Nairobi — Nairobi has been listed among the major city routes in Africa not served by Airbus, a global aerospace and aviation corporation.

In its latest report, which identified key unserved routes that would boost air travel on the continent, Airbus also enlisted Lagos, Cape Town, Dakar, and Douala, stating that the routes could provide greater connectivity for travelers and drive economic growth in local economies, including boosting revenue for airlines.

Geert Lemaire, Market Intelligence and Consulting Director, Airbus, revealed that despite significant traffic between certain city pairs, some identified routes still lack regularly scheduled non-stop flights.

"Factors such as restrictive bilateral air service agreements, economic variables, and challenges with capacity, frequency and operating cost efficiency contribute to these routes remaining unserved," said Lemaire, Market Intelligence and Consulting Director, Airbus.

He stated, however, that the company remains committed to partnering with airlines across Africa to identify optimized fleet solutions in line with network development requirements that further stimulate the continent's air transport industry growth and improve connectivity for travelers.

"With our capacity to make analyses about route and network development potential in-house, Airbus remains committed to partnering with airlines across Africa to identify optimised fleet solutions," added Lemaire Market Intelligence and Consulting Director, Airbus.

The company also highlighted data on Africa in its latest Global Market Forecast (GMF), focusing on strategic recommendations to capitalize on the opportunities of a more connected continent.

The forecast data predicts a 4.1 percent growth overall in air traffic over the next 20 years, resulting in an anticipated need for 1,180 new aircraft by 2043.

Additionally, the continued growth of the aviation sector in Africa is expected to result in 3.3 percent GDP growth on the continent, above the 2.6 percent global average.

This growth is ratified by data from Airbus' Global Services Forecast, which estimates that Africa will need to introduce 15 000 more pilots, 20 000 technicians, and 24 000 cabin crew to meet the surge in air travel demand.