IATA: COVID-19 worsens Africa’s aviation, seeks urgent relief for airlines
**Job losses up by 3.5 million, traffic down by 54%
Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Muhammad Al Bakri has urged African governments and the development institutions who have committed funding to provide it urgently in a structure that does not weaken already stressed airline balance sheets, before it is too late.
This is coming as the group released new data indicating that the impact of COVID-19 on Africa’s aviation industry and economies has worsened sharply since the previous assessment in April.
The clearing house for over 290 global airlines stated that job losses in aviation and related industries could increase by up to 3.5 million, a figure it said is more than half of the region’s 6.2 million aviation-related employment and 400,000 more than the previous estimate
It stated that full-year 2020 traffic is expected to plummet by 54% (more than 80 million passenger journeys) compared to 2019.
Previous estimate according to the group was a fall of 51% as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) supported by aviation in the region could fall by up to $35 billion. IATA previously estimated a $28 billion decline.
“COVID-19 has devastated African economies and brought air connectivity across the continent to a virtual standstill. And the situation is getting worse. The economic consequences resulting from a disconnected continent are severe”.
“Millions of jobs and livelihoods are at risk in family-run enterprises and large corporations along the entire travel and tourism value chain. For Africa’s economic recovery and future prosperity, it is essential to expedite the safe restart of the industry,” said Muhammad Al Bakri, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East”.
He stated that to minimize the impact on jobs and the broader African economy an accelerated recovery of air transport across the continent is vital. This he said can be achieved through government action in two priority areas of harmonized adoption of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) and Take-off guidance – the global bio-safety framework for the safe restart of aviation which to him is critical for the safe resumption of air transport.
To avoid conflicting measures, disruptions and inefficiencies, all countries, including those in Africa, he noted must apply these recommendations consistently and uniformly, without imposing unnecessary border constraints such as quarantines, which deter passengers and suppress the demand for air travel.
According to ICAO, Rwanda is amongst the first countries in the world to have fully complied with ICAO’s biosecurity recommendations.
Barry Kashambo, Regional Director, ESAF speaking on behalf of the ICAO Regional Offices accredited to African States ICAO said: “We recognize the efforts and actions by Rwanda and some other States, to fully implement the provisions of ICAO CART recommendations and Take-off guidance and measures.
“We encourage all Governments in Africa to prioritize the restart of aviation and to tap into its potential as an enabler to Africa’s economic recovery post COVID-19. Air connectivity is critical to economic and sustainable development and the movement of persons across the continent.”
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