Commercial aviation brings great benefits to Africa, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global representative body for the airline industry, has highlighted. But African governments need to prioritise improving aviation safety, reduce taxes and charges, and eliminate the blocking of airline funds, in order to maximise the benefits that the sector could provide.

“Africa’s aviation sector is a vital economic driver, contributing $75-billion to GDP and supporting 8.1-million jobs,” stressed IATA regional director external affairs: Africa Somas Appavou. “The continent’s aviation market is projected to grow at 4.1% over the next 20 years, doubling by 2044. More important than the growth of the sector is the impact that a successful aviation industry has on social and economic development. As governments prioritise how to deliver their agendas with limited resources it is critical to recognise that supporting aviation underpins jobs, trade, and tourism.”

Regarding aviation safety, while Africa’s record has improved, the continent still lags behind the rest of the world in terms of enforcing global (International Civil Aviation Organisation – ICAO) standards. The global average for the implementation of ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) is 69.16%, but across 46 of the 48 sub-Saharan African States, the average is only 59.49%. This situation is even worse when compared with the global target SARPs implementation rate of 75%. African States have to act, to close this gap.

Additionally, of the ten reported African aviation accidents last year, runway excursions were the most common type of accident. IATA urged that ICAO Runway Safety Teams at African airports renew their efforts to improve this situation, including through the effective implementation of ICAO SARPs.

Further, IATA urged African countries to comply with the global ICAO Annex 13 standard, requiring the delivery of timely accident reports. From 2018 to 2023 there had been 42 aviation accidents in Africa, but so far final reports had been published for only eight of them.

The association also emphasised that the IATA Operational Safety Audit and the IATA Standard Safety Assessment were tools that reinforced airline safety, and supported regulatory oversight.

“Taxes and charges on air travel in Africa are 15% higher than the global average,” pointed out IATA. “It is critical that governments understand that the greatest value that aviation brings to an economy is catalytic. Transporting travellers and goods stimulates job creation. Destroying demand with excessive taxation puts a break on economic and social development.”

If charges are to be used by governments to finance essential aviation infrastructure, this should be coordinated with the aviation industry, to ensure that the result is infrastructure that supports growth and that is scalable and cost-effective.

As for blocked funds, currently, 26 African countries are preventing the repatriation of $1-billion in airline revenues. This is 73% of the global total of blocked airline funds. Repatriation of airline funds is actually guaranteed by both international treaties and bilateral agreements. Blocking repatriation of these monies often causes airlines to reduce, or suspend outright, flights to the countries concerned. IATA called on all these African countries to live up to their international agreements and responsibilities and release these funds.

“These challenges are not new but solving them is urgent,” affirmed Appavou. “That’s why IATA launched the Focus Africa Initiative in 2023, working hand-in-hand with governments, industry, and development partners to deliver real improvements in safety, affordability, and connectivity. Aviation is not a luxury. It is an economic and social lifeline. Focus Africa is about turning potential into jobs, growth and prosperity.”