THE Airports Council International (ACI) and the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) have said the air transport industry in Africa will grow at a faster rate and contribute more significantly to the economic development of the continent if all stakeholders work together towards improving intra-Africa air services.
This position was advanced at the opening ceremony of the Routes Africa Development Forum held at the L'aico L'amitie Hotel, Bamako, Mali at the weekend.
In his presentation entitled "Connectivity: Building A Platform For Success," the Regional Director of ACI-Africa, Mr. Ali Tounsi, said the council was already working with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on enhancement of safety and security under the Apex in Safety initiative launched by ACI in 2010.
According to him, Africa's air transport industry has huge growth prospects but requires identification of priorities by the authorities while the airports need to provide top quality services.
He further stated that it is possible to achieve the air transport industry success story of Brazil and China in Africa.
In his remark, the Secretary General of AFRAA, Mr. Elijah Chingosho, proposed the development of additional hubs, especially in West and Central Africa, improvement of airports' infrastructure and full implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision.
In Africa, where poor roads, ports and railway infrastructure often constrain the rapid and efficient transportation of goods earmarked for export as well as passengers, air transport holds both a potential for growth and a role for the economic development of the continent by fostering trade and foreign investments.
However, Africa's air transport industry has always been a relatively small player when compared with the global industry.
After independence, most African states created their own flag carrier, which primarily served on a few intercontinental routes, while the domestic market remained thin. Several early attempts to unite various small African carriers did not bear fruit. As a consequence, the domestic air service market remained inefficient, underdeveloped, and uncompetitive.
More than 20 years after the declaration of intent, and 10 years after adopting formal liberalisation of air services, full implementation of the liberalisation has, however, not been achieved, and many consider the treaty a failure.
Chingosho said the development of the intra-African routes network would lead to increase in the sector's contributions to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), increase in tourism and job creation.
The AFRAA scribe added that over 50 per cent of the current city pairs in Africa are underserved.
He declared that African airlines recorded a passenger traffic growth of 12.90 per cent and a cargo traffic growth of 23.80 per cent in 2010, compared to 2009 while load factors grew by 69.10 per cent compared to the 75.7per cent global average.
The Guardian