AFCAC: Nigeria, Others May Rake in $7.2bn from Single African Air Transport Market

•As Air Peace faults lopsided Implementation, gives Cote D’Ivoire 10 days to grant access to airline to operate

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) yesterday said the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market Project (SAATM) would add $7.2 billion to the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), create 600 million jobs and grow air traffic in about three years to 5.1 per cent.

This was even as the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema said, though the idea was noble, practically its implementation was lopsided and may not favour Nigerian Airlines.

The Secretary General of AFCAC, Funke Adeyemi, speaking on the sidelines of SAATM Pilot Implementation Project Cluster 1 Coalition Roadshow, hinted that the huge benefits of implementation of SAATM in the continent would accelerate air connectivity across Africa.

Adeyemi, noted that the aim of the roadshow was to bring all stakeholders together in identifying challenges mitigating against air connectivity across the continent and come up with practical solutions to integrate and increase connectivity across Africa.

She explained that the implementation of SAATM in Nigeria would scale up the contribution of aviation sector’s GDP from the current 0.5 per cent to one per cent and also increase air traffic by 54 per cent.

The AFCAC boss further maintained that the target was to increase penetration from the current 14.5 per cent to 30 per cent by 2025.

She stated that some of the challenges hindering the smooth take off of SAATM by states to include, “protectionism among states and airline operators wherein the State and the operators are not willing to open up the market due to competition but said competition and connectivity is necessary for the growth of aviation industry.”

Other challenges Adeyemi noted included restrictions by states, visa openness of late approval for landing.

Adeyemi, however stressed that the commission would be going country by country to address some of the challenges of SAATM and see how to make a change.

Similarly, the Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, said the first of its kind road show held in Nigeria to explain to stakeholders to bring out challenges they were having with the implementation of SAATM, so that AFCAC could see to its mechanism such as fair competition, dispute resolution and use its consumer protection mechanism to resolve the issues.

Responding, Onyema, said whilst Nigeria had opened its aviation sector to almost free access to African countries, other African countries, especially West African countries have continued to deny Nigeria carriers access to their countries.

This practice he stressed was unhealthy, evil, unacceptable and would be challenged henceforth.

Onyema, while speaking to journalists shortly after the event said, “though the idea is noble but practically the implementation is lopsided as it is not going to favour Nigeria Airlines.”

He also said the actions by Cote D’Ivoire and African countries like Togo and Benin Republic, was against the principle of reciprocity contained in the bilateral air services agreements (BASAs) they signed.

Air Peace consequently gave Cote D’Ivoire 10 days ultimatum, beginning from April 18th, 2023, to grant it access or face the consequences of its next line of action.

He said Nigerian airlines were not against open skies, but that its implementation must be fair to all concerned.

He also complained about unfair billings by Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA).