In his intervention at the African aviation MRO AFRICA on 23 April 2024 – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mr. Abderahmane Berthe, AFRAA Secretary General, called upon African Airlines, MROs, and AATOs (African Aviation Training Organisations) to cooperate better and be ready to sustain the future growth of the African Air Transport market.
He highlighted that the number of aircraft operated on the African continent in the next 10 years is estimated to reach 1,429 units as the result of a growth rate of 2,3% per year from 2024 to 2034. As such, to operate more aircrafts, it will be critical to facilitate the access to aircraft financing for airlines and to develop MRO capacities across the continent.
“The two critical challenges for MRO activities growth to be addressed are: The Supply Chain challenge and, the Labor shortage challenge,” Mr Berthé stated.
“To operate more aircraft, we need to develop human resources,” he concluded. According to Boeing global market forecast, the needs for skills in Africa from 2023 to 2042 are 22,000 engineers, 21,000 pilots, and 26,000 cabin crews.