Despite the signing of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), by some African heads of states in January and the inherent benefits in the policy, CEO Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Chris Zweigenthal said SAATM has remained difficult due to varying states’ positions on their readiness for implementation.
According to a report by atqnews.com, the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a flagship project under the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU), seeking to liberalize and unify the African skies and was launched during the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU on 28 January 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The SAATM should enhance connectivity on the continent and foster the development of the aviation sector, tourism and trade. As such, it is expected to contribute to the objectives of the Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area. The AUC has estimated that the SAATM will translate into 300,000 direct jobs with further two million opportunities created indirectly.
Also, outlining the benefits, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), stated that the implementation will be of immense benefit to the air travellers in the continent saying “air service liberalization would result in substantial benefits for passengers such as fare savings, more direct routes, increased route frequencies resulting in greater convenience and time savings. For example, there is currently no direct service between Algeria and Nigeria.”
“The most convenient routing available is via Morocco (Algiers-Casablanca-Lagos). The minimum journey time for this routing is 9 hours, but depending on connecting times could be as much as 17 hours. A direct service would reduce the travel time between Algiers and Lagos to approximately 4.5 hours”.
However, blueswandaily.com, reports that the CEO of the South African based association said: “This liberalisation has proved difficult to implement on a continental scale due to varying states’ positions on their readiness for implementation, the necessity for competition regulations, dispute resolution mechanisms, implementation provisions and incorporation into domestic legislation”.
Mr Zweigenthal added: “It is important that such liberalisation must be undertaken on a consistent basis with the same rules for all states, ensuring reciprocity and fair competition between the African airlines”. He continued: “There is huge potential for intra-African growth to provide an integrated network of new services and increased frequencies between African destinations… There is huge potential for the growth of air transport in Africa”.
