Travel/Tourism
African Market for Online Travel is Still Emerging—Report
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new report by Jumia has said the African market for online travel was still nascent with undoubted prospects.
The piece titled Jumia Africa Hospitality Report, in its second edition, looks at the 2017/2018 trends in the continent’s tourism, travel, hospitality and aviation industries.
It focused on the impressive growth that Africa’s travel and tourism industry has recorded through in 2017 and 2018 with an increase in international arrivals.
The Jumia Hospitality Report further underlines the industries’ contribution to the economy, underlying challenges and the potential for future growth, as African tourism becomes of age.
According to the CEO of Jumia Travel & Food, Mr Joe Falter, “The African market for online travel is still nascent with undoubted prospects. We are proud to once again produce a comprehensive report that highlights the diverse aspects of both the hospitality and aviation industries in Africa. This has been made a success by the input of our partners.”
The report said although the continent receives only 5 percent of all the international arrivals, Africa’s travel and tourism industry continues to record impressive growth over the years.
In 2017, the continent hit a 63 million high in international tourist arrivals as compared to 58 million in 2016 (against 9 percent in 2016). As a result of affordability and ease of travel, domestic travel is growing in Africa, recording a high of 60 percent in local spending as compared to 40 percent in international spending.
The UNWTO’s Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili explains the change in domestic travel landscape in Africa, noting that “people’s movement is no longer a luxury set aside for the few with high per capita income but a basic need for the ever-increasing majority of the middle class who create and shape the future generation entrepreneurs. A growing middle class is a sign of a robust economy. The existence of domestic tourists who have more money to spend at their disposal and thus willing to travel more has led to the mushrooming of low-cost airlines, upward growth of bed capacity in main cities, flourishing of the so-called shared economy etc”.
The AU e-Passport and the creation of visa upon arrival, e-visa and visa-free travel for African citizens in line with the concept of unrestricted movement of persons, goods and services across the countries remains a strong driving factor to the growth of domestic travel. Africans now do not require a visa to travel to 25 percent of other African countries can get visas on arrival in 24 percent of other African countries, while still a dominant 51 percent of African countries need Africans to have visas to travel.
The report also breaks down the percentages of the various sources of traffic on Jumia. The high record in the mobile as a source of traffic is perhaps as a result of the increasing adoption of smartphones in Africa, which stands at 34 percent in 2018 and 61 percent of the travellers are using a smartphone to book their hotel or flight on Jumia Travel. The African traveller still opts to Pay-at-Hotel as the mode of payment (65 percent) in 2018, even as the trust for Credit & Debit Card increases to 21 percent from 15 percent in 2017.
Africa’s Aviation Industry
Africa’s air passenger traffic share is only 2.2 percent of the world total with 88.5 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 6.6 percent from 2016. It is expected to grow by 4.9 percent annually over the next 20 years, creating enormous opportunities for the continent’s airlines to grow.
Addressing how to competitively position Africa’s airlines in the global aviation market, IATA’s Special Envoy to Africa on Aeropolitical Affairs Raphael Kuuchi stipulates that “the sustainable growth of African airlines traffic lies in removing the bottlenecks to effective connectivity, lowering industry operating cost and developing commercial cooperation among airlines. With the assurance of safety, security, competitive operating environment, ease of market access and visa facilitation, Africa’s share of passenger traffic will exceed 320 million by 2037,” he concludes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has revealed that Nigerian airlines are battling a severe jet fuel crisis, triggered by soaring jet fuel prices and supply shortages.
This is the latest blow to the aviation industry, which escaped an industrial action by airline operators over the price of jet fuel.
The latest development is increasing costs, disrupting flights and creating concerns about operational safety and sustainability.
According to Reuters, the persistent scarcity of jet fuel has triggered widespread operational challenges, including flight delays, route adjustments and extended crew duty periods, as airlines struggle to manage schedules amid rising costs.
According to the President of the association, Captain Bunmi Gindeh, the fuel shortages were pushing crews beyond planned limits, increasing fatigue and potentially eroding safety margins in an industry governed by strict rest regulations.
According to local carrier Rano Air, it revealed that jet fuel prices had more than quadrupled, as well as made some routes commercially unsustainable, forcing operational adjustments.
Other carriers have also begun rescheduling or cancelling flights and cutting unprofitable routes, industry sources cited by Reuters said.
