Jumping back into this thread after a number of years, but it brings back good memories as AWA hits its 10th anniversary of flight operations.
I returned to AWA as COO in 2018 and stayed 2.5 years through the pandemic as we moved the airline up to 8 aircraft serving 10 destinations by March 2020 (that has changed slightly since then as the markets evolve). The airline has been profitable since year 3 of operations and continues to be (other than the months with borders closed due to COVID).
If you have the interest and an hour or so to spare, have a look at or listen to my long chat with Jon Howell of AviaDev Africa about the story behind the startup from 2010-12, a lot of which was already discussed in real time on this thread. The chat includes a shallow dive into key principles and things for aviation entrepreneurs in Africa to keep in mind for their own projects. If you watch on YouTube, it also features a slide show of interesting historical photos (I used to have so much hair back then!!!) from the airline startup period to commemorate the 10th anniversary of AWA's launch.
YouTube :
Podcast :
https://aviadevinsight.libsyn.com/22...-success-story