Aviation experts push for cheaper intra-African travel

Aviation experts have called upon governments to reduce or eliminate specific taxes that are being paid by airliners as a way of trying to address the issue of costly intra-African air-travel. Taxes on airline operations range from user terminal and jet-way charges to landing, parking, passenger bus and counter firefighting. All of these costs are often heaped on the passengers, making the air-ticket prices very costly. According to the 2021 report by the African Airlines Association, passengers in Africa pay around $50 in taxes as opposed to $30.25 in Europe and $ 29.65 in the Middle East for the same flight hours. With such factors and more, intra-African flights are 45 per cent more expensive than flights anywhere in the world. Speaking to The New Times on the sidelines of the Africa-Indian Ocean Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APIRG) that is taking place in Kigali, Prosper Zo'o Minto'o, the Regional Director for Western and Central Africa of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), said taxes are something “that they are trying to address.” “When you have an air-ticket, there are many components. You have the cost of the travel itself, but you have some taxes which governments and airports include in that. What we are doing as ICAO is that we have policies for these taxes to be cut down, if not eliminated, so that we can lower the cost of air transport and make it affordable,” he said. Besides ICAO trying to talk to governments to lower such taxes, the institution is also calling upon African countries to continue opening up their skies for improved connectivity. “Today, for instance, to go to Morocco, I will need to go via ‘A,B,C’ before I arrive. There was a gathering that took place in Marrakech (Morocco) two-three weeks ago, and like 50 per cent or so of the Africans who attended had to go through Europe,” Zo'o Minto'o said, noting that the consequence of such connectivity challenges also make transport more expensive. The APIRG meeting kicked off on Monday, November 7 and will run through Friday, bringing together experts and decision-makers in the aviation industry to discuss various issues in the aviation industry. The meeting is expected to provide an opportunity for more aviation experts and professionals to get exposed to the planning and implementation of safety targets, enable more people to interact with experts who are the aviation industry's decision-makers and coordinate with counterparts from other states in the implementation processes, as well as looking at the progress Rwanda has made in the aviation industry, among other things.

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Aviation experts push for cheaper intra-African travel