African Pilot

19/09/2025

has taken another step forward as the ELT 5000 secures certification on the . Designed to meet requirements, this advanced distress tracking system is already proving its reliability with thousands of successful flight hours.

Find out more here: https://africanpilot.africa/gadss-compliant-artex-elt-5000-achieves-certification-on-boeing-787-aircraft/

19/09/2025

In this op-ed, Andy Smith, Director of Industry and Innovation at SITA, examines the “Big Five” border challenges and how digital solutions are helping governments balance security with seamless travel.

Read here: https://africanpilot.africa/tackling-the-big-five-addressing-the-border-challenges-you-keep-hearing-about/

19/09/2025

Turkish Airlines has completed a landmark Airbus A350 financing through an Islamic finance lease with Dubai Islamic Bank. This transaction, executed in Swiss francs under an Ijarah arrangement, represents the flag carrier’s first Sharia-compliant financing and a milestone in diversifying its funding portfolio. The deal strengthens partnerships with the UAE and supports long-term fleet expansion goals.

🇹🇷 🇦🇪 Read more: https://africanpilot.africa/turkish-airlines-completes-a-landmark-deal-for-its-airbus-a350-financing-with-dib/

19/09/2025

Embraer’s E190-E2 & E195-E2 jets are now South African Civil Aviation Authority - SACAA certified. Airlink to receive 10 new E195-E2s by 2027, boosting connectivity & fuel efficiency in Southern Africa.

✈️ https://africanpilot.africa/embraer-e190-e2-and-e195-e2-aircraft-receive-type-certification-from-south-african-civil-aviation-authority/

18/09/2025

Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile du Gabon appoints new directors under statutory reforms, including the creation of an Air Transport Directorate.

🇬🇦 Read more here: https://africanpilot.africa/gabon-civil-aviation-agency-appoints-new-directors/

18/09/2025

ACMI — Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance — is often described as an “airline in a box”. Using the tuxedo analogy, Andrew Lester of Chapman Freeborn Airchartering explains how ownership, dry lease, and wet lease models differ, and why ACMI offers airlines flexibility in seasonal markets such as Africa.

https://africanpilot.africa/explaining-acmi-through-the-tuxedo-analogy/

18/09/2025

Europe’s next-generation weather forecasting era begins with the launch of MetOp-SG A1, a satellite designed to deliver unprecedented accuracy in weather prediction and atmospheric monitoring into the mid-2040s. A landmark step in global meteorology.

Airbus

https://africanpilot.africa/europes-new-era-of-weather-forecasting-begins-with-successful-launch-of-metop-sg-a1/

18/09/2025

International Air Transport Association (IATA) study: Aviation contributes USD$160m to Rwanda’s GDP, supports 42,000 jobs & 16,500 tonnes of cargo. Key to growth: infrastructure, training, sustainability.

🇷🇼 https://africanpilot.africa/iata-highlights-aviations-strategic-role-in-rwandas-economic-growth/

17/09/2025

At the Aviation Africa Summit & Exhibition 2025, International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s Regional VP Kamil Al-Awadhi spoke with African Pilot about Rwanda’s business case, stakeholder collaboration, and what Africa can achieve with coordinated aviation strategies.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/hqnibyFQKCo

At the recent Aviation Africa 2025 summit in Kigali, African Pilot Magazine editor Phillippa Dean sat down with IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and...

17/09/2025

Fighting wildfires just got smarter. OFIL Airborne and Nova Maps join forces to bring advanced wildfire mapping to utility helicopters, boosting efficiency and real-time aerial firefighting data.

https://africanpilot.africa/international-ofil-airborne-and-nova-maps-team-up-to-bring-wildfire-mapping-to-utility-helicopters/

17/09/2025

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers have developed an AI system to decode aviation radio communications, reducing errors and improving safety. Using automatic speech recognition and natural language processing, the system transcribes, standardises and analyses pilot-controller communications. The project, supported by Embry-Riddle’s Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety, has already demonstrated word error rate reductions from 80% to below 15% and is being applied in NASA-funded work.

Read more: https://africanpilot.africa/say-again-embry-riddle-researchers-develop-ai-system-to-decode-aviation-speak/

17/09/2025

GKN Aerospace Fabrication of the Fan Case Mount Ring (FCMR), a critical Pratt & Whitney GTF engine component powering the Airbus A220 and Embraer E195-E2.

Read more: https://africanpilot.africa/gkn-aerospace-accelerates-additive-fabrication-ramp-up-with-us-expansio/

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