FlySafair's sale is cleared, SAA needs another R1bn and Nigeria adds a quarter more seats | The Radar

What moved in aviation in sub-Saharan Africa this week, and the three things beyond Africa that matter here. Each item links to its source.

Southern Africa

The Competition Tribunal approved the R7bn sale of FlySafair to a consortium led by Harith General Partners; remaining conditions still have to be met. (Sunday Times, 31 Oct)
SAA gets another R1bn of state money this month to keep flying, and the government has restarted its search for a strategic partner. (Sunday Times, 31 Oct)
SAA asked the Gauteng High Court for leave to sue Kenya Airways for US$1.37m (about R23m) in codeshare surcharges and commissions from July 2022 to May 2024. (TimesLive, 5 Nov)
South Africa has 2.36m scheduled seats in November 2026, 2.0% fewer than a year earlier, one of only two top-ten African markets to shrink. FlySafair is down 2.0%, Airlink up 8.0%. (OAG)

Uganda Airlines starts daily Entebbe–Kigali on 18 November with CRJ900s. Its Entebbe–Accra service, four a week via Lagos on a 737-800 leased from Ethiopian, was due to start on 27 October. (Pulse Uganda, 21 Oct)
IndiGo starts daily Mumbai–Dar es Salaam on 20 November with A320neos. (Aviation Week, 2 Nov)

Nigeria has 978,000 domestic seats scheduled in November 2026, 29.1% more than a year earlier. With international flights, 1.30m seats (+25.3%), the fastest growth of Africa's ten largest markets. (Nairametrics, 5 Nov; OAG)
Nigeria's Senate rejected reviving Nigeria Air on 3 November and asked the aviation ministry to renegotiate the air services agreement with China for direct flights. (Nairametrics, 4 Nov)
State-owned Enugu Air has approval to fly Lagos–London Gatwick, with Omni-Blu Aviation as designated operator. No start date yet. (Vanguard, 4 Nov)

African airlines' international traffic (RPK) grew 8.0% in September 2026 on a year earlier, on 8.8% more capacity; the load factor fell 0.6 points to 74.8%. (IATA, 30 Oct)
Africa has 25.2m scheduled seats in November 2026, 6.3% more than a year earlier. Central and Western Africa grew fastest, by 14.5%. (OAG)

Since 4 November everyone boarding a flight to the United States, from any country and including connecting passengers, must sign that they have not been in the DRC in the previous 21 days. (CDC)
Emirates, Africa's eighth-largest airline by seats this month, earned US$903m after tax in the six months to September, 66% less than a year earlier, on 22% fewer passengers. (Dubai Media Office, 5 Nov)
Worldwide traffic fell 0.5% in September 2026, with Middle Eastern airlines down 7.5%. Jet fuel averaged US$191.54 a barrel in IATA's latest weekly reading. (IATA; IATA fuel monitor)

18 NovemberUganda Airlines, Entebbe–Kigali, daily
20 NovemberIndiGo, Mumbai–Dar es Salaam, daily
22–24 NovemberAFRAA's 58th Annual General Assembly in Libreville, hosted by FlyGabon (AFRAA)
11 DecemberEthiopian Airlines back in Durban after nine years: daily from Addis Ababa on a Boeing 737 MAX (The Reporter)