NAIROBI, March 10 (Xinhua)--Africa's aviation association on Tuesday called for a continental-wide external policy to shield national airlines from foreign competition.
Abderahmane Berthe, secretary-general of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), told a media briefing in Nairobi that in the past two decades there has been a continuous reduction of African airlines' intercontinental market shares with the entry of international airlines into the African aviation market.
"Currently African air operators' market share has dropped to 20 percent of passenger traffic between Africa and the rest of the world. To reverse this situation, Africa needs an external aviation policy at the African Union level," Berthe said.
He noted that the European Union also has a similar policy that protects its airlines carriers from international competition.
According to AFRAA, the African airline industry can capture at least 50 percent of the market share of the continent's aviation industry through appropriate policies.
Berthe said that African airlines are disadvantaged as compared to their global peers due to the high cost of operations, taxes and market access restrictions.
He added that the African airline industry is set for expansion and traffic is expected to more than double during the next twenty years largely due to rising economies and the growing middle class who are willing to travel by air.
He observed that the continent's aviation transport sector supports 6.9 million jobs and contributes to about five percent of Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) but only accounts for two percent of global air traffic.
