The Route Development Group (RDG) holds Africa’s largest networking event for the route development industry in Senegal this year. Taking place on 25-27th May and hosted by Dakar Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, the third Routes Regional Africa is endorsed by industry bodies such as ACI Africa, AFRAA, AFCAC, IATA, AASA, ICAO and UNWTO.

Up to 200 key air service decision makers from airports and airlines all across the region will gather and utilise this unique platform to discuss new and sustainable routes to, from and within Africa. Attendance will be 30 per cent higher than last year and the event will see the highest ever number of French-speaking airports, including Ouagadougou Airport and Antananarivo Airport. Further airports at the event: Tambo International Airport, Nairobi- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as well as non-African hubs, such as Delhi International Airport, Abu Dhabi International Airport and Brussels Airport. The airlines attending include Royal Air Maroc, Air France, Qatar Airways, Virgin Nigeria and the newly formed SBA Airlines.

“Africa is the new hotspot of the aviation industry. There is a lot of route development activity in this region,” says Mike Howarth, CEO & Founder of Routes. “As the only company organising a networking event for the route development industry in Africa, we are aiming to further support the region and its efforts.”

Comparing the first quarters of 2007 and 2008, the international seat capacity from destinations outside Africa has grown by 11 per cent and the intra-African traffic is up by 9 per cent (source: Flightbase). Massive Chinese financial investment in Africa over the last two years has brought numerous African countries to conclude air services agreements with China. Furthermore, the de-regulation on international air service is growing and has already resulted in new routes to the US: Three Nigerian carriers have been authorised to fly to the US – Arik, Bellview and Virgin Nigeria. Tourism markets in North Africa (Morocco, Egypt) show further low-cost carrier development and European tour operators are now carefully analysing new leisure markets such as Mozambique.

The last of this year’s Routes Regional events, Routes Regional Africa will offer an unparalleled platform for airlines and airports to meet, discuss new as well as existing routes and do business. Routes distinctive networking formula allows delegates to network to the maximum, as networking opportunities are unlimited over the three days. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet industry suppliers exhibiting at the event and showcasing their products.

In addition, this year’s Routes Regional Africa offers a conference and workshops on the 26th and 27th May on “Air Transport in Africa – A New Agenda for Growth”. Speakers include Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Secretary, Business Council, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mbaye Ndiaye, Directeur Général, Aéroports du Sénégal, Farba Senghor, Ministre de l’Artisanat et des Transports Aériens du Sénégal, Raphael E Kuuchi, Commercial Director, African Airlines Association (AFRAA), and Boubacar Djibo, Secretary General, African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC). Vincent Kas, Network Planner Africa at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Genaro Pena, Director of Marketing, Communications & Community Affairs, Houston Airport System, will deliver perspectives on Africa from Europe and the US. After successful Routes Regionals in Cancun, Macau, and Porto, this event will bring the ‘regional season’ to a close and pave the path to RDG’s flagship event, the World Route Development Forum in Kuala Lumpur in October 2008.