The air transport
sector in South Africa
provides “immense
value to the people
and economy of the country”,
supporting
some
490 000
jobs and
contributing
US$12bn or
3.5% to the
country’s GDP.
This was
one of the key
findings of
the Oxford
Economics
report, ‘The
Importance of
Air Transport
to South Africa’, released
earlier this month by the
International Air Transport
Association (Iata) which
commissioned the study.
“The study confirms the
vital role of air transport in
facilitating over US$110bn in
exports, some US$140bn in
foreign direct investment
and around US$9.2bn
in inbound leisure and
business tourism for
South Africa. Now with
the country in recession
it’s time to
re-double
efforts to
promote
South
Africa as a
destination
for business,
trade and
tourism,” said
Muhammad
Ali Albakri,
Iata regional
vice president
for the Middle
East & Africa.
He added that
“affordable, safe and
reliable” air transport
was crucial to economic
growth, highlighting
that it promoted skills
development and was a
catalyst for jobs.
The study confirms
the vital role of
air transport in
facilitating over
US$110 billion in
exports.
– Muhammad Ali Albakri
