AFRAA SG speaks at AFI Week on air transport, economic development

Abderahmane Berthé, Secretary General, African Airlines Association (AFRAA) made an intervention on air transport and economic development at the 9th ICAO-AFI Aviation Week on July 18, 2024 in Libreville, Gabon.

Berthé discussed in detail the current trends in air transport concerning traffic and connectivity, says an official release from AFRAA. Berthé reported that Africa exceeded the pre-Covid traffic levels since the fourth quarter of 2023. “According to AFRAA data, we expect to attain 98 million passengers in 2024, above the 96 million reached in 2019.”

On cargo, he said: “We saw a boom in cargo volumes across the continent during the Covid. Today, cargo has returned to the aircraft’s belly, and 30 percent market share is carried by African airlines. The AU AfCFTA project and the growth trend of e-commerce are critical for cargo development."

On intra-Africa connectivity, the level of connectivity has improved, he added. "At major hubs like Addis and Lomé, the level of connectivity is double the level we had before Covid-19. However, we notice that while the intra-region connectivity is strong, the inter-region is challenging. Connectivity depends on market opportunities. The economic relations within a region are higher than those with other regions. Developing intra-Africa trade and tourism is critical to improving the situation.”

With regards to the status of the implementation of Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), Berthé said there are 37 SAATM states in Africa, including 24 states in western and central Africa. "The 37 SAATM States constitute 67 percent of the AU member states. These 37 states account for 77 percent of the population on the African continent, and their combined GDP represents approximately 79.9 percent of Africa’s GDP.

“However, some signatory countries still do not fully comply with the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) provisions. The operationalisation of the dispute settlement mechanism (DSM) administrative council will be a critical step in enforcing SAATM if its decisions are binding on parties.”

Berthé also paid a courtesy visit to Marc Gaffajoli, CEO, Afrijet, the release added.