During the recent Annual General Assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the Association’s Secretary General, Abderahmane Berthé, presented a comprehensive overview of AFRAA’s performance, emerging trends shaping 2025, and the strategic priorities that will guide the Association into 2026 and beyond.
Over more than five decades, the Association has evolved from a small group of visionary airlines into a continental institution representing 48 member airlines and 41 industry partners. Headquartered in Nairobi, AFRAA continues to play a central role in advocacy, partnership building, technical cooperation and representing Africa’s collective interests in global aviation forums.
Strategic framework
Looking ahead, the renewed strategic framework is structured around five core pillars:
- safety, security and operational excellence
- economic sustainability and airline competitiveness
- innovation, digital transformation and human capital development
- environmental sustainability
- the journey towards net zero carbon emissions
These pillars will shape AFRAA’s work programme over the next five years.
Operational efficiency and Free Route Airspace
Among the most significant continental initiatives highlighted was the Free Route Airspace Project. Following extensive collaboration between airlines and air navigation service providers, West and Central Africa achieved Free Route Airspace status on 30 October 2025. Berthé noted that the initiative is already delivering tangible operational, financial and environmental benefits, including more than 1,300 flight hours saved annually, fuel savings of approximately 5,000 tonnes, the avoidance of 16,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and an estimated US$15 million in annual cost savings for participating airlines.
Work is now underway to extend Free Route Airspace to East and Southern Africa by the end of 2026, with the longer-term objective of achieving a continent-wide free route environment.
Safety and operational resilience
Safety remains the Association’s foremost priority. The next edition of the African Aviation Safety and Operations Summit is scheduled for 20 May 2026 in Johannesburg, where the focus will be on strengthening safety management systems and operational best practice as essential foundations for a competitive aviation sector.
While Africa’s accident rate has improved and now sits below the five-year average, recent incidents underline the need for sustained investment in safety systems, training and data-driven operational oversight.
Cost pressures and fuel economics
Fuel remains the single largest cost item for African airlines, accounting for between 30 and 40 percent of operating costs, compared with less than 26 percent globally. Through the AFRAA Fuel Project, 14 airlines are jointly procuring approximately 2.1 billion litres of fuel across 190 locations. This collaborative model demonstrates how African airlines can leverage collective strength to improve transparency, reduce costs and enhance efficiency.
Strengthening African MRO capability
A key strategic priority for 2026 is the strengthening of aircraft maintenance capacity within Africa. AFRAA has announced preparations for its first African MRO event, scheduled for 29 to 31 March 2026 in Addis Ababa and hosted by Ethiopian Airlines. The initiative is being driven jointly by the MRO units of Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, EgyptAir and South African Airways.
The event is designed not only as a technical forum but also as a commercial marketplace, bringing African airlines together with suppliers and OEMs. Its objective is to reduce reliance on overseas maintenance providers, build regional expertise and improve the resilience of Africa’s aviation supply chain.
Economic headwinds and structural constraints
While the global economy is experiencing a modest recovery, African airlines continue to face disproportionate challenges. Higher-than-average inflation, currency volatility and fuel price exposure are placing sustained pressure on airline cost structures and revenues. AFRAA has urged African finance authorities and central banks to protect aviation liquidity, ease currency repatriation constraints and recognise aviation as a strategic economic sector.
Despite accounting for only 2.1 percent of global air traffic in 2024, Africa represents a significantly larger share of the world’s population, highlighting substantial untapped potential for growth in connectivity, tourism and trade. Berthé noted that protectionist market structures, rather than a lack of demand, remain a key barrier to air transport development on the continent.
Tourism, taxation and market access
Tourism rebounded strongly in 2024, with global arrivals reaching approximately 1.47 billion. Africa recorded 73.9 million tourists, representing just five percent of the global total. Simplifying border procedures, expanding air connectivity, enabling e-visas and implementing open skies policies are essential to unlocking Africa’s tourism potential.
High taxation continues to suppress demand. African passengers pay an average of US$68 in taxes on international departures, more than double the levels seen in Europe and the Middle East. Berthé warned that treating aviation as a luxury rather than essential infrastructure undermines traffic growth and economic development, and called for transparent, competitive and economically sustainable aviation charges.
Fleet renewal, connectivity and profitability
African carriers operate relatively small and ageing fleets, affecting reliability, emissions performance and cost competitiveness. Boeing forecasts fleet growth of 135 percent in Africa between 2024 and 2044. Achieving this expansion will require innovative financing mechanisms, closer OEM collaboration and the development of African-based leasing platforms.
Intra-African connectivity remains limited, and long-haul markets continue to be dominated by non-African carriers. Berthé stressed the need for alliances, codeshares, cooperative competition and consolidation to retain African traffic within the continent. While global airline profits in 2025 are forecast at US$36 billion, African airlines are expected to generate only US$0.2 billion, underscoring the need for structural transformation, cost reduction and productivity improvements.
The continued blocking of airline funds remains a major constraint, with Africa accounting for nearly three-quarters of the global total of blocked airline revenues. AFRAA has renewed its call on states to release these funds to support connectivity, employment and economic stability.
SAATM, mobility and visa liberalisation
Although 38 African states have formally joined the Single African Air Transport Market, implementation gaps persist. AFRAA noted that airlines cannot expand networks without effective market access, regulatory alignment and the conversion of political commitments into operational traffic rights.
Visa liberalisation remains a critical challenge. In 2024, 47 percent of intra-African travel by African citizens still required visas prior to departure. AFRAA has urged governments to accelerate the adoption of e-visas, visas on arrival and free movement policies to support tourism, business and trade.
Sustainability and the path to net zero
Sustainability has moved from aspiration to necessity. AFRAA has issued a call to action on achieving net zero emissions by 2050, aligned with ICAO, CORSIA and IATA frameworks. Five strategic pathways have been identified: sustainable aviation fuels, joint procurement and capacity building, carbon offsetting and African carbon markets, fleet modernisation and digital efficiency tools, and human capital development.
Berthé noted that AFRAA is committed to monitoring airline progress, addressing implementation bottlenecks and ensuring that no African carrier is left behind in the global decarbonisation effort.
Looking ahead
Africa’s youthful population presents a significant opportunity for aviation growth. In 2025, passenger traffic carried by African airlines is projected to rise by more than 15 percent year on year, reaching approximately 113 million passengers carried by AFRAA member airlines. Cargo demand is also growing, albeit from a low base.
Berthé concluded that African aviation is entering a decisive decade. While challenges remain, coordinated action, stronger collaboration and effective policy implementation can enable the sector to realise its full potential and support Africa’s broader economic and development ambitions.
