Africa’s Skies Still Too Closed – IATA | By Dominick Andoh | Africa’s aviation sector is at a crossroads, with limited intra-continental connectivity continuing to stifle growth and opportunity, Kamil Alawadhi, Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has warned.
Speaking at the Aviation Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, Mr. Alawadhi stressed that while the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) was designed to open Africa’s skies, implementation remains slow despite 38 countries, representing over 80% of the market, having signed on.
“It is still easier to fly to another continent than between two African countries,” he said. “This lack of connectivity is a barrier to growth, integration, and opportunity.”
Alawadhi pointed to Africa’s strategic geographic position as an untapped advantage for global connectivity. Established hubs such as Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Johannesburg continue to dominate, but he noted the potential to build new corridors and secondary hubs that could capture traffic flows traditionally routed elsewhere.
Visa policies remain another critical hurdle. “Every additional barrier to travel, high visa fees, complex processes, or outright restrictions, is a barrier to growth,” Alawadhi said. He praised progress in 2024, when Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles introduced visa-free entry for all Africans, while 26 countries now offer e-visas, up from just nine in 2016.
Highlighting successful models, he cited Cape Town Air Access, a public-private partnership that added 18 new routes and expanded 23 others, contributing more than $290 million in tourism spending and creating over 10,000 jobs.
“This is targeted collaboration delivering real economic impact,” Alawadhi said, urging governments and industry to accelerate implementation of SAATM and adopt pro-growth travel policies to unlock Africa’s aviation potential.
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