"Africa can transform its aviation sector by harnessing new routes

" Africa can transform its aviation sector by harnessing new routes - report \r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n\r\n A new study highlights how Africa's untapped aviation routes are capable of fueling major growth in both intercontinental and intra-continental flights. West African routes lead, with experts advocating for their exploration alongside visa-free travel to revolutionize air travel across the continent. \r\n\r\n Bonface Orucho, bird story agency \r\n\r\nA new study by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus reveals that West Africa holds the potential for an aviation revolution leveraging its booming population, diverse economies, and strategic geographical position to open up new routes.\r\n\r\nThe study \u2018Exploring the horizons: A study of unserved air routes to, from and within Africa\u2019 highlights that nine out of the top fifteen unserved routes start or end in West Africa.\r\n\r\nThese routes, including Lagos-New York, Abuja-Nairobi, and Dakar-Libreville, represent significant opportunities for airlines in the region.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is surprising to observe that throughout the entirety of the year 2023 and up to the conclusion of the IATA-summer in 2024, merely two routes connected Nigeria with North America and that both routes were operated by non-Nigerian operators: Lagos-Atlanta, operated by Delta Air Lines and Lagos-Washington, operated by United Airlines,\u201d the Airbus study explains.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat is particularly remarkable is that during the same period, the whole region of West Africa only had three entry-points in North America: Atlanta, New York and Washington,\u201d the authors further highlight.\r\n\r\nBeyond West Africa, other cities across the continent considered \u201cmost appealing unserved routes\u201d link cities such as Cape Town, Nairobi, Dakar and Douala.\r\n\r\nAt the top of the list of unserved routes in Africa are long-haul intercontinental flights connecting the continent to North America, Europe, and the Indian subcontinent.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nThese routes highlight crucial gaps in air travel, driven by high demand for direct flights from major African cities to global hubs. Currently, passengers endure time-consuming connecting flights, adding unnecessary inconvenience to their journeys.\r\n\r\nThis is even as projections by the African Airlines Association show African airlines are likely to cross the 100 million passengers mark for the first time in 2025, a sign of the growing traffic volumes in the country\u2019s aviation sector.\r\n\r\nAccording to AFRAA, passenger numbers will hit 98 million by the close of year, 2024, which is a 15% increase from 2023 before hitting beyond the 100 million mark by 2025.\r\n\r\nAirbus projects a 4.1% annual growth in air traffic over the next 20 years, leading to a demand for 1,180 new aircraft in Africa by 2043.\r\n\r\nDespite challenges, the study highlights the potential for greater air travel efficiency through improved connectivity and optimized flight paths, promising reduced travel times and costs.\r\n\r\nNotable progress is already underway, with several airlines expanding to cover new routes within Africa and beyond. Ethiopian Airlines is leading the charge, aiming for a 30% growth in passenger numbers by mid-2024.\r\n\r\nMore foreign airlines are also increasingly expanding into new African routes. For instance, AirAsia, a leading Asian carrier, has announced a direct route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, starting in November 2024.\r\n\r\nThis new intercontinental route eliminates the need for long layovers, offering travellers an effortless journey between East Africa and Asia.\r\n\r\nThe ongoing expansions are yielding results, with IATA projecting Africa\u2019s airlines to earn a collective net profit in 2024 for the second consecutive year, showcasing the sector's impressive post-pandemic resilience.\r\n\r\nThe Airbus report suggests creating direct long-haul routes between several other key destinations. These include routes from Harare to London, Johannesburg to Mumbai, Entebbe to London, Cape Town to Brussels, Durban to London, and Nairobi to Washington.\r\n\r\nThe report also proposes flights from Lagos to multiple North American cities, such as Manchester, New York, Toronto, and Houston.\r\n\r\nWhile the authors acknowledge that unserved city pairs within the continent rank relatively lower in terms of economic feasibility due to lower traffic numbers, there are promising prospects such as between the Cape Town-Lagos route.\r\n\r\n\u201cGiven the pivotal roles played by both Lagos (Nigeria) and Cape Town (South Africa) within their respective countries and across the African continent, the establishment of a non-stop service between these cities emerges as a sensible case,\u201d the authors explain.\r\n\r\n\u201cDespite the significance of both cities, there is currently no non-stop flight between them. Historical schedule data indicate that such a service has never existed. Moreover, there is no direct air service connecting Cape Town with the entire subregion of West Africa.\u201d\r\n\r\nOther high-potential intra-continental routes that the report identifies include Dakar-Libreville, Abidjan-Douala, Abuja-Nairobi, and Dakar-Douala.\r\n\r\nHowever, according to experts efforts to ensure visa-free travel for Africans will create a real impact in easing travel, especially at the regional level.\r\n\r\nAccording to Alan Hirsch, a research fellow at the New South Institute and emeritus professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town, by the end of 2022, only 27% of African routes allowed visa-free travel for Africans.\r\n\r\n\u201cRegularising freer movement of people across African borders is one of the continent\u2019s great developmental challenges. It is one of the flagship projects of the African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063,\u201d Hirsch explained.\r\n\r\n bird story agency \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n "

"Africa can transform its aviation sector by harnessing new routes

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