ADEFUNKE Adeyemi, Iata
regional head member
and external relations for
Africa and the Middle East,
highlighted the need for
the establishment of the
Single African Air Transport
Market.
“The last time African
airlines saw profitability
was in 2010 and when we
look at other regions, Africa
is lagging far behind. Over
decades, the real cost of
travel has come down by
60% but intra-Africa travel
is 45% more expensive
than anywhere else in the
world.” She said while the
forecast for Africa was very
positive, the right policy
environment would be
essential to realise these
gains.
“Open skies is long
overdue,” said Qantas’s
Michi Messner. She said
while it would benefit
international airlines, it
was also a gain for the
economy through the
opening up of routes and
increased competition,
leading to more affordable
travel. “Airfares to Africa
are more expensive than
airfares to Europe – this
needs to change.
Cheaper fares?
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