Africa's airlines on track to reach pre-pandemic traffic levels in 2019

Africa's airlines have almost returned to pre-pandemic traffic levels, according to a report by the African Airlines Association.
The majority of the March figures were made up of domestic traffic, followed by intercontinental and passenger traffic between African states.
The AFRAA is calling for action to increase trade and develop air transport in Africa.

Africa's airlines are rebounding from the pandemic, with a report by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) indicating that the traffic carried by the continent's airlines in March had reached nearly 95% of the 2019 levels. Domestic traffic led the share at 37% of the total, followed by intercontinental traffic at 32% and passenger traffic between African states at 31%. The total number of intercontinental routes operated has been higher than in 2019 since October 2022. Eight key airports, including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Cairo, have achieved or exceeded pre-pandemic levels for intra-Africa travel.

AFRAA's membership represents airlines in member states of the African Union (AU), reflecting over 85% of the international traffic carried by African airlines. The association promotes the continent as "an excellent opportunity to develop air transport" and advocates for "Better Skies for Africa." However, the continent only accounts for 2% of global trade and 3% of the world market share of air transport.

To promote air transport development, AFRAA is hosting its 11th Aviation Stakeholders Convention, with over 400 delegates from Africa and worldwide attending to discuss strategies to enhance efficiencies, create synergies, and develop intra-Africa connectivity. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest airline, is hosting the convention.

The AFRAA has advised that 2023 is seeing a "narrowing" of the revenue gaps of airlines compared to the previous year. Africa's airlines were below the revenue levels seen in the same period in 2019 by 0.3 billion USD in the first quarter of 2023, and the association expects this to reduce further to 0.2 billion USD in the second quarter. Estimates for full-year revenue gaps are not yet available; however, 2023 is expected to perform better than the previous year, which saw a 3.5 billion USD loss for all African airlines.

To support continued recovery and air transport growth, AFRAA is providing advocacy on airline-blocked funds. According to the association, Nigeria currently has 743 million USD of airline-blocked funds, and three of its member airlines have approximately 44.2 million USD blocked in the country. The AFRAA states that countries with blocked funds at the end of last year, including Algeria, Libya, Cameroon, The Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Conakry, Burundi, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, impose a financial burden on airlines that support air connectivity and economic activities in these countries.

AFRAA's efforts to promote air transport development in Africa are in line with the continent's potential as an untapped market for airlines. With the right infrastructure, support, and advocacy, Africa could become a vital player in the global air transport industry.