Airlines of Africa

Airlines have proliferated in Africa because, in many countries, road and rail networks are not well developed due to financial issues, terrain, and rainy seasons. Ben R. Guttery, author of Encyclopedia of African Airlines, said "Although most of the carriers have never been large by European or American standards, they have had tremendous impact on the economy and the people." Many larger African airlines are owned partially or completely by national governments. Some African airlines have or formerly had European airlines as major shareholders, such as KLM that has a 7.8% stake in Kenya Airways and British Airways which formerly had an 18% stake in Comair.