Protectionism, Taxes, Fuel: The High Cost Of Air Travel In Africa

Travelling 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) by air between two capitals on the same continent does not seem like a challenge. But it can be one in Africa

Addis Ababa, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Mar, 2024) Travelling 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) by air between two capitals on the same continent does not seem like a challenge. But it can be one in Africa.

Take Libreville and Bangui for instance. The journey takes a minimum of nine hours, requires passengers to change planes and shell out $1,000 -- an example of the challenges facing Africa's aviation sector because of high taxes and protectionist policies.

In comparison, a flight between Paris and Madrid -- which crosses an equivalent distance -- takes two hours and costs five times less.

Unlike Europe, "travel on the continent is very difficult", said Moses Munga, a 27-year-old construction consultant on his way to Ghana from Nairobi.

Like Munga, who told AFP that work took him to West Africa several times a year, civil engineer Ahmed Mekewi said he was a frequent business traveller.

But he confided: "I would have difficulty travelling on my own.

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"The cost of travelling in Africa is very challenging," the 29-year-old said.

Unlike Europe, which liberalised its aviation sector in the 1990s, Africa does not have "a unified... market", an expert in the sector told AFP.

"In Europe, Air France for example can make as many flights as it wants, to Germany, Belgium, Spain or Portugal. This freedom... does not exist within Africa" for African carriers, he said, requesting anonymity because of the nature of his work.

Restricted traffic rights granted by African governments to airlines limit the number of direct routes and the frequency of flights, and make journeys longer across the 54-nation continent, he added.

According to a study conducted in 2021 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the African Union, out of the 1,431 possible connections between each of the bloc's member states, only 19 percent had a weekly direct flight.