Aviation stakeholders have blamed the slow takeoff of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) on the absence of political will, coupled with excessive protectionism, unharmonised regulations, weak enforcement and infrastructure decay, OLUSEGUN KOIKI reports.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in its 2022 report, said many of Africa’s airports operate at just 50 per cent capacity, attributing the poor performance to high costs of air travel on the continent.

Also, a report claimed that 80 per cent of journeys are made by road, while a paltry two per cent of global air passengers are intra-African, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
But, to address this and liberalise air transport for passengers and cargo within the continent, the African Union (AU), as part of its 1963 agenda, formerly launched a single market for air transport with the creation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) in 2018, having previously adopted the Yamoussoukro Decision in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

But nine years after its adoption, only 38 have signed its implementation, while just 26 have gone on to sign the memorandum of implementation (MoI).

African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) said that the 38 countries that signed the SAATM implementation account for over 80 per cent of intra-African air traffic.

Participants at the inaugural African Travel Commission (ATC) summit and exhibition, held in Lagos, recently under ‘Accelerating Africa’s Tourism Growth Through Innovation, Partnerships and Sustainable Investments’, observed that the bottleneck among African states had made full implementation of SAATM impossible, while businesses and airlines operating on the continent have continued to suffer.

In his paper, ‘‘Unlocking Affordable Air Travel Through the Lens of Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)’, the Senior Lecturer, Digital Marketing and Tourism, Dr Augusta Evans, regretted the slow adoption of SAATM almost a decade after.

Evans said air liberalisation in Africa was still below its full potential, while affordable air travel continues to depend largely on translating policy into practice.
He said airfares on the continent are between 40 and 60 per cent higher than those of European routes, stressing that fragmented air markets have kept the charges high.

He emphasised that full implementation of SAATM by the continent’s governments would have removed these bottlenecks by liberalising routes and accessibility.
He insisted that SAATM required states to align airport charges, access, and ground handling to support liberalised markets.

Evans expressed that SAATM was the only policy engine for affordable air travel on the continent, while it equally provides the regulatory freedom needed to replicate low-cost models across the continent’s regional corridors.
He argued that SAATM and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would lead to passenger liberalisation, increased cargo connectivity for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and perishables.
He added: “SAATM enables route flexibility, higher frequencies and cross-border competition essential for low-cost models. It also supports sustainability by reducing indirect routings and long-haul detours.”

Also, the Vice President of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), Dr Alex Nwuba, in his presentation, said that the continent’s ambitious aviation reforms – Yamoussoukro Declaration and SAATM, have failed to enhance growth in Africa.

According to Nwuba, both initiatives promised liberalisation, lower costs and open skies, yet progress had been slow, fragmented and in many cases symbolic rather than practical.
He stated that national interests, revenue dependence, and regulatory resistance consistently override regional commitments, thereby rendering implementation impossible.

“Political, economic and institutional barriers have stalled Yamoussoukro and SAATM implementations, and the same barriers will stand in the way of any new initiatives by the continent”, he added.

Also, the Managing Director, Aero Contractors, Ado Sanusi, in his paper: ‘Challenges Facing Local Airlines in Nigeria and Practical Pathways for Sustainable Growth’; said that aviation remains a critical enabler of tourism, trade and economic integration across Africa.

Sanusi mentioned two factors that determine airline sustainability: internal and external.
According to him, internal factors include corporate governance and management discipline, and he stresses that most airlines on the continent face the challenge of weak internal governance.

He expressed that airlines are complex, capital-intensive businesses, stressing that when governance structures are weak and boards are incompetent, management decisions are short-term, political, and emotional, and carriers would continue to struggle to remain in the air.
He pointed out that sustainable airlines require strong, independent boards, clear separation between ownership and management, professional decision-making anchored in data, safety and long-term strategy, noting that without these, a well-funded airline may eventually fail.

Regarding external factors, Sanusi mentioned regulatory bottlenecks, infrastructure deficits, policy inconsistency, taxation, and multiple charges as challenges confronting African airlines’ growth.
He said: “Regulation is necessary for safety, but over-regulation and inconsistent regulation stifle growth. What airlines need is smart regulation, rules that protect safety while enabling growth, innovation and speed.

“Airports are the backbone of aviation, yet many Nigerian airports suffer from inadequate runway and terminal infrastructure, poor lighting and navigation systems, limited maintenance and Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) capacity. These deficiencies increase operating costs, cause delays, and reduce reliability, ultimately affecting tourism and investor confidence.

“Perhaps one of the most damaging external pressures is excessive taxation and charges. This cost burden is passed on to passengers, reducing demand and making air travel less accessible to ordinary Africans. Aviation should be treated as a strategic economic enabler, not merely a revenue collection.”