This comes at a difficult time for Nigeria’s aviation sector, already strained by foreign-exchange volatility, high aircraft maintenance costs, airport infrastructure strains and fuel price swings.
Airlines group, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), last month threatened to suspend operations over what they described as crippling and artificially inflated jet fuel prices.
Nigeria’s airline industry carries millions of passengers annually across an extensive domestic network and plays a critical role in connecting cities where road travel is often slow or insecure, making reliable air services economically and socially important.
The publication reported that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said fuel prices would not be capped, adding that any decisions on deregulated products would be formally communicated.
The crisis is worsening existing problems in Nigeria’s aviation sector, including forex instability, expensive aircraft maintenance and weak infrastructure.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has approved the establishment of a national aircraft leasing company aimed at easing access to modern fleets for domestic airlines and transforming aviation financing in Nigeria.
The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Mr Festus Keyamo, announced the decision after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), describing the move as a significant shift in how Nigerian carriers will acquire and finance aircraft.
Mr Keyamo said the proposed company would operate as a private-sector-driven Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with government backing.
“This initiative is a game-changer for our aviation industry. It eliminates the long-standing challenges Nigerian airlines face in accessing aircraft on competitive terms and positions the country as a hub for aviation financing in Africa,” he said.
According to the minister, the new platform will allow airlines to source aircraft through a centralised system, replacing the current model where operators negotiate individually with international lessors, often at higher costs and stricter terms.
Mr Keyamo noted that the government’s role would be largely supportive, providing sovereign guarantees to boost investor confidence, while private sector players drive the project.
“Through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, the government will hold equity and earn revenue without direct financial investment. Our primary obligation is to provide the confidence investors need, especially in ensuring asset security,” he added.
The initiative, he said, has already begun attracting interest from both local and international investors, signalling early confidence in its viability.
Beyond supporting Nigerian carriers, the leasing company is also expected to extend services across West Africa and the broader continent, positioning Nigeria as a regional hub for aircraft leasing.
Airlines in Nigeria have come into focus in recent weeks due to renewed concerns over the financial sustainability of operators, which almost forced them to suspend operations last month. However, the Bola Tinubu-led government approved a 30 per cent relief on debts owed by local airlines to aviation agencies and ordered talks involving fuel marketers, airlines, and regulators to reach a fair jet fuel price.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Air travellers flying through Emirates will enjoy Starlink Wi-Fi onboard after the completion of the installation of the internet service on the company’s flagship A380.
The introduction of Starlink on the A380 builds on Emirates’ ongoing investment into redefining the customer journey, including one of the most ambitious retrofit programmes in aviation history.
The airline operator recently test-run this on a flight to Dubai, and it allowed passengers to enjoy seamless broadband while flying at 40,000 feet.
The Emirates A380 was one of the first commercial aircraft in the world to offer internet to its customers, with first-generation systems offering a total aircraft bandwidth of less than 1 Mbps. The installation and certification were accomplished in Newquay, UK.
With more A380s scheduled for accelerated installation throughout 2026, Emirates customers will soon enjoy a transformative leap in onboard connectivity with the ability to stream, game, browse, and work throughout their journey on personal devices.
The service will be complimentary for all customers, across all cabins, with easy sign-up and access. Future enhancements will include Live TV streaming over Starlink, initially on personal devices and later integrated into seatback screens.
So far, more than 650,000 Emirates customers have already flown on Starlink‑equipped flights, experiencing the benefits of next‑generation onboard connectivity firsthand.
As the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the A380 presents unique engineering challenges and opportunities. This industry-first Starlink configuration is designed to meet the demands of the A380’s ‘double-decker’ layout and high passenger capacity and is capable of delivering more than 2 Gbps of total aircraft bandwidth across the cabin.
Compared with the Emirates Boeing 777, the Emirates A380 features additional wireless access points and a third antenna to deliver an enhanced connectivity experience for its higher passenger capacity. Optimised inter‑deck integration supports a seamless Wi‑Fi experience, with customers able to enjoy high speeds depending on usage and device capability.
Starlink installations will soon begin at Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai to accelerate deployment across the fleet.
Emirates is committed to bringing the best possible connectivity to its entire fleet at the earliest opportunity, with 25 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft already equipped with Starlink and the first A380 now joining service.
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