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A new study by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus reveals that West Africa holds the potential for an aviation revolution leveraging its booming population, diverse economies, and strategic geographical position to open up new routes. The study ‘Exploring the horizons: A study of unserved air routes to, from and within Africa’ highlights that nine out of the top fifteen unserved routes start or end in West Africa. These routes, including Lagos-New York, Abuja-Nairobi, and Dakar-Libreville, represent significant opportunities for airlines in the region.

“It is surprising to observe that throughout the entirety of the year 2023 and up to the conclusion of the IATA-summer in 2024, merely two routes connected Nigeria with North America and that both routes were operated by non-Nigerian operators: Lagos-Atlanta, operated by Delta Air Lines and Lagos-Washington, operated by United Airlines,” the Airbus study explains. “What is particularly remarkable is that during the same period, the whole region of West Africa only had three entry-points in North America: Atlanta, New York and Washington,” the authors further highlight. Beyond West Africa, other cities across the continent considered “most appealing unserved routes” link cities such as Cape Town, Nairobi, Dakar and Douala.



At the top of the list of unserved routes in Africa are long-haul intercontinental flights connecting the continent to North America, Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. These routes highli.

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