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Airlines: Fifth freedom killing competition
Airline operators have faulted the prevalent of fifth freedom right granted some airlines and have called for a review. Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Noggie Meggison, said the right was damaging airlines in the continent, describing it as a rip-off on other carriers.
Large European, American and Gulf carriers, by virtue of the Fifth Freedom, are able to operate flights directly from their respective bases into Accra and then fly into a neighbouring West Africa country before flying back to their bases via Accra.
The exercise of Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights on the continent has led to increased intra-Africa city pairing and passenger traffic in the West Africa sub-region.
South African Airways (SAA), Emirates and Moroccan national carrier – Royal Air Maroc – all have fifth freedom traffic rights that allow them to fly from their home bases to Accra and then service other destinations in the sub-region from there.
It was learnt that the national carrier of Rwanda, RwandAir, last month, gained the approval of the Ministry of Aviation in Nigeria to ply Lagos-Accra route on a direct flight.
The approval widens competition with Arik Air, Med- View, Air Peace and Ghana based Africa World Airlines (AWA) on the route. RwandAir’s Country Manager, Nigeria, Ibiyemi Odusi, said the direct flight between the two West African cities was a result of the “Fifth Freedom Right” the carrier secured from the Nigerian government.
Domestic and regional airlines want a review of the Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights as they firm-up plans to increase their regional operations.
The Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights under the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) of November 1999 endorsed by African civil aviation authorities refer the right to carry passengers from one’s own country to a second country and from that country to a third country.
Chief Commercial Officer of Africa World Airlines (AWA), Catherine Tosan Wood, said: “AWA adds its voice to the call for a review of the fifth freedom traffic right policy, which will help re-define what was agreed in 1999 under the Yamoussoukro Decision.
“As domestic and regional airlines, we have been called into stakeholders meetings and we have jointly told the Ministry of Transport (MoT) that we are getting ready now; we are maturing and we are getting older, that is why we are looking for reviews to come in.”
The exercise of Fifth Freedom Rights on the continent has led to increased intra-Africa city pairing and passenger traffic in the West Africa sub-region.
Large European, American and Gulf carriers by virtue of the fifth freedom are able to operate flights directly from their respective bases into Accra and then fly into a neighbouring West Africa country before flying back to their base via Accra. Delta Airlines, for instance, flies directly from the US to Accra and onward to Monrovia (US-Accra-Monrovia).
It then flies back to the US via Accra (Monrovia-Accra-US). South Africa Airways and Emirates are among other airlines that exercise the fifth freedom in this market.
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