Africa's Open Skies Fail If Governments Keep Taxing Travellers Off the Runway

Jun 7 , 2026. By BEZAWIT HULUAGER ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

As the African Union (AU) prepares to elevate the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) as a continental priority next year, Kamil Al-Awadhi, a Kuwaiti aviation executive now serving as regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East (AME) at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), says Africa’s aviation challenge is no longer a policy ambition but execution. In his current position since 2021, Al-Awadhi told Bezawit Huluhager, our staff writer, on the sidelines of the international aviation conference in Brazil that open skies will remain a slogan unless African governments address visas, taxes, bilateral restrictions, airport costs, and fuel security as a single system.

Fortune: The African Union has made SAATM a priority for next year. Are you happy with the way the project is being handled by the AU and AFCAC?

Kamil Al-Awadhi: The AU is talking about SAATM as a priority, but I do not think it will work the way it is being handled now. The AU nominated the project to the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), and the Commission is trying to implement it, but in the wrong way. It is focused too much on signing papers. I urged them five years ago to involve the industry, and we would help move the project properly.

SAATM is not about signing documents. It is about getting each country to understand the value of aviation, reviewing bilateral agreements, and implementing what already exists. Some countries signed agreements years ago that already allow what SAATM is supposed to deliver, but they do not implement them. Without a domestic ecosystem that supports aviation, the agreement will remain grounded.

Q: You have described SAATM as more than a matter of opening routes. What should it look like in practice?

It should mean that any African airline can operate anywhere in Africa, provided there is an airport slot and it can handle the traffic. If the airport has capacity, an airline should be able to fly as many frequencies as it wants. That is how Europe works. There are no bilateral limits saying one airline can operate only two or three flights a week. If there is a slot, the airline operates.

But air services alone will not solve Africa’s connectivity problem. You can open the route and still block the passenger with visa rules. If Ethiopian can fly to Lagos every day, but Ethiopians cannot get visas, then SAATM has failed in practice. The system has to include air rights, visas, airport capacity, equal rules and fair treatment for all 54 African countries. The Commission is focusing on bilateral agreements, but that alone will not work.

Q: Nearly half of intra-African travel still requires visas. Are governments making progress?

There is some movement. I was impressed that Togo and two other countries recently waived visa requirements. I think the number is now around 18 countries. That is progress, but it is still not enough for a continent that says it wants aviation integration.

If a South Africans want to travel to Nigeria, why should a visa be required?

It should be like Europe, where travel between countries is much easier. Without visa facilitation, airlines may be allowed to fly, but passengers will still be held back. That keeps demand low and makes routes less viable.

Q: IATA has urged cost-efficient infrastructure for Ethiopia’s planned Bishoftu airport. How can Ethiopia avoid the high costs and debt burdens often associated with new African airports?

There are two ways to build an airport. One is to say the airport costs one billion dollars and should be recovered over 30 years. The country finds financing and keeps passenger charges reasonable because the goal is not to make the airport itself immediately profitable. It is to bring people into the country. A tourist may spend 3,000 dollars to 5,000 dollars on hotels, taxis and food. An extra 50 dollars on the ticket may stop that trip from happening.

The other way is to tax every passenger today to build an airport that will be ready in 10 years. By the time the airport is built, some of the money is missing, the project still needs financing, and the high charges remain. That kills demand. Ethiopia understands that an airport contributes to gross domestic product. The airport should support growth first; sustainability and profit can come later.

Q: Ethiopia’s passenger numbers are expected to triple by 2044. How well placed is the country to meet that demand?

Ethiopia is in a stronger position than many African countries because it has the continent’s largest aviation training ecosystem. It trains people across many parts of the industry, from flight operations to technical and ground services. That gives the country an advantage as demand grows.

Ethiopia is not only training for itself. It is also exporting aviation talent. It has done more than any other African country to prepare a new generation for the industry. That matters because infrastructure alone is not enough. Airports and aircraft need people, skills and discipline behind them.

Q: With 60pc of Ethiopia’s population under 25, how can air travel avoid becoming a luxury beyond their reach?

IATA cannot control government charges, but these costs need to be managed. Governments should stop adding what I call ridiculous taxes, fees and levies. A decision by one official can make a route unaffordable for ordinary passengers.

Take Addis Abeba to Dar es Salaam. One decision in Tanzania added 90 dollars to the ticket. That is a huge amount for many travellers, especially when the actual cost of the service may be less than one dollar. If governments want tourism and connectivity, they should not price people out of the market.

Q: What is the potential for sustainable aviation fuel in Ethiopia and East Africa?

Every African country has the potential for sustainable aviation fuel, but it requires a strong government decision to produce, market, and sell it internationally. Africa has one of the best opportunities in the world because it has resources, land and a young workforce.

For Ethiopia, the issue is strategic. The country is landlocked, so aviation fuel has to be imported from elsewhere. That creates cost and risk. If conflict disrupts supply routes, aviation is exposed. Ethiopia is green and has a hardworking generation. If the government drives SAF from the top, the country can reduce dependence, improve energy security, protect the environment and potentially export fuel to international markets.

PUBLISHED ON Jun 07,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1362]