Routes Africa 2012 Officially Launched!

Routes Africa, now in its 7th year, is the annual gathering of air service decision makers for the African region and the 2012 event will take place on 8-10 July hosted by the Seychelles Tourism Board in partnership with the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority. The event will take place in the Seychelles capital Victoria and is expected to attract up to 150 delegates.

This will be the first time that the event has been held in the Indian Ocean region and will raise awareness of the need to increase connectivity between Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean region. It will also provide an ideal opportunity for our host to showcase their destination and celebrate the airport’s 40th anniversary.

Routes Africa attracts key decision makers from a wide variety of airlines with a growing presence from charter carriers and airlines based outside of the region wishing to learn more about the existing opportunities. Early registrations have already been received from, amongst others, Arik Air, Etihad Airways, Air Seychelles, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Mega Maldives and South African Airways who are the largest airline in the African region.

Airports registering early include Ghana Airports, Aeroports du Mali, Aeroportos de Mozambique and Entebbe International Airport along with those outside the region including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen International Airport and Bangalore International Airport.

In addition to the one-to-one meetings the Routes Africa Strategy Forum will take place on the afternoon of Sunday 8thJuly and the morning of Monday 9th July. A panel of leading industry experts will take part in moderator led discussions addressing aviation and route development issues across the region including: 'Unlocking the Market – Liberalisation vs. Competition'; 'Safety, Security & Standards' and 'The Road to Recovery – Rebuilding & Looking to the Future'. The Forum, which is open to all Routes Africa delegates, promises to be both stimulating and enjoyable with moderators encouraging debate between the panellists and members of the audience. This is a key element of the event which should not be missed.

For our event brochure, more information and to register for Routes Africa 2012 click here.

Richard Maslen

Richard Maslen has travelled across the globe to report on developments in the aviation sector as airlines and airports have continued to evolve and…