Five steps to supercharge Africa’s aviation sector

Today, aviation contributes USD 75 billion to African GDP and supports 8.1 million jobs – one in every 61 jobs on the continent.[i] Yet, Africa, home to 18% of the world’s population, accounts for only 3% of global air passengers, highlighting a vast gap between demand and connectivity.[ii] So how do we bridge this gap?

Every so often, a continent reaches a moment when its aspirations grow faster than the systems designed to support them. Africa is in exactly that moment today. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is changing the logic of how African economies relate to each other. Investments are rising, start-ups are scaling across borders and the world’s eyes are fixed on their growth story. But there’s a blocker we don’t talk about enough: the physical systems meant to connect this continent-wide ambition are still catching up.

Aviation is one of those systems; it might be the most consequential of all. Not because it is glamorous or high profile, but because it determines whether markets function as a single, integrated bloc or as a set of distant islands.

The good news is that nothing about this challenge is insurmountable. Africa’s aviation sector is not failing; it’s simply operating within constraints that no longer reflect the scale of the ambition. With a few decisive policy shifts, we can unlock the connectivity that AfCFTA needs to succeed.

This is mostly about alignment. The progress African governments have made on integration is real and impressive. But if growth should continue to accelerate, systems must be fit for purpose. Today, African aviation needs five adjustments.

First, liquidity. Across the continent, more than a billion dollars of airline revenues are blocked or delayed. As of October 2025, USD 954 million of airline funds were trapped in African markets representing 79% of all blocked revenues globally.[iii] These funds, often from African travellers on African routes, are stuck in systems that make it difficult for airlines to repatriate or reinvest them. The consequences are that airlines reduce frequencies, cancel routes or shift capacity to markets where their revenues are accessible. A route disappears, and with it, trade missions, cargo flows, tourism links and even humanitarian access. Freeing up these funds will help to create a functioning aviation market.

Second, the structural cost base of flying in Africa. Fuel costs are around 17% higher than the global average, taxes and charges 12–15% higher, and navigation fees 10% higher.[iv] When an airline is deciding whether to open a new route between two African cities, these costs often tip the decision from viable to unworkable. And when fares increase, the burden falls on traders, students, families and professionals who rely on efficient movement to grow their lives and businesses.

Another factor is that low-cost carriers (LCCs) make up only 15% of traffic in Africa, compared to around 60% in Europe and the US. This means that aviation is a privilege reserved for the wealthy in Africa, whereas in the rest of the world it is an engine for economic prosperity and connecting people. To make aviation more accessible, it must become more affordable. The continent’s fast-growing middle class deserves a network that reflects their realities, which requires structural costs to be brought into line with global norms.

Third, regulatory alignment. Africa has committed, through the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), to opening its skies and creating a competitive, continent-wide aviation space. Currently, most airports, aviation services and airlines in Africa are government owned. While privatisation and healthy competition brings down prices and attracts investment, implementation has been slower and more uneven than the policy vision. Only 19% of intra‑African routes have direct flights, barely one in five connections between African cities.[v] More than 75% of international passengers to and from Africa still fly on non‑African carriers, underlining the connectivity gap that persists even as demand grows. But when open sky reforms move from policy statements to practical change, the market responds quickly. As a company operating at more than 50 airports across Africa, we see this firsthand. Where governments harmonise rules and encourage competition, new routes appear. Airlines expand. Infrastructure is upgraded. Skills deepen. The multiplier effect is immediate.

Fourth, safety and standards. Africa has made real progress, but there is still work to do. Good safety is not just a regulatory issue; it is about confidence. Sub‑Saharan Africa currently implements about 59.5% of International Civil Aviation Organization safety standards, compared with a global average of 69% and a target of 75%.[vi] Airlines want to know that the airport environment will support their standards and passengers want to know their experience will be consistent. Raising safety implementation levels across the continent needs to be a central part of the growth strategy.

Finally, and perhaps the most underestimated, the movement of people. At its heart, AfCFTA is about people as much as markets. Yet too many Africans still face visa hurdles when traveling to neighbouring countries. Europeans can access 95% of Europe without a visa, whereas Africans can only access, on average, 15% of their own continent without a visa. In fact, Europeans have fewer visa requirements than Africans when travelling in Africa. A free trade area cannot truly work if its members cannot visit each other easily. African states have already taken important steps toward visa openness, but the economic potential of a truly mobile continent is still largely untapped.

This is not at all to say that the aviation sector in Africa is failing. Far from it. It is a vibrant sector that can unlock the real benefits of trade and tourism. Air travel demand in Africa is expected to grow 6% in 2026 – ahead of the global average – and the market is projected to expand at 4.1% annually to reach more than 400 million passengers by 2044.[vii]

These changes won’t necessarily be easy, but they certainly are possible. Africa is seeing huge amounts of growth across the continent, and one can only imagine the possibilities for further growth with an efficient aviation system operating on a continental level. There is massive opportunity right now in this sector. Exploiting this opportunity could make a united African economy the most powerful in the world.

[i] https://www.iata.org/en/about/worldwide/ame/value-of-aviation/

[ii] https://2024-wpds.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-World-Population-Data-Sheet-Booklet.pdf | https://www.iata.org/globalassets/iata/pressroom/gmd/gmd-2025—africa-presentation.pdf

[iii] https://www.iata.org/en/about/worldwide/ame/blog/africa-growth-strengthens-but-structural-challenges-keep-airline-profitability-marginal/

[iv] https://www.iata.org/en/about/worldwide/ame/blog/africa-growth-strengthens-but-structural-challenges-keep-airline-profitability-marginal/

[v] https://www.arise.tv/iata-says-africas-air-passenger-traffic-to-reach-345-million-by-2043-amid-calls-for-reform/

[vi] https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-07-30-01/

[vii] CAPA Airline Leader Briefing, December 2025

This article was originally published on Ground Handling International.