‘Africa in need of connectivity to meet up with growth demands in aviation sector’

With the foretold increase by researchers in passenger traffic from 119 million in 2014 to 280 million in 2034 in African aviation sector, there is an urgent need for connectivity, which is fundamental to meet up with these growth demands and enjoy the benefits accrued to it.

This was the position of Funke Adeyemi, head, Member and External Relations, Africa and Middle East, International Air Transportation Association (IATA), during the annual Akwaaba Festival, Monday, in Lagos, where she said Africa was missing out because it lacked connectivity that would bring about productivity.

According to her, “To fly in Africa is about 50 percent higher than any other region in the world as a result of high cost of operations in the environment, high taxations and infrastructural deficiencies, among others, thereby affecting productivity and profitability.”

Nigeria is the best served market in Africa yet lacks connectivity to the rest of the world, but with liberalisation, new routes will be opened, shorter travel time will be experienced, tourism and trade will increase and lower fares, ultimately leading to economic growth and enhanced development, she said.

While highlighting the impacts of connectivity in the Nigerian economy, she explained that there would be an increase of 4,200 jobs in the aviation sector and an overall impact of $128.2 million of incremental GDP and 17,400 additional jobs.

Speaking on the occasion, Ado Sanusi, deputy managing director, Arik Air, stressed on the need for government to focus on the infrastructural decay in the Nigerian airports and create a viable environment for domestic airlines to operate.

“Our greatest challenge in Aviation Industry in Nigeria is lack of consistency in the policy of aviation. Once this is sorted out, other challenges will be taken care of,” he said.