AFRAA calls for concrete action to elevate safety, connectivity, and efficiency across the continent.
Africa’s aviation sector stands at a defining moment, with encouraging progress recorded even as significant challenges persist, the Secretary General of the African Airlines Association has said.
Delivering opening remarks at the IATA Focus Africa Conference 2026, Mr Abdérahmane Berthé, AFRAA Secretary General, underscored the importance of collective action to address the continent’s aviation priorities under the theme “Elevating Aviation Safety, Connectivity, and Operational Efficiency in Africa.”
Recent data trends point to tangible progress. Revenue Passenger Kilometres and passenger revenues for African carriers increased significantly in 2025, with traffic expected to grow by 21.5% in 2026.
“These figures indicate genuine momentum,” Berthé noted, while cautioning that growth alone is not enough.
However, the operating environment in Africa remains challenging. Taxes, charges, and fees across the continent are, on average, 15% higher than the global norm, despite the lower cost of living in most markets.
African carriers currently account for only 35% of intercontinental traffic to and from the continent—a figure that continues to raise concern across the industry.
AFRAA has maintained its advocacy for cost reduction, with some progress now visible. The Economic Community of West African States has directed authorities to explore ways to reduce charges, with lower taxes and fees expected to take effect across member states in 2026.
In parallel, the easing of blocked funds—particularly in Nigeria—has enabled carriers to improve cash flow and plan investment, though further efforts are still required to remove remaining barriers to revenue repatriation.
Connectivity Remains Limited
Air transport in Africa is not a luxury; it is an engine of integration, trade, and human development. Yet the continent continues to grapple with infrastructure deficits, regulatory fragmentation, and low intra-African connectivity, which remains among the lowest globally.
The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), now with 38 signatories, represents a significant opportunity. However, AFRAA stressed that signatures alone do not create connectivity and called on Member States to move from ratification to full implementation.
Safety as a Foundation
Safety remains the foundation of the aviation industry. AFRAA continues to work closely with its member airlines and global partners, including the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization, to raise safety standards across the continent.
While real progress has been made, the call is to go further and faster through stronger national safety frameworks, adequate resourcing of civil aviation authorities, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Efficiency and Innovation Imperatives
African carriers operate in an environment that is more expensive and more complex than almost anywhere else, weighing heavily on competitiveness.
In response, airlines are being encouraged to embrace digital innovation, streamline processes, and build stronger partnerships across the value chain—identified as key survival imperatives.
AFRAA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting member airlines through capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for a more enabling operating environment.
Decarbonisation and Future Pathways
The industry also faces the imperative to decarbonise. While Africa currently lacks large-scale sustainable aviation fuel production, the continent’s biomass resources and renewable energy potential present a unique opportunity.
AFRAA’s five-pathway approach—covering sustainable aviation fuel, carbon offsetting, technology, operations and infrastructure, and human capital—aims to support inclusive and coordinated progress.
From Intentions to Commitments
As discussions continue at Focus Africa 2026, AFRAA is urging stakeholders to engage constructively and move beyond general intentions toward concrete commitments.
The goal remains clear: to ensure that African aviation’s growth is profitable, safe, and sustainable, and that it delivers meaningful benefits to the economies and communities it serves.