The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has placed safety front and centre of its African agenda and has urged countries on the continent to incorporate the Iata Operational Safety Audit (Iosa) into their safety oversight systems. Acknowledging that African airlines’ safety performance had improved tremendously over the past few years, Iata director-general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said more work needed to be done. Rwanda, Mozambique, Togo and Zimbabwe have already incorporated Iosa into their safety oversight systems – and it is a membership requirement for both Iata and Afraa. Iosa was a proven global standard that delivered demonstrably better performance, said De Juniac.
Airfreight in Africa is flying above logistical and bureaucratic challenges to record strong growth. According to the International Air Transport Association (Iata), Africa was the only region to report airfreight growth in September 2019, with an increase in demand of 2.2% compared to the same period a year earlier. While this was less than the 8% recorded in August, it shows that Africa continues to buck the international trend towards lower volumes. Africa is the only region to have recorded yearon-year FTK (freight ton kilometre) growth in each of the four months prior to September, according to Iata. “Airfreight volumes to/from the region have been supported by foreign investment flows, particularly from the Asia Pacific region, as well as robust economic performance in some key regional economies. “That said, monthly air freight outcomes remain volatile due to the relatively small size of the market,” says Iata in its analysis. Africa accounts for 1.6% of global airfreight volumes. This growth flies in the face of a number of challenges. According to Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) 2019, which is published by the African Union Commission (AUC), the fact that African airport and navigational service providers are typically governmentowned monopolies contributes to higher operating costs for cargo airlines. It makes a comparison between landing a 200-ton aircraft in Johannesburg and Nairobi, which costs around US$2 500 and US$1 500, respectively, while the fee at London’s Heathrow Airport at the time of the comparison was US$500. Another challenge is air safety. Carriers from at least 13 African countries are on the European Union’s blacklist due to the countries’ inability to guarantee safety checks. In the SADC region there are 21 airlines from the Democratic Republic of Congo and eight from the Democratic Republic of Congo on the list. Air Zimbabwe is also banned, according to the official EU website, as are all Angolan airlines with the exception of TAAG and Heli Malongo. Governments also need to show real commitment to regional integration, according to the AfDD.
INSERT: Airfreight volumes to/ from the region have been supported by foreign investment flows. – IATA