Air transport in Africa contributes over US$50 billion of GDP - AFRAA

Cotonou, Benin(PANA) - Air transport in Africa contributes more than US$50 billion to GDP, the  African Airlines  Association (AFRAA) said in a statement sent to PANA on Saturday.

"Air transport in Africa currently supports 6.2 million jobs, contributes US$55.8 billion to GDP and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.6pc over the next 20 years",  the statement said, quoting AFRAA's 2019 report.

This growth in traffic is increasingly accompanied by an expansion of African airlines, AFRAA pointed out, noting that "the association is witnessing the rebirth of the air transport market in West Africa, exemplified by the renaissance and the deployment of ambitious expansion plans".

On the sidelines of his participation in the third meeting on the operationalization of the Single Air Transport Market in Africa (SAATM), recently held in Dakar, AFRAA Secretary-General Abdérahmane Berthé listed many challenges facing African airlines.

These include high taxes and fees imposed by governments, low intra-Africa connectivity and market access restrictions, funds blocked in some states which are sales revenues generated by a company operations abroad and which cannot be transferred for any reason, as well as the excessive price of aviation fuel.

These conditions, he said, have a negative impact on the ability of African airlines to increase their footprint and offer competitive fares to passengers to increase their traffic.

To this end, regional integration is essential to unlock Africa's remarkable growth opportunity.  

The Single Air Transport Market in Africa (SAATM), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Protocol on the Free Movement of People and Goods are key projects that should improve intra-African connectivity and  facilitate travel, trade, tourism, business and socioeconomic development on the continent.

AFRAA, which includes all major African intercontinental operators representing more than 85pc of total international traffic, continues to implement initiatives aimed at raising security and safety levels, strengthening cooperation  between African airlines, to address the problem of elements impacting airline costs, including taxes and user fees, and to ensure that there is sufficient infrastructure and qualified personnel to support traffic growth on the continent.

-0- PANA IT/JSG/BBA/AR 15Feb2020