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Privately-owned South African airline CemAir has decided to take on established operator SA Express on the Johannesburg-Bloemfontein route. Editor Dylan Rogers took the inaugural flight and later caught up with CEO Miles van der Molen to get more on CemAir’s background and their approach to commercial flight.

Frank Palapies is one of Wings Travel’s newest employees, having joined the company in October as its COO for the Africa and Middle East region. But, he has more than a passing knowledge of the Wings operation, having dealt extensively with the TMC during his time with Amadeus.

It’s been an interesting few months for Emirates in South Africa – a spat with the South African government, the launch of a seventh daily flight, and now a falling oil price to contend with, as the market wants to know why its flights to Dubai aren’t any cheaper. So, it was a good time for editor Dylan Rogers to catch up with Fouad Caunhye, Emirates’ Regional Manager Southern Africa: Commercial, over a coffee in Johannesburg.

It’s been a tough couple of months for the African aviation industry, with the effect the Ebola virus has had on African travel. Running an airline operation out of Nigeria also presents its share of challenges, according to Rodger Whittle, Arik Air Senior Vice-President, Standards & Specials.

According to W Hospitality Group’s ‘2014 African Hotel Chain Development Pipeline’, Carlson Rezidor holds the largest hotel pipeline on the continent, with 30 hotels and 6,300 rooms under development. No surprise then that the group’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Office Olivier Harnisch was in Johannesburg recently, and made himself available for a coffee with editor Dylan Rogers.

Tsogo Sun is an African hotel, gaming and entertainment giant, with a portfolio of 14 casinos and over 90 properties across Africa and the Seychelles. It’s no surprise then that they have a couple of experienced operators on their payroll, such as Gauteng North Director of Operations Norman Wallace at Tsogo Sun’s 54 on Bath property in Johannesburg.

Sun International has gone through a period of introspection, questioning just what exactly it is, besides a South African group of hotel and gaming properties. One of the by-products of this introspection has been the launch of the group’s Sunlux Collection. Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Rob Collins and Group Manager: Marketing Alison McKie joined editor Dylan Rogers for a chat about this product, and the group as a whole.

The Moevenpick Ambassador is a landmark property in Accra and currently the only 5-star hotel in the ‘downtown’ area. That status looks set to change in the coming months, and editor Dylan Rogers caught up with General Manager Axel Hauser on a recent trip to the Ghanaian capital, to get his thoughts on the prospect of some competition and Accra, generally, as a business travel destination.

Kempinski Hotels is Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group, with properties in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The group currently has seven African hotels in its portfolio, but that number appears likely to grow quickly in the coming years, as Kempinski has embarked on an aggressive African strategy. Editor Dylan Rogers caught up with Avsar Koc, the Regional Sales & Marketing Director for the IMEA region.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is one of the big players on the international hotel scene, with a portfolio of nearly 250 properties, including 37 hotels in 19 African countries. That number is set to grow, as Starwood, like most of its competitors, has plans to further strengthen its presence here. Editor Dylan Rogers sat down at Meetings Africa with Martina Boettcher, the group’s Regional Director of Marketing for Africa & Indian Ocean, to get a clearer idea of what the Starwood approach is.

The second half of 2014 will see the XL Travel Group celebrate 10 years as a consortium, which started with 15 shareholders and is now made up of 150 members. Rod Rutter is the group’s chief operating officer, and he sat down with editor Dylan Rogers over a coffee in Johannesburg, to chart the group’s history, expand on what it has to offer, and touch on some of the travel industry’s most pressing issues.

Cresta Hotels is one of Southern Africa's largest hotel management groups, managing or operating 17 hotels in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia, three of which the group owns. Ten of those properties are in Botswana, but editor Dylan Rogers was drawn more towards what Cresta CEO Glenn Stutchbury had to say on Zimbabwe, where the group has five properties, covering Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls.