Building Aviation's Next Playbook: Lessons from AviaDev Africa 2026

Ten years ago, the thing holding back new African air routes was demand. Now, says AviaDev founder Jon Howell, it's capital: African carriers can pay up to 25% more to lease the same aircraft as their European counterparts, and face interest rates as high as 30% against 3 to 5% elsewhere. On this episode of Future Picks, host Clarissa Jenkins talks to Jon about what's changed, and what it means for airlines trying to grow. The conversation covers Airlink's mixed fleet strategy, the difference between code sharing and interlining, the M-PESA story as a model for leapfrogging legacy technology, why NDC rollouts might have gone faster with a phased approach, and how mobile money and installment payments are reshaping airline revenue across the continent. Useful listening for anyone in route planning, commercial strategy or distribution, in Africa or beyond.