The Group Chief Commercial Officer (GCCO), Ethiopian Airlines, Lemma Yadecha Gudeta, has said the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM), will create a better opportunity for airlines to freely navigate in the air transport industry and freely connect industries in Africa in a better way than non-African airlines.
Yadecha Gudeta in an interview in Addis Ababa recently said SAATM which is a programme of African Union (AU) agenda of having a free airspace in Africa, is a very important project for the continent. He stated that, that is why the East African Carrier, Ethiopian Airlines has been championing this strategy from the inception of the programme.
According to him, there has been significant progress among African countries in achieving the ideology of the SAATM.
He said: “As you know, Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM) is the programme of African Union (AU) agenda of having a free airspace in Africa. This is a very important project and that is why Ethiopian Airlines is championing this strategy from day one. Today, we have seen very good progress. Majority of Africans now welcome African airlines, African companies than they used to be.
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“The introduction of Africa free trade area is also a SAATM programme and Ethiopian Airlines is truly benefitting from that kind of an engagement because African airspace has to be liberalised and African airlines should have a fair share of the continent’s air transportation. Currently, African airlines can boast of less than 20 per cent of traffic out of Africa.
“SAATM will create a better opportunity for airlines to freely navigate in the air transport industry and freely connect industries in Africa in a better way than non-African airlines”.