Nearly eight years after the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), Africa’s aviation liberalisation agenda continues to sit uneasily between policy ambition and operational reality. While formal commitments and regulatory structures are largely in place, intra-African connectivity remains constrained, raising difficult questions about implementation, incentives and political will.
The disconnect was succinctly captured during a panel discussion titled “Driving Continental Collaboration Under SAATM” at the recent African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Annual General Assembly, where it was noted that travelling between African cities often takes longer and costs more than travelling to the Middle East or Europe. A journey from Tunisia to southern Africa, for example, can take more than 13 hours, making routine business travel within the continent impractical.
This persistent fragmentation undermines one of SAATM’s core objectives: enabling Africans to move efficiently within Africa.
Progress on Paper, Friction on the Ground
From a regulatory standpoint, measurable progress has been made. SAATM was launched in 2018 as a flagship African Union programme, with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) mandated to oversee implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision. Since then, regulatory texts covering competition, consumer protection and dispute resolution have been developed, and institutional mechanisms such as the Dispute Settlement Administrative Mechanism have been established.
To date, under SAATM, 38 African states have signed, with 26 taking the further step of signing Memoranda of Implementation. These states collectively account for close to 80 percent of Africa’s air traffic. AFCAC reports the development of more than 110 new intra-African routes, including 19 routes under the fifth-freedom services. In addition, 60 bilateral air services agreements have been modified and aligned with liberalisation principles.
Yet airlines continue to face difficulties securing traffic rights between city pairs, including within countries that have formally signed SAATM instruments. The expected surge in new routes has not materialised, and passengers continue to experience limited choice, indirect routings and high fares.
Commitment Versus Behaviour
A recurring theme in the discussion was the distinction between political signature and operational behaviour. Some states that have not formally signed SAATM nonetheless allow relatively liberal access in practice, including fifth-freedom operations. Conversely, some signatories continue to apply restrictive policies on the ground.
This highlights a central weakness in the current framework: compliance is largely voluntary. AFCAC, while tasked with monitoring implementation, has no enforcement authority. There are no defined consequences for states that sign but fail to act. Without a clear statement of consequences, commitments risk becoming symbolic rather than transformative.
The panel argued that visible results matter more than declarations. If a core group of high-traffic states and major airlines were to fully implement SAATM provisions and demonstrate tangible benefits such as increased passenger numbers, revenue growth and route expansion, others would be more likely to follow. In this view, momentum should be built through action rather than continued persuasion.
Protectionism, Sovereignty and the Flag Carrier Dilemma
One of the most persistent barriers to implementation remains state protectionism. Many African airlines are state-owned, and governments often view liberalisation as a threat to national carriers and, by extension, national sovereignty. This attachment to the flag carrier concept continues to shape policy decisions, even where market realities suggest alternative approaches.
The discussion noted that some states without viable national airlines have embraced external investment to build capacity, while others continue to overinvest in legacy structures driven by political and emotional considerations. This reluctance to allow market forces and private participation to shape airline capacity limits the ability of SAATM to deliver connectivity gains.
Infrastructure and Capacity Constraints
From an air navigation service provider’s perspective, liberalisation cannot succeed without parallel investment in infrastructure. Early SAATM discussions focused narrowly on traffic rights, frequencies and capacity entitlements, often overlooking the physical and operational systems needed to support growth.
The Joint Prioritisation Action Plan introduced by AFCAC sought to address this gap by involving a broader range of stakeholders beyond transport ministries. Infrastructure assessments covering aerodromes, air traffic management, communications, navigation and surveillance, search and rescue, and airline equipment revealed uneven readiness across the continent. Without coordinated infrastructure development, increased market access alone will not translate into reliable connectivity.
Alternative Pathways: Cargo and Tactical Sequencing
One proposed way forward is a more tactical sequencing of liberalisation. Cargo operations, which tend to face less political resistance, could be liberalised more aggressively through fifth- and seventh-freedom rights. This would allow states to experience the economic benefits of openness with lower perceived risk, potentially easing the transition toward passenger market liberalisation.
The broader argument was that SAATM implementation requires pragmatism. Rather than treating liberalisation as a single leap, progress may depend on incremental steps, targeted pilots and sector-specific entry points that build confidence and demonstrate value.
Africa Liberalises Outward Before Inward
A striking observation was the contrast between Africa’s internal and external aviation negotiations. At global air services negotiation forums, African states routinely sign agreements with non-African partners, often with large delegations and significant political backing. Yet similar energy is rarely applied to concluding agreements with fellow African states.
This outward-facing liberalisation highlights a contradiction at the heart of Africa’s connectivity challenge. The continent remains more open to external partners than to itself, reinforcing dependency on extra-African hubs and carriers.
Ultimately, the discussion returned to accountability. Without consequences for non-implementation, SAATM risks remaining a framework rather than a functioning market. The absence of enforcement mechanisms allows states to benefit selectively from liberalisation while avoiding reciprocal openness.
The panel suggested that Africa must confront this issue directly. A system without consequences cannot compel behavioural change. Defining what happens when commitments are ignored may be politically difficult, but without it, progress will remain uneven and slow.
The SAATM architecture is largely in place, and the majority of Africa’s air traffic already falls within participating states. The problem is no longer conceptual. It is practical, political and behavioural.
Until states align their actions with their signatures, address protectionism, invest in enabling infrastructure and accept market-driven capacity solutions, intra-African connectivity will continue to lag behind aspiration.
