Pecohub The aviation industry is at a pivotal moment in history, with global developments, regional transformation, and local ambition intersecting, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has observed.
Despite the challenges, Africa’s aviation sector continues to show resilient performance, with African carriers recording a 6.7 per cent year-to-date increase in passenger traffic as of July 2025, reflecting sustained recovery and rising demand for both intra-African and long-haul connectivity.
Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East at IATA, Kamil Al-Awadhi stated that the industry is facing real challenges, including disrupted routes, rising costs, and constrained connectivity, as the world witnesses a retreat from openness, with trade barriers, sanctions, and geopolitical tensions reshaping global markets.
Al-Awadhi said this while delivering his speech at the Aviation Africa 2025 Summit and Exhibition holding from September 4 to 5 in Kigali, Rwanda.
On the cargo side, he said, also posted a 9.4 per cent year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in July, marking their strongest monthly performance since August 2024.
Al-Awadhi emphasized the importance of aviation in Africa, noting that it supported 8.1 million jobs and contributed $75 billion to Africa’s GDP in 2023.
“Every aviation job supports 22 others across the economy, highlighting the multiplier effect of connectivity. The African aviation market is forecast to grow at 4.1 per cent annually over the next 20 years, reaching 411 million passengers, with East Africa leading in expected growth, followed by Central and West Africa, Southern Africa, and Northern Africa.”
However, Al-Awadhi said Africa’s aviation potential is constrained by fragmentation, high costs, and underdeveloped infrastructure.
“The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) was created to open skies across Africa, increase competition, reduce fares, and expand routes, but progress on implementation remains slow, with only 38 countries signing up.
Visa openness is essential to connectivity, so Al-Awadhi encouraged governments to adopt visa-free access and e-visas to support tourism, trade, and regional integration.
He cited Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles as examples of countries that have implemented visa-free access to all Africans.
Al-Awadhi stated that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to lift millions out of poverty by building a single market of 1.3 billion people, and aviation is key to achieving this ambition.
However, he said intra-African trade accounts for only is 15 per cent of the continent’s total trade, compared to over 60 per cent in Europe.
