The event, which helps develop aviation routes, will be held on the island from June 26 to 28 and is expected to attract about 250 delegates from around the world.
Alberto Bernabe, Tenerife tourism minister, said the island was selected as hosts of the event because it is the closest European region to West Africa at 185 miles rom the Moroccan coast.
He added: “We are delighted and very honoured that Tenerife is hosting this prestigious event.
“Routes Africa is an exciting opportunity for us to showcase our island as a business hub to key aviation industry leaders from Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.”
Bernabe said more than 200 companies from the Canary Islands currently operate in Africa, generating revenues of more than £173 million in 2015.
It is facts that like this that are driving the island’s president Carlos Alonso efforts to further develop connectivity to the destination.
He said: “We didn’t have any direct flights to Africa four years ago and today we have four: to Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakesh and Dakar. With continued efforts we expect this number to continue growing.”
Tenerife has also benefited from an increase in connections from the UK including the recently-launched route from Heathrow to Tenerife North Airport with Iberia Express; two new twice-weekly services to Tenerife South Airport from Edinburgh with Jet2.com and Norwegian Airlines; and the introduction of a service from Gatwick with British Airways.
Also, Thomson Airways is launching a weekly service from Humberside Airport to the island in November 2016 and Thomas Cook Airlines is increasing its weekly flight to four times a week from this winter.
Other European carriers, such as Lufthansa, Wizz Air and Brussels Airlines, have also added new routes to Tenerife from Munich, Budapest and Brussels, respectively.
