflight Zambia, pointed out, not an equal one. The airline carries the risk, committing aircraft, crew and operating costs long before it knows whether demand will materialise.

Those costs do not move with the load. A half-empty aircraft burns much the same fuel as a full one, and no marketing campaign can change that. Airlines therefore look for evidence that demand will persist beyond a route launch. What they need, Langford-Johnson said, is proof that the market can sustain itself once the initial excitement fades. Too often that evidence never reaches the table. “What are people doing after they arrive? Where do they go? How do they move? That’s the data that builds a route,” she said.

Rupert Kraus of Discover Airlines, part of the Lufthansa Group, described a similar approach. Passenger numbers alone are rarely enough. He wants to see broader indicators of growth: hotels being developed, cargo volumes increasing and new industries investing in a destination. “If I only looked at the data in front of me, I’d struggle to justify the route,” he said.

With a limited fleet and a growing list of potential destinations competing for capacity, airlines need confidence that a market can support service over the long term rather than generate short bursts of demand.

The data exists, Kraus argued, yet it remains fragmented. Road transfer operators, charter companies and tourism businesses already collect much of the information airlines need to assess whether a route can succeed: who is travelling, where they are going, when they are travelling and in what numbers. Together, those datasets provide a far richer picture of demand than airlines often receive.

Langford-Johnson illustrated the point with three of Proflight Zambia’s recent routes into Livingstone, Maun and Windhoek, all of which emerged from conversations at AviaDev. None were obvious additions to the network, and Proflight does not launch new routes lightly. What changed was the preparation. Airport authorities, tourism boards and regulators arrived with a 72-page business case covering demand, market potential, operating costs and demographics. When information was missing, the airline asked for it and the partners supplied it. “If you’re not exchanging something, it’s just a meeting,” she said. The partners brought the evidence, helping build the confidence Proflight needed to launch the route.

Gathering the evidence is only part of the process. Keeping stakeholders aligned can be harder. As Tatamo Rakotozafy, Head of Aeronautical Activities at Ravinala Airports, explained, tourism authorities, airports and governments often approach route development with different priorities and measures of success.

The route is more likely to move forward when stakeholders can align around a shared economic objective. That common purpose becomes especially important when political priorities change or commercial pressures emerge.

Rakotozafy was describing alignment within a country. Justice Ofentse, Acting CEO of the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), argued that the same principle applies across borders. Smaller destinations, he said, are often more effective when they approach airlines collectively rather than competing against one another for the same aircraft and investment.

His argument was that the region should present itself as a single market, rather than a collection of individual destinations each making separate pitches to carriers.

One event could supply exactly the evidence airlines keep asking for. The 2027 T20 Cricket World Cup, shared by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, is expected to move more than 340,000 people across the three countries.

As Ofentse suggested, the tournament will test whether the three countries can present themselves to travellers as a connected destination instead of three separate markets.

Bronwen Auret, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at South African Tourism, acknowledged that creating that level of coordination requires effort well beyond the tourism sector. The tournament, however, provides a practical opportunity to bring together air access planning, tourism promotion and regional cooperation around a single event.

If the planning is done well, she argued, it could also generate valuable data on how visitors moved through the region and where demand was concentrated.

Those patterns are the evidence airlines keep asking for. Whether the region can bring them together into a convincing demand case may determine which of its long-discussed routes finally move from proposal to schedule.

Credits: Africans

The post Why Some of Africa’s Most Promising Routes Still Have No Flights first appeared on AircrewNews.com.

Ellers highlighted the group’s long-standing contribution to connectivity and economic development across the continent.

Speaking to ENA on the airline’s role in Africa’s aviation sector, Ellers said the airline–operating for more than 80 years, has played a central role in improving air connectivity within Africa and internationally.

He noted that Ethiopian Airlines continues to operate modern aircraft such as the Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000, reflecting its commitment to fleet modernization and efficiency.

Ellers emphasized that the airlines is a major driver of socio-economic development, pointing out its role in boosting tourism, attracting investment, and creating employment both within airlines and across related industries.

“It brings social and economic benefits, jobs, and enhanced national economic performance,” he said.

He also praised Ethiopian Airlines’ expansion strategy and described its ambition to connect destinations across Africa and global markets as a reflection of a strong “pioneer spirit.”

Recalling a personal experience on an A350 flight from Paris, Ellers commended the airline’s service culture, saying the crew stood out for their attentiveness and warmth, making passengers feel “welcomed and valued.”

Beyond operations, Ellers highlighted the growing partnership between Airbus and Ethiopian Airlines.

He said the two organizations collaborate closely on aircraft maintenance support, fleet planning, and future development projects, including discussions around aircraft such as the A220 and A330neo.

He also pointed to joint efforts in aviation training and education through the Ethiopian Aviation Academy, which works with Airbus and international universities, including institutions in France, to develop advanced aviation programs.

Ellers further noted that Ethiopian Airlines has built a wider aviation ecosystem beyond passenger services.

This includes maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, an aviation university, hospitality services, and visa-related support. He said the airline is actively involved in training, aircraft maintenance for both its own fleet and other operators, and maintains daily cooperation with Airbus technical teams.

He concluded that the partnership between Airbus and Ethiopian Airlines continues to deepen across multiple areas, reflecting a long-term commitment to strengthening Africa’s aviation industry.

Credits: Ethiopian

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