Partnerships are Key to Strengthening Africa’s Aviation Connectivity – ASKY CEO | By Dominick Andoh
The Chief Executive Officer of ASKY Airlines, Mr. Esayas Woldemariam Hailu, has called for strategic partnerships and cooperation among African airlines in order to improve air connectivity, building scale and driving economic growth across the continent.
Speaking at Day Two of the Africa Trade Summit 2026 in Accra, Ghana Mr. Hailu said collaboration, rather than fragmentation, remains the most effective path to a sustainable and competitive African aviation industry.
He noted that many African airlines already recognise this reality, citing ASKY’s extensive network of partnerships as a practical example.
According to him, ASKY currently maintains about 15 commercial agreements with other African carriers, including interline and codeshare arrangements that allow airlines to share traffic, optimise capacity and maintain schedule integrity. He referenced a recently signed codeshare agreement with Air Senegal, which he said delivered immediate results.
“Within just two months, Air Senegal sold about half a million seats on ASKY,” Mr. Hailu said, describing the arrangement as a clear win-win. Beyond revenue generation, he explained that partnerships also provide operational resilience, allowing airlines to support each other during aircraft maintenance issues and minimise passenger disruption.
Mr. Hailu also highlighted the long-standing cooperation between ASKY and Ethiopian Airlines as a model for continent-wide connectivity. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier with about 140 destinations globally, works closely with ASKY through Lomé, where passengers from 34 regional destinations are fed into Ethiopian’s long-haul network.
Through this partnership, passengers seamlessly connect from West Africa to North America, Asia, the Middle East and the Gulf. Mr. Hailu said the two airlines exchange traffic daily, averaging about 500 passengers each day, underscoring the tangible benefits of cooperation.
He stressed that such partnerships help African airlines build the critical mass needed to reduce unit costs, improve efficiency and expand route networks; key factors for lowering fares and boosting demand.
Mr. Hailu argued that deeper collaboration across the continent is essential if Africa is to unlock aviation’s full potential as a driver of trade, investment and integration.
With Africa accounting for about 20% of the world’s population but only around 3% of global GDP, he said aviation partnerships must play a central role in changing that narrative.
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