The African Development Bank (AfDB) highlights the crucial role of aviation in driving sustainable growth across Africa in its report, “Liberalization of Air Transport in Africa: 2019’s Status and Way Forward.”
The report emphasizes how market liberalization is transforming the continent’s aviation sector, paving the way for significant advancements.
According to awokonewspaper.sl, a key highlight from the report is ASKY Airlines’ strategic use of 5th freedom rights, which has revolutionized air travel within West and Central Africa. By leveraging these rights, ASKY has introduced direct routes that significantly enhance connectivity and reduce travel time between smaller markets.
This move aligns with the goals of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a flagship initiative of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
For example, ASKY’s direct Conakry-Bamako route now enables passengers to travel between these cities in just 1 hour and 30 minutes. Previously, this journey involved lengthy connections that could exceed 20 hours. The introduction of this direct service not only shortens travel time but also cuts costs, making air travel more affordable and accessible.
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The SAATM aims to boost air connectivity by removing service restrictions and promoting new direct routes, thus driving growth in the aviation sector. Despite these efforts, Africa’s air transport market remains underdeveloped. The continent commands only 3% of the global aviation market share, despite housing 15% of the world’s population and covering 20% of its landmass. Intra-African connectivity remains a major hurdle, with only 16% of possible direct country pairs currently served, compared to 50% in Latin America and Europe.
The lack of direct routes forces passengers to endure extended travel times and higher costs. For instance, the Douala-Kinshasa route, discontinued in 2016, required a connection in Lomé, adding an extra 1,800 km to the journey and extending travel time to over 8 hours.
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The potential for growth in Africa’s aviation market is substantial but largely untapped. Most African countries operate only one major airport, and even the busiest airports rarely exceed 500,000 passengers annually. Only 10 African airports report traffic exceeding 5 million passengers.
The AfDB estimates that opening markets and improving connectivity in just 12 key African countries could create 155,000 jobs and generate an additional $1.3 billion in annual GDP. While SAATM holds promise for transforming the sector, its implementation has faced hurdles. As of 2021, only 34 of the 55 African Union member states had joined the initiative, representing over 80% of the continent’s aviation market.
In summary, ASKY’s use of 5th freedom rights exemplifies the significant improvements that can be achieved in air travel efficiency and connectivity. However, further efforts are needed to fully realize the potential of Africa’s aviation market and overcome existing challenges.
