The promise was sweeping: two struggling national carriers — South African Airways and Kenya Airways — would set aside their troubles and build something bigger. Together, they would connect Africa’s fragmented skies, cut costs, and stand a chance against Ethiopian Airlines, the continent’s undisputed heavyweight.
Instead, the alliance has collapsed before takeoff.
In early 2025, South African Airways formally withdrew from the partnership, just as the venture approached its final stage. The retreat, confirmed by Kenya Airways Group CEO Allan Kilavuka, leaves Kenya’s national airline alone in pursuit of a dream that has eluded African governments for decades — a homegrown network capable of rivaling foreign competition.
“There is no longer appetite from the current SAA management for this venture,” Kilavuka said. “We will continue to pursue other partners. This is going to take time, but the journey must continue.”
The unraveling highlights the financial fragility of Africa’s aviation sector. Kenya Airways, weighed down by years of losses and state bailouts, saw the alliance as a lifeline. South African Airways, still nursing wounds from bankruptcy and a failed privatization, balked at the risks. Regulatory hurdles and delayed restructuring only deepened the stalemate.
Industry experts say the setback narrows Nairobi’s options. “Ethiopian Airlines has locked in partnerships across the continent,” said Sylvain Bosc, chief executive of Avico Group. “That leaves Kenya Airways with very limited choices, and none offer the scale SAA once did.”
The 2021 pact between the two carriers had envisioned a merger by 2026, modeled on Europe’s International Airlines Group. Executives spoke of shared ground handling, coordinated pricing, and seamless passenger connections between Nairobi and Johannesburg. On paper, the partnership offered a route to profitability.
But on the ground, competing priorities prevailed. SAA’s management judged the timing wrong; Kenya Airways pressed ahead. Now, KQ is exploring new alliances in West and Southern Africa. A recent memorandum with Air Tanzania points to one possible path, while talks with SAA’s technical maintenance arm remain on the table.
For Kenya Airways, the ambition remains unchanged: to knit together a continent where flying between two African cities often requires a layover in Europe or the Middle East. But the exit of South African Airways makes the climb steeper, and the question more urgent: can Africa’s airlines ever build a united front, or will the skies remain divided?
