Nine years after the African governments launched the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), only 38 out of 55 countries have signed its implementation.

These signatory countries account for over 80 per cent of intra-African air traffic.

The Senior Lecturer, Digital Marketing & Tourism, Dr Augusta Evans, disclosed these over the weekend in Lagos in his paper: ‘Unlocking Affordable Air Travel Through the Lens of Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM),’ at a two-day event organised by the African Travel Commission (ATC).

According to Evans, air liberalisation in Africa is still below full potential, stressing that affordable air travel depends largely on moving from policy to practice.

Of these 38 countries, only 26 have gone further to sign the Memorandum of Implementation (MoI), thereby committing to fully liberalise their air markets on the continent and working on the necessary regulatory alignment.

Evans regretted that only two per cent of global air passengers are intra-African, while over 80 per cent of journeys are by road.

Quoting statistics from the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Evans said that airfares on the continent were between 40 and 60 per cent higher than those of European routes, stressing that fragmented air markets kept fares high.

He emphasised that full implementation of SAATM by the continent’s governments would have removed the barriers by liberalising routes and accessibility.

According to him, at present, many of the continent’s airports operate at 50 per cent capacity, noting that SAATM required states to align airport charges, access, and ground handling to support liberalised markets. (Guardian)