Iata’s global passenger traffic results for August showed a record high load factor across the globe, except for Africa, the only region to see a decline.
African airlines have been consistently reporting lower load factors, on average, than other airlines. Manager of corporate communications for Iata, Chris Goater, says: “Africa looks set to be the only global aviation region to report negative EBIT (profitability) margin and collective losses for both 2012 and 2013. It is a concern because it clearly impacts on revenue and profitability for African airlines.”
The only positive sign is that the gap between Africa and the rest of the world, in terms of load factors, is closing. It stands at 10% this year, compared to 11.4% in 2012.
African governments need to speed up the liberalisation of African skies, reduce taxes and infrastructure charges on airlines, and improve aviation safety, Chris says.
