PUBLISHER’S NOTE

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

As year 2024 winds down, we wish to express our profound gratitude to you for your continuous readership and patronage of Aviation & Allied Business Journal, and look forward to working with you again in 2025 for a prosperous African air transport industry.

We wish to congratulate the leadership of the African Airlines Association, AFRAA on the success of the 56^th AFRAA Annual General Assembly (AGA), which held in Cairo, Egypt in November 2024. The AGA has brought to the fore a number of issues including affordability of air transport, sustainable growth of African airlines and continuous improvement of safety of air transport in Africa.

Achieving Net Zero 2050 remains a lofty aspiration, and many African carriers have shown sufficient commitment to it. However, there is a consensus that African airlines must succeed economically to be able to meet their obligations in achieving the Net Zero target. The African Union, AFRAA and international partners have to work cooperatively to mitigate its impact on the continent’s carriers to ensure African airlines do not buckle under the weight of Net Zero requirements, and stifle air connectivity on the continent. In this regard, we look forward to the release of AFRAA’s Net Zero Pathway for African Airlines.

We equally remind the African aviation industry that safety is a continuum, and requires consistent focus. While Africa’s safety record has been improving, the safety data for 2024 has shown that the industry slipped from the achievement of the immediate past years. This is a wakeup call that the industry cannot afford to relapse in terms of safety.

Furthermore, affordability of air travel has been impacted over the years by high charges and fees. We note the proposal by ECOWAS to reduce charges and fees on air transport with commencement date of January 1, 2026. However, we submit that this is an urgent issue that requires immediate implementation latest June 30, 2025. We therefore challenge the Secretariat to consider the early implementation. The decision, if ratified and implemented, will lead to immediate reduction of airfares in the West African region, which has grossly reduced the quality of life and the investment potentials of the region. It will also provide a template for Central African region, another high airfare environment.

On another note, it is very fitting that the year is ending with a reinforcement of the continent’s obligation to fully implement the Single African Air Transport Market, SAATM at the YD Day Celebration in Brazzaville, Congo. Efficient air connectivity is a sine qua non for economic growth and development of Africa and we urge the remaining African states yet to sign up to SAATM to do so.

Our Interview Guest is the Honourable Minister of Transport of Angola, His Excellency Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu, who has been focused on growing Angola’s footprint on the aviation scene. We also feature reports of the 56^th AFRAA AGA in Cairo and the YD Day Celebration in Brazzaville, and an article on the Next Generation Aviation Professionals.

Finally, we congratulate Mr. Serge Florent Dzota on his election as AFCAC President and Ms Adefunke Adeyemi on her reelection as AFCAC Secretary General. We assure them of our continued support.

We wish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous year 2025.

Thank you.

Capt. Edward Boyo