Poor Fleet Size Undermines African Airlines Ability to Dominate Region’s Market

Chinedu Eze

The Chief Executive Officer of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Aaron Munetsi, has decried the poor fleet size of most Africans airlines, which is responsible for the loss of the African market to international carriers.

European, American and Middle East carriers dominate the African market by 82 per cent and processed most of the 273 million passengers airlifted on the continent in 2025.

Munetsi expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of aircraft acquisition and fleet size of African airlines put together.

Comparing African continent which has 54 countries to USA’s Delta Airlines fleet, he said, “The whole continent has less than 1,000 aircraft while Delta Air Lines, alone operates about 1,500 aircraft. That tells you the size of the gap we are dealing with.”

He spoke at the second day of the Nigerian Aircraft Acquisition & Investment Summit (NAAIS) in Lagos.

He said something is wrong somewhere that Africa cannot leverage on its population and the geographical size.

“With 52 airlines — flag carriers across the continent — only seven are fully operational, and of those seven, only one is profitable,” he said.

He noted that Africa, with a population of about 1.4 billion people, contributes just two per cent to global aviation, a figure he described as disproportionately low given its size and economic potential.

Munetsi was miffed the continent operates fewer than 1,000 aircraft in total, a number he said underscores the scale of the challenge facing African aviation.

Munetsi attributed the situation to a mix of economic constraints and regulatory inefficiencies, stressing that many African economies are not structured to support sustainable airline operations or fleet expansion.

He further revealed that African airlines are struggling to generate significant revenue, with some earning less than one million dollars in returns, a situation he described as unsustainable for an industry that requires heavy capital investment.

“We’re getting less than one million dollars in some cases. How do you build capacity, acquire aircraft, or compete globally under such conditions?” he queried.

Munetsi also complained about the ageing fleet across the continent, citing data from global aviation bodies which indicate that Africa operates some of the oldest aircraft in the world.

“According to industry statistics, we have the oldest fleets globally and the smallest fleets globally. Yet, we are sitting on enormous potential — vast landmass, growing population, and increasing demand for connectivity,” he said.