Airlines of Africa

Airlines have proliferated in Africa because, in many countries, road and rail networks are not well developed due to financial issues, terrain, and rainy seasons.

Ben R. Guttery, author of Encyclopedia of African Airlines, said "Although most of the carriers have never been large by European or American standards, they have had tremendous impact on the economy and the people.

[4] The knowledge of aircraft, the airline industry, and financial capital, originating from the Europeans, was used to establish the new African carriers.

[4] In addition, as of 1998, profits often went into the general operating funds of their respective countries, while many governments provide insufficient capital for their airlines.

[12] As of 1998, the International Civil Aviation Organization ranked Africa and Latin America as the world regions with the least safe air transportation networks.

"[5] By 2005, about 25% of aircraft crashes in the world occurred in Africa, while African flights were 5% of worldwide airline traffic.

The Wall Street Journal stated that "For decades, African aviation has suffered from antiquated planes, crumbling airports, broken equipment and poorly trained pilots" and that Africa had a "widespread neglect that makes this continent's skies the most dangerous in the world.

[14] By 2020 however, African aviation had improved safety to the point that flying in Africa is safer than the global average with respect to accidents per million flights.