The African Aviation Industry Group (AAIG) held a high-level webinar to deliberate on practical solutions for the reduction of high cost of air transport operations in Africa. Staged under the theme: “Achieving Affordable Air Transport across Africa”, stakeholders at the webinar agreed on a set of actions for implementation with defined timelines to achieve the goal of a sustainable African aviation industry.
In addition to the main topic of the webinar, which is the high cost of aviation in Africa, Aviation stakeholders at the webinar further identified key challenges affecting the sustainability of African aviation such as safety and security concerns, poor intra-Africa connectivity/market access limitations and inadequate infrastructure, among others.
The forum articulated the following recommendations as a matter of strategic priority:
Aviation stakeholders have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the industry restart and recovery must be viewed as an opportunity for the aviation industry ecosystem to address the issue of high operational costs in Africa. Excessive and unjustified taxes, charges and other government-imposed fees and levies on international aviation have negative impacts on the industry’s competitiveness and national economies.
For equivalent distances, it is a fact that air ticket fares are higher in Africa compared to other regions. Due to the prevailing low GDP in most African States, its citizens cannot afford to fly as often as citizens from other continents. Stakeholders must address the fact that African citizens pay the highest fares to travel by air, regionally and internationally.
The event was attended by over 250 participants comprising representatives of African aviation institutions, Development agencies, African airlines, Civil Aviation Authorities, Airport Operators, Airline Associations, government entities, Aircraft manufacturers and aviation solutions and service providers.
Full AAIG communiqué (pdf)
