175 new routes across Africa opened in three years

The Secretary-General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Adefunke Adeyemi, said 175 new air routes, often rounded or projected to higher figures in broader sectoral discussions, have been opened across the continent over the past three years.

This expansion is a direct result of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative, which aims to liberalise African skies.

She highlighted this milestone during her address at the Nigeria Aviation African Investment Summit (NAAIS) in Lagos on Wednesday, adding that the opening of these routes has facilitated the transport of 113 million passengers within the three-year period.

Building on the milestone of 175 new routes, representing a significant jump from the 124 recorded earlier in the rollout, her speech focused on how these connections are dismantling the “Brussels-to-get-to-Benin” travel irony that has long plagued African aviation.

According to her, the aviation sector’s growth has contributed approximately $75 billion to Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

She noted that the industry and its affiliates now support over 8.1 million jobs across the continent.

Adeyemi noted that a significant portion of this growth is attributed to Fifth Freedom traffic rights—allowing airlines to fly between two foreign countries as long as the flight originates or ends in the airline’s home country—which increased from 15% in 2018 to 23% in 2024, with a target of 30% by 2027.

By opening 175 routes, airlines are now utilising Fifth Freedom Rights more aggressively, allowing them to pick up passengers in one African country and drop them in another before returning home.

The NAAIS 2026 served as a platform for Adeyemi to urge African member states to further integrate their aviation markets.

While she celebrated the progress as a transformative feat, she also noted that relative to the scale of the African continent, there is still significant untapped potential to improve intra-African connectivity and reduce travel costs.

The AFCAC scribe emphasised that interconnectivity is no longer just a vision but a measurable economic engine for the continent.

She outlined three primary pillars where interconnectivity is currently transforming the region. The Single African Air Transport Market, she noted, has moved from policy to political action.

She addressed the world’s most expensive air transport by highlighting that increased interconnectivity naturally drives down fares. With more direct routes, the unnecessary layovers that inflated ticket prices by 35% are being phased out.

She described aviation as the circulatory system for the African Continental Free Trade Area. Hinting that without these 175 routes, the movement of high-value goods and professional services—critical for the $3 trillion free trade zone—would remain stagnant.

Despite the celebration of new routes, the Secretary-General issued a stern reminder on two lingering bottlenecks.

“Interconnectivity is hollow if a passenger can fly directly but cannot get a visa on arrival. She called for a “non-physical infrastructure” upgrade across all AU member states.”

She urged the total harmonisation of safety and consumer protection standards to ensure that passengers have a seamless experience, whether they are flying with Ethiopian Airlines, Air Peace, or ASKY.

For Adeyemi, SAATM is not just a policy—it is the “heartbeat” of her tenure as Secretary-General of the AFCAC.

Since taking office in 2022, she has shifted the organisation’s focus from talking about Open Skies to the physical execution of those routes.

Her primary vehicle for SAATM success has been the SAATM Pilot Implementation Project (PIP). This initiative moved away from waiting for all 55 African Union states to agree simultaneously, instead focusing on a cluster of ready-and-willing nations to lead by example.

Despite the progress, Adeyemi has been vocal about the “Locked Hangar” syndrome—where policy exists but practice lags.

Her current 2026 priorities include ensuring that airports in the new route network have the capacity to handle increased passenger and cargo traffic.

Wole Shadare