Africa World Airlines (AWA) is putting the Embraer E190 at the center of its plan to expand across underserved markets in West Africa, shifting to a hub-and-spoke model centered on Accra that prioritizes reliable regional connectivity over serving as many points as possible with a limited fleet. Chief Operating Officer Sohail Mahmood set out the strategy in an interview at the Aviation Africa Summit in Nairobi on September 9 and 10, 2026.
The fleet shift is substantial: AWA previously relied mainly on 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145s, while the new E190 seats 102 passengers, more than doubling capacity per aircraft. The first E190 arrived in Accra on September 19, 2026, a second is expected before the end of the year, and the airline reportedly aims to grow the E190 fleet to as many as 10 aircraft within 18 to 24 months. The Accra–Abidjan route resumed on August 31, 2026, restoring a link suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, with four flights per week.
Mahmood's reasoning is that demand in West Africa is spread across many cities, and some routes cannot support the capacity of a larger narrowbody aircraft, making the E190 a fitting successor to the ERJ-145 that can open new revenue opportunities and underserved destinations without capacity that is hard to fill every day. The priority is to consolidate West Africa and connect its coastal cities first, then expand into Central and East Africa, using interline partnerships with southern African carriers to extend the network without operating every route itself, with the long-term goal of a pan-African network that also addresses the high cost of air travel in Africa.
