Can African aviation become a stronger engine for growth, tourism and regional integration? That is the message from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has called on African governments to view air transport as strategic economic infrastructure.
Currently meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for its Focus Africa conference, the organization says a better-coordinated aviation strategy could support jobs, facilitate trade, boost tourism and improve connections between African countries. However, IATA points to several persistent obstacles, ranging from operational safety and ticket prices to taxation, charges, energy sustainability and travel formalities.
“Aviation is economic infrastructure for Africa. Its value lies in the long‑term benefits it delivers,” said Kamil Alawadhi, IATA’s regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East. According to him, “an aviation strategy focused on safety, cost-competitiveness, energy security/sustainability, and ease of doing business will create jobs, enable trade, support tourism, and further regional integration.”
IATA is therefore promoting an approach in which aviation is not simply viewed as a sector to be taxed, but as a development tool. “The prosperity this generates will allow governments to push forward social and economic development more durably than any tax that might be collected from travelers,” Alawadhi added.
An aviation strategy built around four priorities, including easing visa requirements
✈️ At the Focus Africa Conference in Addis Ababa, IATA called to prioritize aviation as a strategic enabler of economic and social development.
— IATA (@IATA) April 29, 2026
A strong aviation sector delivers long-term benefits, and focused strategy is needed across 4️⃣ key pillars.
👉 https://t.co/WWQUVK8XsH pic.twitter.com/EwabKsH8pG
In its statement, IATA calls on African governments to take action in four main areas.
The first is aviation safety, an area in which the continent has made progress, although the gap with the global average remains significant. The organization says Africa’s accident rate fell from 12.13 to 7.86 per million sectors between 2024 and 2025, while remaining above the global average of 1.32.
The second priority is cost competitiveness. IATA estimates that taxes and charges imposed by governments and infrastructure providers are about 15% higher in Africa than the global average. It points in particular to certain API-PNR passenger data charges, as well as the decision taken by ECOWAS in December 2025 to eliminate air transport taxes and reduce certain charges by 25%.
The third priority concerns ease of doing business. IATA highlights the issue of blocked funds, meaning airline revenues that cannot be freely repatriated. According to the organization, African countries account for the largest share of blocked airline funds worldwide, with $774 million affected at the end of March 2026.
In particular, IATA devotes part of its appeal to reducing the burden of visa requirements.
The organization notes that nearly half of all intra-African trips still require a visa before departure, a situation that limits regional mobility, tourism and economic integration. According to IATA, countries that have eased their requirements have seen stronger tourism flows, more resilient air links and greater use of regional air services.
Formalities that also weigh on African airlines
This position echoes recent calls from the African Development Bank and the African Union Commission in favor of a visa-free Africa.
At a symposium held on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit in February, participants said restrictive visa regimes continued to hamper trade in services, investment flows, tourism and labor mobility, even as the African Continental Free Trade Area aims to facilitate trade. They also stressed that free movement would require harmonized migration policies, digital identity systems, border infrastructure and sustained political commitment.
Mesfin Bekele, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said that more than 35% of passengers traveling between Africa and the rest of the world are carried by non-African airlines, while African carriers account for only about 30% of that market share. In his view, easing travel formalities could therefore help rebalance part of that dynamic. “Lifting visa requirements would significantly increase the number of Africans traveling within the continent, thereby creating stronger demand for intra-African air services,” he said.
Ras Mubarak, who leads the Trans-Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign, urged governments to accelerate ratification of the African Union Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and to project a more positive image of the continent. He said that only four African countries — São Tomé and Príncipe, Rwanda, Nigeria and Mali — have ratified the protocol. “If we are serious about a visa-free Africa by 2030, more countries must lead by example,” he said, citing Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa as key players.
Beyond traveler mobility, Ras Mubarak also presents free movement as an economic issue. “When people move freely, governments may lose some visa fees, but this is offset by hotel occupancy, trade activity, and the jobs created,” he explained. “A dollar spent outside Africa is a dollar impoverishing our people and costing African youth employment.”
The issue, then, is not only about making tourist travel easier. For IATA, as well as for several African stakeholders in aviation and regional integration, reducing visa barriers should also allow entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and economic operators to move more easily within the continent.
High costs weighing on connectivity
For IATA, visa restrictions add to other obstacles affecting African connectivity.
The organization also points to the pressure that taxes, regulatory fees and certain administrative charges place on final ticket prices. In a market where intra-African demand remains fragile, these costs can limit the opening of new routes or weaken existing ones.
IATA is therefore calling for a more competitiveness-friendly approach to make air travel more accessible. According to the organization, less costly and more seamless aviation would support trade, business travel and regional tourism, while strengthening the continent’s economic integration.
The final part of IATA’s appeal focuses on sustainability and energy security.
The organization says Africa has significant potential to produce sustainable aviation fuels, particularly from agricultural residues, forestry waste and municipal waste. It notes that sub-Saharan Africa could supply up to 106 million tons of suitable feedstock for sustainable fuel production by 2050.
IATA is also urging African governments to become more involved in CORSIA, the international mechanism designed to manage aviation’s climate impact. According to the organization, the continent could benefit from this framework by generating climate finance, provided the necessary policies and infrastructure are put in place.
