Airlines That'll Succeed Are Those That Aren't Too Posh

Recent years have been brutal for African airlines but, in spite of that, there is a new rush to resurrect dead national carriers (in Uganda) or to put bedridden ones in the air again (in Tanzania).

However, Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's biggest and currently most successful airline, is kind of going in the opposite direction.

A few weeks ago, Addis Ababa announced that the airline would be partially privatised and, recently, it shelved plans to create a fleet of smaller aircraft because uptick in demand suggests that the routes where they'd be flown would be better served using larger planes.

SPECIAL DEMANDS

Ethiopian also announced that it was in discussions with the Nigerian government for a new national carrier and planned to buy a slice of Eritrean Airlines as the diplomatic thaw between the two neighbouring countries continues.

It's not clear whether we shall see a new era of African aviation but there is one thing the airlines on the continent are not doing.

African nationalists and activists never tire of speaking about "African solutions for African problems". But we have never heard about "African airlines for African peculiar flying habits".

It might well be that having airlines that are built around the special demands of Africa's unique flying habits is where the magic is.

PRECIOUS GOODS

If you've flown often out of the busier west European airports, and the United Arab Emirates, you will have seen this scene a couple of times: An African businessman or woman (often from West Africa) would have bought half a shop of goods in Dubai and, having checked in five massive bags and paid for extra baggage, wants to take in three big suitcases as carry-on baggage.

Of course, the check-in clerk says no, and your African trader gets angry and throws a tantrum. Screaming and alleging racism against African travellers, he or she holds up the check-in queue. Security is called and soon there is an even louder argument, and a scuffle.

All this happens primarily because the traders know that if they don't travel with their precious goods and send them ahead or later after them, their bags will be opened and the fruits of their hard work stolen. They, therefore, don't want to let their shopping out of their sight.

M-PESA MOMENT

This is a real problem, but no African airline has ever seriously tried to address it.

It would seem, then, that the continent's aviation industry needs an "M-Pesa or Equity Bank moment" -- an innovation that is different from the so-called "global standard" and is tailored for our special demands.

What might an 'airline for Africa's special flying needs' look like?

If I were asked to do it, on the routes where traders fly, I would get rid of the front-facing seating. I would redesign the passenger cabin so that travellers sit like soldiers in military transport.

I would then remove half the rows and create open lockers for medium-sized cargo. A trader who has bought 10 suitcases of shoes and clothes would sit with her cargo in the locker in front of her, so she can keep a watchful eye on it.