Rwanda is among the first countries globally to be fully compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) global standards on global biosafety framework for the safe restart of aviation, the latest report by the body has shown.

Following the halting of aviation services after the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, the organisation set up a global biosafety framework for the safe restart of aviation which was found to be critical for the safe resumption of air transport.

So far, the latest data from the global body shows that Rwanda is one of few countries globally to have fully complied with the regulations.

Barry Kashambo of ICAO speaking on behalf of the ICAO Regional Offices accredited to African States ICAO lauded the country's efforts urging others to follow suit to revive economic activity.

"We recognize the efforts and actions by Rwanda and some other States, to fully implement the provisions of ICAO CART recommendations and Take-off guidance and measures.

We encourage all Governments in Africa to prioritize the restart of aviation and to tap into its potential as an enabler to Africa’s economic recovery post Covid-19. Air connectivity is critical to economic and sustainable development and the movement of persons across the continent,” he said.

If applied, the measures will help the global aviation scene avoid conflicting measures, disruptions and inefficiencies, encouraging resumption of passengers air travel.

The body also commended Rwanda and other African countries on efforts by the government to provide relief to the aviation sector in the process savings jobs and allowing resumption of activities and support to the economy.

"We are grateful to the few African governments that have provided relief to aviation so far - Rwanda, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and recently Cabo Verde.

"Their actions have helped save thousands of jobs and will enable some airlines to restart and support the wider economies they serve,” said Muhammad Al Bakri, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.

The measures to set up the global standards and provide relief have been found to be effective in minimizing the adverse impact on jobs and the broader African economy as well as key for the accelerated recovery of air transport across the continent.

Rwanda re-opened Kigali International Airport on August 1st after setting up new measures to allow resumption of activities and complying with local and global health standards.

The new measures are aimed at boosting passengers’ confidence in aviation at the same time reducing vulnerability of passengers and crew.

The continental and global forecast for the aviation sector remain bleak with job losses in aviation and related industries could increase by up to 3.5 million in Africa. 

That is more than half of the region’s 6.2 million aviation-related employment and 400,000 more than the previous estimate.

Full-year 2020 traffic is expected to plummet by 54 per cent (more than 80 million passenger journeys) compared to 2019. GDP supported by aviation in the region could fall by up to $35 billion.