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(Ecofin Agency) – Air transport in West Africa faces significant challenges. High ticket prices, outdated airport infrastructure, and weak regional integration have kept the sector underdeveloped. However, local political and economic leaders are increasingly focused on improving aviation, recognizing its key role in economic development.
Since December 2022, intra-African air connectivity has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. Passenger numbers, however, remained lower until this year, when the effects of the pandemic began to fade. By 2024, African airlines are expected to transport 98 million passengers, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
Major Hurdles for West Africa’s Aviation Industry
Despite some progress, the West African aviation sector continues to face significant challenges, such as advancing sustainability, improving safety standards, boosting competitiveness, and strengthening intra-African connectivity.
High ticket prices remain a significant issue. It is often much more expensive to take an intra-African flight than to fly from Africa to Europe. For example, an Abidjan-Douala flight can sometimes cost more than an Abidjan-Paris flight. More importantly, the development of continental flights remains a significant gap in the region. Of the 176 million African passengers expected in 2024, according to the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), only 8%—about 14 million people—will take intra-African flights, according to Jomas Appavou, Africa Director for the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
As a result, air travel remains out of reach for a vast majority of the population, reserved mainly for wealthy individuals and the diaspora. This is in stark contrast to other parts of the world, where air travel has become more accessible.
This is an anomaly because air transport plays a crucial role in developing the regions it serves. A study by InterVISTAS for Airports Council International (ACI) Europe found that every additional million passengers creates 950 direct jobs. Furthermore, a 10% increase in air connectivity leads to a 0.5% rise in GDP per capita. For this reason, reducing the cost of air travel is a key goal of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Blaise Diagne International Airport (Senegal)
Aware of the role air transport plays as a catalyst for economic development, many institutional leaders are taking charge of the issue and working on modernizing the sector. A recent example is the meeting of the ECOWAS transport ministers last November. Determined to reduce air ticket prices, they agreed to remove taxes that do not comply with the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and to reduce passenger and security charges by 25%. The lack of refineries is another obstacle to affordable ticket prices: while jet fuel accounts for 25% of the cost of a ticket globally, it makes up 40% in Africa. On the continent, jet fuel is the most expensive in the world for airlines, costing 21% more than elsewhere.
The Race to Become West Africa’s Aviation Hub
While Maghreb countries, Egypt, and South Africa continue to play a dominant role in the continent’s aviation sector, other countries are making strides to become key players.
Nigeria, the continent’s demographic powerhouse, aims to become a regional hub in the coming years. As Nigerian Minister of Civil Aviation Festus Keyamo points out, “Geographically, we are in the best position to be the real hub of Africa. If you look at the map, we are equidistant to South America across the Atlantic, to Europe, and to Asia”.
To achieve this, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cleared most of its foreign exchange arrears with commercial banks, allowing foreign airlines to recover the currencies they were owed. This decision was praised by the Airlines and Foreign Representatives Association in Nigeria (AFARN), which acknowledged the CBN’s efforts to address a debt that had reached over $800 million. In June 2024, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) confirmed that 98% of the arrears had been settled.
The government has also committed to honoring the Cape Town Convention, which aims to resolve the issue of securing enforceable rights over high-value aviation assets (aircraft fuselages, engines, helicopters, etc.), thus reassuring international leasing companies, who will see a significant reduction in their insurance costs.
Since this initiative, Royal Air Maroc and Qatar Airways have launched flights to Nigeria, while Emirates resumed operations in October 2024 after nearly two years of suspension.
The ambition to become a regional air traffic hub is not limited to Nigeria. In Lomé, Asky Airlines dreams of a regional hub connected to Africa and beyond. In Abidjan, modernization efforts to transform Félix Houphouët-Boigny Airport into a key transit point are still underway, while Air Côte d’Ivoire continues to strengthen its fleet and routes. In Dakar, Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) aims to position itself as “the heart of a network designed to compete with the continent’s major players.” The race for West African skies seems to have begun, depending on the resources at hand.
Behind the large projects and ambitious plans, one question remains crucial: how can air sovereignty be achieved on a continent where jet fuel, imported at a high cost, makes up 40% of ticket prices, compared to 25% in other parts of the world? Doudou Ka, former head of Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) from 2020 to 2022, has his solution: “We need to develop national champions and lay the foundation for the sector’s internal growth.” His vision goes beyond just building infrastructure; it also involves taking control of the entire value chain, from fuel production to maintenance centers and pilot training. “Better integration of local infrastructure and regional fuel production could help lower costs and make air travel more affordable,” says Mr. Ka, who also served as Senegal’s Minister of Air Transport and Airport Infrastructure Development. “Another key issue is the undercapitalization of airlines, which is especially challenging in such a capital-intensive industry.”
For Senegal, which also relies on its local airports, AIBD is focused on rebuilding regional airports. This work will help connect the southern part of Senegal, especially the Casamance region, directly to Europe by expanding the capacity of the Cap Skirring airport. This area, known for its tourism potential, hopes to attract international visitors once again after several years of low traffic.
Another recent development is the inauguration of the International Academy of Civil Aviation Professions (AIMAC) campus in Dakar on October 28. This is the second training site opened by AIMAC, following the one at the Thiès Air Base in collaboration with the Air Force, where the first class of pilots and maintenance technicians is already in training. This facility will allow future pilots and technicians to train locally, without necessarily going to foreign schools. It follows the successful Ethiopian model that Senegal is now trying to replicate, especially with the ambitions of its national airline, Air Sénégal.
“The Academy strengthens Senegal’s independence and excellence in the aviation sector, with programs such as pilot training and airport management. It is a vital part of the necessary development of Air Sénégal,” says Doudou Ka.
These are shared challenges across the region, and observers are pleased that they are now on the political agenda.
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