Aviation Africa 2024: Times Aerospace Events and SACAA Co-Sponsored Summit Sets New Milestones
Record participation from 34 African countries, 1,200 delegates, 92 airlines and operators, and over 100 exhibitors and sponsors
AVAF24 Key Highlights
- The two-day event, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng on September 16-17, set new milestones in collaboration and innovation.
- Co-sponsored by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and Times Aerospace Events, with co-location by AfBAA, ensuring a comprehensive dialogue.
- Summit opening keynote by South Africa’s Minister of Transport, the Honourable Barbara Creecy, and contributions from Ms. Poppy Khoza (SACAA) and Alan Peaford (Aviation Africa Summit Chair)
- Key topics addressed at the summit included workforce development, financing aviation ambitions, sustainable airport projects, and climate change adaptation.
- The Insight Theatre debuted for the 2024 instalment, facilitating robust debates on key aviation topics.
- A strategic agreement was announced between Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) and Global Air Navigation Services (GANS).
- Rwanda to host the 9th edition of Aviation AFRICA in 2025.
The 8th Aviation AFRICA Summit and Exhibition 2024, themed “Bridging Skies and Leveraging Growth,” exceeded expectations and set new milestones in aviation collaborations and innovation.
The two-day event was held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng on September 16 and 17, 2024.
A New Benchmark: Aviation AFRICA Summit Sets Attendance Record
With participation from 34 African countries, 1,200 delegates, 92 airlines and operators, and over 100 exhibitors and sponsors, this year’s Aviation AFRICA Summit and Exhibition was the most successful to date.
This year’s event was co-sponsored by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) who, together with Times Aerospace Events, united industry leaders for focused discussions on the future of aviation.
This event also marked the first co-location partnership with the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), ensuring a comprehensive dialogue for the future among industry leaders, airlines, regulators, airports, OEMs, and business aviation companies.
Inauguration by Minister of Transport and Keynote Addresses
The summit was officially inaugurated by South Africa’s Minister of Transport, the Honourable Barbara Creecy, in her first engagement with aviation stakeholders since being appointed to the portfolio in July.
In her keynote address, Minister Creecy highlighted the global aviation recovery, noting that air passenger numbers indicate the sector is almost at cruising altitude again after the economic turbulence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am pleased to see that air transport is almost at pre-pandemic levels economically,” highlighting the recovery in global passenger and cargo numbers. A strong aviation network is essential for boosting tourism in Africa. With its diverse landscapes, rich cultures, and vibrant cities, Africa has immense potential to attract international tourists,” said Minister Creecy.
Ms. Poppy Khoza, the Director of Civil Aviation at the SACAA, emphasised the importance of events such as Aviation AFRICA in fostering collaboration among stakeholders to strengthen the industry.
“Despite past social and humanitarian challenges, we are now a continent with great potential for growth on condition that we make use of the networks and collaborative opportunities in this and similar events,” she said.
The Summit Chairperson, Alan Peaford, opened the proceedings by honouring the late Nick Fadugba, former Chairperson of AfBAA and Secretary-General of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), acknowledging his contributions to aviation development across Africa.
Peaford said ”SACAA and AfBAA involvement helped us attract leaders from across the African industry and delegates from more than 70 countries. There was an open spirit of honest debate about the issues that are holding back Africa’s aviation industry from realising its true Potential.”
Charting the Course: Key Topics Addressed at the Summit
The event included a range of panel discussions and deliberations on key topics, such as:
- How Africa can ensure that it develops a skilled workforce to match its growth potential in the air and on the ground.
- Why challenges still exist to finance Africa’s aviation ambitions.
- Human Capital for Sustainable Airport Projects.
- Adaptation to challenges on climate change, and many more.
Debuting the Insight Theatre
A notable addition to this year’s instalment was the Insight Theatre, which operated concurrently in the Exhibition Hall. It facilitated robust debates on key aviation topics, with South African Airways (SA) and Airlink (4Z) presenting their organisational strategic plans to the audience.
The event also highlighted significant industry announcements, including a strategic agreement between Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) and Global Air Navigation Services (GANS) to collaborate on various aspects of Air Traffic Management.
Rwanda to Host 9th Edition of Aviation AFRICA
In closing, the official flag was passed to the Republic of Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure, the Honourable Olivier Kabera, designating the East African country as the next host for Aviation AFRICA 2025.
