IATA: Africa improves air safety record amid high taxes, poor infrastructure, others 

The Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh expressed satisfaction with the progress African airlines have made in safety, stressing that the continent has made significant safety improvements.

This is coming as the IATA chief admitted that the continent’s carriers are faced with enormous challenges, including high costs and taxes, jet fuel prices which he said are about the highest in the world, low safety standards and airport infrastructure that needs investment.

While commending the continent over the impressive safety record between 2020 and 2023 which shows that there were no hull losses or fatal accidents during that period, he lamented that the region took a step backwards from this in 2024.

According to him, even in 2023, the African turboprop hull loss rate was the highest in the world, stressing that this tells everyone that there is still work to do on safety.

He made the observation in an address delivered on Monday to the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) annual general assembly which is underway in Cairo, Egypt.

He said, “Africa has enormous potential. You know the statistics. It is home to 18% of the world’s population but accounts for just 3% of global GDP. And it accounts for an even smaller share of global air transport—just 2%.”

“As Africa’s airline leaders, I know that you are ready to take advantage of this potential to grow your airlines and connect the continent. I also understand the enormous challenges you face—among these, high costs and taxes, including the highest into-wing jet fuel prices in the world, low adoption of global safety standards, and airport infrastructure in need of investment.”

On how to improve air safety in Africa, Walsh stated that the IATA Safety Leadership Charter provides eight principles aimed at standardizing a global approach to safety culture in each airline.

Some 118 airline CEOs he said have signed, noting that fourteen of these are in Africa.

While that is a significant number, with 37 IATA members and 65 IOSA airlines in the continent, he said there is scope for more to join, urging them to sign if they have not done so.

An increased willingness to share data, he reiterated is an important outcome of an effective safety culture, adding that the more data they can bring together, the more powerful the insights they can draw from it.

“Along with encouraging you to sign the Safety Leadership Charter, I also ask that airlines not yet contributing their data to the Global Aviation Data Management (GADM) initiative to do so. GADM has become a powerful analytical tool to improve safety. And if you participate—at no cost—you will also get access to rich data that can enhance your safety performance”.

“With such actions, our call on governments to adopt and effectively implement global safety standards grows stronger. That is important in Africa where the AFCAC website shows that some 20 AFCAC states have not met AFCAC’s own 60% implementation threshold for ICAO SARPS. That’s not good enough. And it is also not good enough that we are still waiting for final reports from 38 accidents in Africa investigated under Annex 13. We cannot let governments in Africa—or anywhere for that matter, forget their crucial responsibilities to implement ICAO SARPS and complete accident reports promptly”, he added.

Walsh equally dwells on sustainability for global airlines, saying, “By 2050 we must be at net zero carbon emissions. This is existential to our future growth, the health of our planet and the prosperity of people everywhere who depend on aviation.”

“There will be many political twists and turns on the way to 2050. But in 2021 we set the course to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and reversing course is not an option.  For Africa, aviation’s energy transition is a big development opportunity. SAF will contribute more than 60% of the mitigation needed for aviation’s decarbonization. But only a few per cent of our fuel needs can currently be met with SAF and there is no production in Africa.”

He said Africa has the people and natural resources to develop a world-leading SAF sector, provided the financing and government incentives are available.

Wole Shadare