The Covid-19 pandemic affected many sectors but the aviation sector remains among those hit hard and according to President Paul Kagame, the liberalisation of air transport in Africa can act as a catalyst to speed up the industry’s recovery by increasing connectivity, stimulating demand, and creating jobs.

The President made the remarks while speaking at the 6th Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition that kicked off on September 12 in Kigali.

The two-day summit that has brought together at least 100 global aviation companies is concurrently hosted with the Salon Mondial des Infrastructures Equipments et Services Aéroportuaires (SMIESA) that aim at stimulating technology transfer in Africa by promoting the establishment of manufacturers, and promoting African airports.

President Kagame drew comparison with the previous summit held in 2019 which he said happened at a time when the aviation sector was experiencing a boom.

"Since then, the Covid-19 pandemic severely affected aviation worldwide and Africa was no exception. Airlines and airports around the world faced massive layoffs. Now, travel and tourism are getting back to normal but the industry is not yet back to where it was,” he said.

The ongoing summit has brought together, aviation experts and leaders, regulators, policymakers, manufacturers.

In rallying for open skies to ease trade, President Kagame said, "In the wider context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) open skies help to link our businesses to regional and global supply chains boosting trade and investments. This is why the single implementation of the single Africa air transport market must remain a top priority. Rwanda continues to do its part.”

Currently, Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir, operates on 24 destinations, 19 of which are in Africa.

"We intend to continue expanding within the continent and abroad. We are working together with Qatar Airways to grow RwandAir and build our new international airport currently under construction into a regional hub for passengers and cargo,” said Kagame referring to the Bugesera International Airport.

On the sidelines of the summit, the concept and outlay of Bugesera International Airport was presented to participants and updates provided on the construction works. Aero-experts said it is the first time an airport concept and construction progress is put to exhibition before it is complete.

Address skills gap

President Kagame noted that to accelerate the growth of the aviation industry, "we must also address the shortage of skills across the aviation value chain. After all, aviation is a huge attractive career for young people in Africa.”

He also called for prioritising the use of data and digital technologies to make Africa aviation safer, more reliable and more affordable.

The summit is held under the theme; "Africa's new dawn, efficient aviation resilience recovery and growth in a post-Covid era” and according to the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker pandemic created an unprecedented disruption to aviation that never ever happened in our aviation history.

"We are now emerging from this crisis with international air travel returning to the skies including African states reopening their borders. At Qatar Airways we are very proud of the role we have played in facilitating the recovery of international aviation.

"Today we are one of the leading global carriers connecting Africa to the world and operating one of the largest and most reliable networks in the region in Africa,” he said.

He added that African states played their part in rebuilding international aviation through continued financial relief.

IATA reported that in 2020 alone, a handful of African airlines secured US$2.4 billion in government aid.

The secretary general of African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Adefunke Adeyemi, said that the aviation industry remains one of the complex ones with many moving parts and needs continual cooperation to make it continue operating safely and seamlessly.

"Let’s take stock of where we are so that we can reflect on growth as Africa and catch up with the rest of the world. The world is in a state of recovery from the pandemic yet African aviation is even very much in the state of recovery but we must come out and thrive, she said.

Meanwhile, on the margins of the summit, Embraer, an aero-manufacturer, debuted its latest E195-E2, the largest commercial aircraft to be manufactured by the firm.

The E195-E2, the quietest and most efficient single aisle aircraft flying today, saving up to 25% carbon dioxide emissions compared to previous generation aircraft, can carry up to 146 passengers in single-class configuration and 124 passengers in a typical dual class configuration