The Association of African Airlines (AFRAA) estimates that passenger traffic carried by African carriers in 2024 will be around 98 million as air travel recovers from the earlier impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The number of seats on offer in the region increased by 12.6%, from 14.3 million in March 2019 to 16.1 million in March 2024, thanks to new routes and frequencies added.
- During the same period, Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) also exceeded the March 2019 level by 7.7%.
- African carriers accounted for 49.5% of international capacity and 35.9% of intercontinental capacity.
“In terms of capacity sharing between African and non-African carriers on both regional and intercontinental routes, AFRAA estimates at 50.7% and 49.3% respectively,” the report reads in part.
A further breakdown of capacity on intercontinental lines alone reveals a much lower share of 35.7% for Africa versus 64.3% for non-African carriers.
Similar to traffic growth, African airlines are also seeing improved revenue performance. AFRAA’s estimated revenue for January 2024 was US$1.83 billion compared to US$1.56 billion in November 2023, indicating revenue growth of 14.75%.
The AFRAA Stand at SAATM
Uganda reaffirms its commitment to sign the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) formal commitment. If done, this will bring to 39 African states that have committed to open their markets. Similarly, internal discussions are ongoing in Tanzania regarding their commitment to SAATM. If the two countries join, the EAC will boast a large domestic air travel market.
“TThe air transport market in Africa is relatively small, we have seen some protectionist attitudes aimed at protecting national carriers. Of course, this is a wrong approach because traffic rights are by nature reciprocal. Therefore, it is critical to increase the size of the market and make it easier to access.” The Secretary General of AFRAA – Mr. Abderahmane Berthé said about the challenges that hinder the implementation of SAATM.
To achieve this, he emphasized that the following should be taken into account:
- Affordable air transport prices for African citizens: reduction of operating costs and taxes and fees.
- Development of the African economy: GDP per capita (only 15% of global GDP per capita).
- Commercial and tourism development: Intra-African trade is less than 20% compared to more than 50% in other regions. Intra-African tourism is very small. In Africa when we talk about tourism, we look at tourism from non-African areas.
- Air travel facilitation Visa opening is also critical. 50% of African citizens need a visa to travel within Africa.
- Airline cooperation: trade agreements and partnerships are essential to improve connectivity. AFRAA Route Network and Cargo Coordination aims to create a forum for airline cooperation. Another success factor is airline consolidation. Over the past 18 years, the African continent has had the lowest level of market integration compared to other regions of the globe. The commitment of States, airlines and all relevant stakeholders is essential to effectively achieve the required results for airline integration in Africa.
The African Airlines Association is a trade association of African airlines and is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. AFRAA’s primary purpose is to establish and facilitate cooperation between African airlines.
50 airlines consisting of all the major transcontinental African carriers and the Union’s members represent over 85% of the total international traffic carried by all African airlines.
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