Africa – open skies by year-end

THE 23 African states
that signed the January
2015 Declaration
of Solemn Commitment
towards the establishment
of a Single African Air
Transport Market by 2017
are expected to enter into
open skies agreements by
December 31.
The African Union Civil
Aviation Commission
(AFCAC) is currently working
on the implementation
guidelines towards open
skies, which are expected
to be released by the end of
this year, Iata vp for Africa,
Raphael Kuuchi told TNW
on the sidelines of the Acsa
Aviation Barometer launch.
“Once the implementation
guidelines have been
rolled out, the declaration
will become effective
and airlines from these
signatory states will be able
to fly freely between the
countries,” he says.
“There’ll be an immediate
increase in flight activity,
because airlines that were
previously denied the
opportunity to increase
frequencies to certain
destinations will be able to
do so.
“There’ll also be an
increase in traffic volume
and in competition and, as
a result, fares are expected
to decrease by 25-35%
between city pairs,” he says.
The travel time between
signatory countries will
also decrease, and more
people will be afforded the
opportunity to travel by air,
adds Raphael.
The Declaration of Solemn
Commitment uses the
model of the Yamoussoukro
Decision to immediately
allow countries that are
ready and willing to open
up their markets. It was
signed by 11 states at the
AU Summit in January 2015.
Since then, an additional 12
countries have signed up,
bringing the total number
to 23.
Currently, South Africa,
Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia,
Egypt, Zimbabwe, Rwanda,
Ghana, Congo Republic,
Senegal, Togo, Cape Verde,
Côte d’Ivoire and Benin
make up 14 of the 23
countries that have signed
the Declaration of Solemn
Commitment.
Raphael told TNW that the
Yamoussoukro Decision,
which was signed by 44
heads of state in 1999,
was supposed to be a
continental liberalisation
programme, but the
quest for many African
governments to protect
weak national airlines
had largely prevented its
implementation.
“The African Union
realised it was going to be
very difficult to have all 44
countries wake up one day
and say ‘all of our markets
are open,’ so AFCAC decided
to get countries immediately
willing to open their markets
to sign the declaration.
At present, carriers fly
between countries using
bilateral agreements,
wherein the carrier is given
a certain amount of traffic
rights or freedom rights to
operate into that country.