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Despite booming demand, Africa’s aviation sector remains hobbled by fragmented skies, excessive fees, and weak policy—leaving business travelers paying the price
by Enrique Perrella
September 16, 2025
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Photo: Rwandair, Airbus A330. Courtesy of Alexandre Debiève / Unsplash
If you’ve ever tried to plan a multi-stop business trip across Africa, you’ll know the frustration. Flying from Nairobi to Lagos can feel more like plotting an intercontinental trek than a straightforward regional hop. That’s because Africa’s skies remain stubbornly fragmented, and that disconnect is costing the continent dearly.
At the Aviation Africa 2025 Summit in Kigali in September, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) made the numbers crystal clear: air travel across Africa is projected to grow 4.1 percent annually over the next two decades, hitting 411 million passengers. East Africa is tipped to lead this growth curve.
On paper, it’s a golden future. In practice, it’s maddeningly complicated.
Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA’s regional vice president, didn’t mince words in Kigali. “In many cases, it is easier to fly to another continent than between two African countries. That is a barrier to growth and opportunity.” And he’s right. Business travelers can find themselves routed through Europe or the Middle East just to reach another African capital.
The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), designed to open skies and simplify intra-African travel, exists in name but not in practice. Thirty-eight countries have signed up, but actual progress has been glacial. As Al-Awadhi quipped: “If I was allowed to open up an airline in Africa right now, I wouldn’t. It’s complicated, complex, and costly.”
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: flying within Africa is punishingly expensive, not because of demand but because of taxes. Between 60 and 70 percent of every ticket price is swallowed by charges and levies. “The charges that I’ve seen in Africa today are sometimes 20 times more expensive than in any other country,” Al-Awadhi said.
And unlike in Europe or Asia, those fees rarely find their way back into runways, terminals, or navigation systems. Instead, governments treat aviation like a cash cow—milked for revenue but starved of reinvestment. That short-termism may balance budgets today, but it strangles long-term growth and leaves airlines perpetually on life support.
For frequent flyers, this all translates into fewer direct connections, higher fares, and clunky routings. The irony? Aviation supports 8.1 million jobs and pumped $75 billion into Africa’s GDP last year. Every aviation job, IATA notes, sustains 22 others across the economy. Governments should be nurturing this sector, not bleeding it dry.
Then there’s the matter of visas. Rwanda, Benin, Gambia, and Seychelles have thrown open their doors with visa-free access for Africans. The rest of the continent would do well to follow. After all, a “single African market” isn’t much use if travelers still face a patchwork of border headaches.
Here’s the bottom line: Africa’s aviation boom is real, but it won’t be evenly distributed unless policy catches up with potential. East Africa may be sprinting ahead, but until governments see aviation as an economic engine rather than a piggy bank, business travelers will keep paying more for less.
The demand is there, the opportunities are obvious, and the multiplier effect is proven. What’s missing is the political will to connect Africa to itself. And for now, that means your next “regional” business trip across the continent may still require a pit stop in Paris.
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