“Air transport is absolutely essential for opening up Africa (ATAF)

2023-06-17 09:43:00

The health crisis will have weighed on African airlines, which have lost some $3.5 billion between 2020 and 2022. But the African sky – which represents 2.1% of global air transport – seems to be clearing up faster than expected. . Simon Kabore, executive secretary of the Union of Central and West African Airport Managers, spoke on the subject at the Paris Air Forum (PAF). “Our airports have been resilient. Côte d’Ivoire has even exceeded its 2019 level,” he rejoices. Now that the health crisis is partly in its rearview mirror, the African aviation sector must come to grips with older problems – namely to harmonize on taxes and fees, but above all to strengthen its cooperation.

Read here: What future for African air transport?

“There are too many African companies, they need to merge to reach critical masses and become real players at the continental level,” says Sylvain Bosc, CEO of Avico, regretting that airlines are often considered by African governments as “flag bearers” or “diplomatic projects”, to the detriment of their economic viability.

“The history of African aviation is toxic political interference,” he laments. And to add: “Air transport is essential to the economic development of African countries, but by overprotecting their national companies, governments deter investors, they penalize interconnectivity, and this is ultimately done to the detriment of their national economy”.

Today, only a small part of the African population has the financial means to travel by plane. Intercontinental flights are particularly expensive. The reason: operating costs. The price of fuel is indeed 30% more expensive than in Europe. Note that to go from Rwanda to Morocco, for example, you have to go through the old continent.

Opening up

Jean-Claude Cros, Deputy Secretary General of the Association of Francophone Carriers (ATAF) – who hails the emergence of national “champions” such as Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines or, on a lesser scale, Air Côte d’Ivoire – also advocates better coordination between African companies.

“Air transport is absolutely essential for opening up Africa, failing to unify, the companies must coordinate,” he said.

This former Air France employee recommends that African companies focus on opening up domestic access, before tackling intra-African flights, then possibly intercontinental flights by forging partnerships.

South Africa and more recently Nigeria seem to have taken this route.

“We have to trust each other because we have a common goal. We need to improve flows in and out of the continent,” agrees Jenifer Bamuturaki, President of Afraa and Managing Director of Uganda Airlines.