Mauritius. 14 November 2019. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments and industry in Africa to focus on four priorities to allow aviation to drive economic and social development on the continent, enrich people’s lives and enable the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG’s).
The four priorities are:
- Safety
- Cost-competitiveness
- Opening the continent to travel and trade, and
- Gender diversity
“Across the African continent, the promise and potential of aviation is
rich. Already it supports USD 55.8 billion in economic activity and 6.2
million jobs. And, as demand more than doubles over the next two
decades, the critical role that aviation plays in Africa’s economic and
social development will grow in equal proportion. With the right tax and
regulatory framework, the opportunities aviation creates to improve
people’s lives are tremendous,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s
Director General and CEO in a keynote speech at the 51st Annual General
Assembly of the African Airline Association (AFRAA) in Mauritius.
Safety
IATA highlighted three priorities to improve aviation safety in Africa.
- More states need to incorporate the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) into their safety oversight systems. Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo and Zimbabwe have done so.
- Smaller operators should consider becoming IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) certified. ISSA provides a valuable operational benchmark for carriers not eligible for IOSA.
- African states need to implement ICAO standards and recommended practices in their regulations. Currently, only 26 states meet or exceed the threshold of 60% implementation.
“Our top priority is always safety. And we must never forget that global
standards have helped to make aviation the safest form of long-distance
transport. There is a good example of that in the safety performance of
African airlines. The continent had no fatal jet accidents in 2016,
2017 and 2018. That is largely due to the coordinated efforts of all
stakeholders with a focus on global standards, guided by the Abuja
Declaration. But there is still more work to do. Taking these three
steps will raise the safety bar even higher,” said de Juniac.
Cost-competitiveness
IATA highlighted the need for a cost-competitive operating environment for airlines in Africa.
“African carriers lose $1.54 for every passenger they carry. High costs
contribute to these losses Flying is not a luxury—it is an economic
lifeline for this continent. That’s why it is critical for governments
to understand that every extra cost they add to the industry reduces
aviation’s effectiveness as a catalyst for development,” said de Juniac.
IATA called on African governments to:
- Follow ICAO standards and recommended practices for taxes and charges
- Disclose hidden costs such as taxes and fees and benchmark them against global best practice, and
- Eliminate taxes or cross-subsidies on international jet fuel
IATA also called on governments to follow treaty obligations and ensure
the efficient repatriation of airline revenues at fair exchange rates.
Currently funds are blocked in 19 African states. “It is not sustainable
to expect airlines to provide vital connectivity without reliable
access to their revenues,” said de Juniac.
Opening the continent to travel and trade
IATA called on governments to liberalize intra-Africa access to markets
and urgently implement three key agreements which have the potential to
transform the continent. These are:
- The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) – to boost intra-Africa trade through the elimination of import duties and non-tariff barriers
- The African Union (AU) Free Movement Protocol – to ease the severe visa restrictions that African countries impose on African visitors
- Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) – to open up intra-Africa air connectivity
“My message to governments on this triumvirate of agreements is
simple—hurry-up! We know the contributions that connectivity will make
to the UN SDGs. Why wait any longer to give airlines the freedom to do
business and Africans the freedom to explore their own continent,” said
de Juniac.
Gender Diversity
IATA also called for the industry to do more to improve its gender
diversity and for airlines in the region to support the recently
launched 25by2025 campaign.
The 25by2025 campaign is a voluntary program for airlines to commit to
increasing female participation at senior levels to at least 25% or to
improve it by 25% by the year 2025. The choice of target helps airlines
at any point on the diversity journey to participate meaningfully.
“It is no secret that women are under-represented in some technical
professions as well as in senior management at airlines. It is also
well-known that we are a growing industry that needs a big pool of
skilled talent. Africa can be proud of its leadership in this area. But
we need to do more. The 25by2025 initiative will help move our industry
in the right direction,” said de Juniac.