Airport construction is accelerating across Africa, but infrastructure alone will not create a seamless continental a
The scale of Africa’s aort Association (IATA) study commissioned by the African Union (AU) found that out of 1,431 possible connections between the bloc’s member states, only 19% had a direct weekly flight
Octavio Oliveira, a Competition Regulation Expert at the African Civil Aat although the continent represents “nearly 18%” of the world’s population, it accounts for only “about 2.2% of global air traffic”. That disconnect carries economic consequences. Limited connectivity hinders trade, suppresses tourism, restricts labor mobility, and raises the cost of business across the continent
Numerous nations across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are breaking ground on airports, and upgrading existing infrastructure. Some, like South Africa and Uganda, are modernizing old and new airports simultaneously.
The rising dominance of Ethiopian Airways, Africa’s largest airline, has cemented Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa as a central node for domestic and international travel in the region, reportedly serving over 60 African cities and as a critical African gateway to the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
According to the IATA, Ethiopia’s international air connectivity index has increased by 101% within Africa and by 82% with all other regions, since 2014.
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That growth reinforces Ethiopia’s role as a case study in how coordinated a
Bishoftu International Airport, situated 45km southeast of Addis Ababa, and dubbed the largest a’s latest grand maneuver in the sector. The $12.5-billion development, expected to eventually handle 110 million passengers annually, began construction in January this year
Elsewhere, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda are also in the midst of mega airport builds. So too are West Africa’s Nigeria and Burkina Faso, alongside southern Africa’s Botswana and Angola, with more developments across the continent awaiting approvals.
The pace of investment suggests that African nations have embraced the role of a
This renewed momentum also revives conversations about air market liberalization.
The Yamoussoukro Decision, signed in 1999 to promote intra-African travel, aimed to create a single a African countries. Yet, implementation stalled
Another attempt at unlocking such regulatory perks was the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), an AU-led initiative launched in 2018.
Megersa Abera Abate, Senior Transport Economist for the World Bank, tells FORBES AFRICA why the SAATM could be monumental for African growth: “Creating a seamless African as and strengthening investor confidence
“The World Bank Group views aundational enabler of jobs, trade, investment, and macroeconomic resilience across Africa.”
Eight years after its launch, the SAATM dream hasn’t fizzled, but progress has depended upon overcoming complex variables, especially aligning national policies.
The reality is that many inter-regional African flyers must first leave the continent before arriving at their destination. That inefficiency carries symbolic and financial costs.
“In Africa, under the Yamoussoukro Decision and the SAATM, we are still progressing toward liberalization,” Oliveira notes. But Africa’s aviation industry is only as strong as its fleet of domestic airlines, which currently navigate high operating costs (fuel, taxes, charges, and fees) that “continue to erode profitability”, and “restrictive bilateral agreements”. Many airlines also face “uneven” operational efficiency, and “operate with weak financial bases and limited access to capital”.
With limited room to scale and compete, it’s an environment that favors the economies of scale of major airlines and risks undermining the continent’s airport push.
“Without sustainable and profitable airlines, infrastructure investments risk becoming underutilized assets,” Oliveira says, before explaining how the SAATM is designed to level the playing field by opening markets, improving connectivity, and enabling fair competition.
“It allows carriers to expand networks, optimize fleets, and increase load factors—key elements for financial sustainability.”
Despite its promise to uplift native airlines, the SAATM remains an initiative barricaded by logistical red tape. And for as long as that remains incomplete, one of the primary obstacles halting greater intra-African air travel—cost—will go unchanged.
Taxation levels dictate the overall price passed down to consumers, and in a
Research conducted by The Brenthurst Foundation shows that, on average, taxes and fees per air ticket in Africa are $64 (reaching $94 in West Africa), compared to $30 in Europe and $29.65 in the Middle East.
The foundation further reveals that a return flight from Accra, Ghana, to Cotonou, Benin (less than one hour, one-way), could cost between $700 and $1,300. It’s a staggering amount, made to look more ridiculous by the cheap airfares one finds in Europe and beyond.
For a similar distance (roughly 300km), a return flight from London to Paris can cost as little as $40, while routes exceeding 1,000km, such as Berlin to Rome, and Paris to Prague, seldom exceed $200.
Often the fastest mode of transportation, a And in becoming a regional a
The IATA estimates that if 12 key African nations opened up their markets, it would create 155,000 jobs and contribute over $1.3 billion to their GDPs.
Offering a lens on Ethiopia, a 2023 IATA Value of Air Transport report revealed a $2 billion economic boost—some 1.2% of GDP—from a spending, and tourism. More so, it has opened up 527,000 jobs and facilitated the movement of over 248,400 tons of cargo
Despite Ethiopia’s success, Kashif Khalid, IATA’s Director of Operations, Safety and Security, reminds FORBES AFRICA that in the business of a
A sustainable investment is when airports are designed in a modular manner “so that you can expand when traffic hits certain touch points,” Khalid explains, before admitting that “Africa has a very unique opportunity to get it right because there’s a lot of green field investments.”
For a continent working towards becoming the world’s single largest market (under the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement), improving intra-African air travel is fundamental to its future aspirations.
The good news is that airports are being built and upgraded across the continent. The bad news is that this alone won’t translate into a free-flowing market. For Africa’s wings to grow, it needs harmony from within.
“Large-scale airport investments can contribute to lower ticket prices, but only if they are accompanied by concerted and coordinated policies across the entire ecosystem,” Oliveira notes, before adding that “infrastructure must follow demand”.
“You need alignment with ministries of finance, trade, and tourism to implement policies that stimulate demand and reduce costs.”
When nations are bonded by land, but disconnected in the air, it creates costly division. The irony is that in maintaining the fragmentation of its own skies, Africa has become the architect of its own isolation.
A new era of African aravel across the continent is still a long one
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