Africa Fleet Outlook: Illustrates Continuing Under-achievement

African airlines currently have less than 150 aircraft on order compared to an active fleet of approximately 1,600. In the neighbouring region of the Middle East, there is a similar sized fleet but 1,400 orders. Fast expansion from Middle East airlines have made it extremely difficult for African airlines to compete. But this is hardly an excuse for African airlines falling short; over many decades they have demonstrated their capability to do that without any help from outsiders. Given the diverging order books of the two regions the outlook for the African airline sector remains relatively bleak.