BY ELLY MANJALE
Air travel in Africa remains challenging, with poor connectivity and high fares. A few years ago, while travelling to Banjul, The Gambia, I had to fly via Paris. This was the best option available to me in terms of both travel time and cost. I know many people who still fly out of Africa only to fly back into the continent. Let me frame this discussion within the context of the East African Community.
The East African Community cannot achieve meaningful economic integration while air transport remains fragmented by national restrictions, restrictive bilateral agreements and high operating costs. Although the region has made commitments to liberalising air transport under the Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), translating these commitments into a functioning regional aviation market remains a work in progress. The EAC must now move from policy declarations to decisive implementation.
A liberalised air transport market is important because aviation is not merely a means of moving people from one destination to another; it is an essential driver of economic growth. Easier and more affordable air connectivity would stimulate regional tourism, facilitate trade, attract foreign investment, promote business mobility and strengthen East Africa’s competitiveness as an integrated bloc. It would also enable landlocked Partner States to improve access to international markets and connect businesses to regional and global value chains.
To realise this ambition, the EAC should prioritise five interventions. First, Partner States should adopt and implement a binding Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA). This should replace fragmented bilateral arrangements with a common framework guaranteeing reciprocal market access, freedom of route designation, increased flight frequencies and third, fourth and fifth freedom rights.
Second, for too long, Partner States have pursued protectionist policies that prioritise national airline interests over collective regional benefits. This should stop. National airlines should be encouraged to compete through efficiency, innovation and quality of service rather than restrictive market protection.
Third, the EAC should establish common principles for passenger service charges, airport landing fees and navigation charges. Excessive and inconsistent charges contribute to high airfares and undermine regional connectivity.
Fourth, the EAC Secretariat and the Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA), working with national regulators and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), should ensure harmonised licensing, safety, security, competition and consumer protection standards.
Fifth, the EAC should promote fair competition and strengthen African airlines. Liberalisation should create opportunities for all eligible airlines, irrespective of nationality, while preventing predatory practices and discriminatory treatment. Governments should facilitate airline partnerships, code-sharing, fleet modernisation and affordable financing.
Ultimately, open skies should be viewed as an instrument of economic transformation rather than simply an aviation sector reform. A more connected East Africa would be better positioned to attract tourists, facilitate trade, mobilise investment and compete in the global economy. The EAC must recognise that protecting national aviation markets at the expense of regional connectivity could cost the Community far more in lost economic opportunities than the benefits such protection seeks to preserve.
Elly Manjale is an economic, business and management consultant based in Arusha who writes on economic, business, social and political issues.
Email: emanjalle@gmail.com
