African airlines to airlift 98 million passengers in 2024-AFRAA

• Somalia takes back control of airspace from Kenya
• Zambia aims new approach to modernise cargo processing

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the umbrella body for many of the continent’s airlines has estimated that the continent’s airlines will carry around 98million passengers in 2024.

The group in its January 2024 performance updates made available to Aviation Metric noted that since November 2023, traffic carried by African airlines exceeded the 2019 level, stressing that in January 2023, African airlines’ Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs) where 2.06% was above the level of the same month in 2019 while ASKs where 7.1% above.

Regarding cargo, 149.6 million Kg moved to/from Africa in November 2023, among which African airlines represented 30.8%.

At some major African airports (Johannesburg, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Lusaka, Cairo, Casablanca, Abidjan, and Lagos), AFRAA disclosed that intra-Africa connectivity reached or exceeded pre-Covid level since December 2022.

AFRAA predicted that 2023 saw an increase in airline revenues and the narrowing of the revenue gap compared to 2022.

The full-year 2023 revenue shortfall of African airlines, it stated was around $200m or less, compared to the 2019 full year, reiterating that the 2022 full-year passenger revenue gap was $3.5 billion for all African airlines combined, compared to 2019.

Jet A1 price continues to fluctuate marginally from week to week. The global average jet A1 price ended the week of 19 Jan 2023 up 2% at $108.92/bbl.

In a related development, AFRAA said Somalia has taken back control of its airspace management from Nairobi where it was airspace control was reassigned in 2018, reflecting its commitment to sovereignty and self-governance.

“The transition of Somalia’s airspace from Class G to Class A marks a significant milestone in the country’s aviation sector. The class upgrade means Somalia will now provide Air Traffic Control Services, a crucial step in enhancing safety and operational efficiency.”

In its report, Zambia has applied a forward-looking approach aimed at modernizing cargo processing and aligning with international trade standards by adopting the use of electronic cargo manifests.

The move is expected to expedite cargo handling processes, foster smoother operations, and support the objectives of the trade facilitation agreements.

A similar digitization move in Cameroon has seen the innovative use of a “Customs Cmr” or “DouaneCmr” mobile app in air passenger processing.

This will streamline customs procedures and embrace digital transformation in passenger handling. The result according to AFRAA will be efficiency and convenience for both passengers and customs authorities.

On the other hand, Tunisia increased tourism tax for economy and business class travelers to enhance revenue generation for the tourism sector.

The increase which was without consultation with industry stakeholders, it said could negatively affect the anticipated tourist arrivals in the country.

On a positive note, Tunisia has deposited its instruments of ratification of the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) with the effective date of Jan 2023.

The country has become the 47^th party to MP14 which addresses jurisdictional gaps that allow unruly and disruptive passengers to avoid prosecution.

AFRAA encouraged all African states to ratify this protocol as a deterrent to unruly behavior on flights and at airports.

In Jan 2024 a meeting was held in Cologne to address challenges related to GPS spoofing. The event emphasized the importance of pilot training and highlighted the ongoing commitment of the global aviation community to addressing emerging threats posed by spoofing.

Balancing the adoption of newer technologies with considerations for evolving security challenges remains a critical aspect of ensuring the resilience and sustainability of the aviation sector.

Collaboration and information-sharing are essential to navigating the complexities of the current aviation landscape.

Wole Shadare