SAATM: 15 African Countries sign Agreement to Pilot A Single Air Transport Market

For years, the African aviation industry has struggled to stay afloat amid poor management and tight governments’ bureaucracies, stymieing the integration that would have boosted the sector’s growth.

With each African country setting its own standards – creating multiple rules that have closed the airways to their counterparts – Europe became a rendezvous point for African airlines – consequently making flight fares within the continent – the most expensive in the world – and that has come at the detriment of the aviation industry’s growth.

But that is about to change with a move by some African states to create a single aviation market. Dubbed the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), 35 African nations have shown commitment to pilot the initiative that will integrate their aviation markets to some degree.

Out of the 35 states, 15, which include Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa, have appended their signatures to the pilot project, revisiting the neglected initiative that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has long advocated as a means to “drive economies and create jobs.”

The SAATM initiative was launched in 2018, but has been a shadow of its objective until now. The idea has received little attention in the last four years that African aviation sectors have suffered significantly from bureaucratic bottlenecks.

The initiative received hope of revival after the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) announced the launch of the Pilot Implementation Project on the 14th of November 2022.

The initial stage of the SAATM’s pilot scheme, which is expected to be concluded by the end of the year, involves these countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Zambia.

A meeting for the implementation has been scheduled for the 5th of December 2022, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, during the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation, where the 15 African countries are expected to be in attendance.

The SATMM’s pilot project was agreed upon by ministers representing the 15 African countries during a meeting held in Senegal to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Yamoussoukro Decision (an agreement among African countries to ease harsh restrictions on intra-Africa air travel), per Insider.

The SAATM initiative involves airlines from the 15 signatory countries, signing a strategic partnership framework that will cut costs, increase the size of the available fleet at their disposal, and enable flights between their territories. It has the goal of spurring the economic growth of its member states. The initiative is aimed at promoting integration across the African continent by abolishing the rules and restrictions that birthed stringent air travel culture in Africa.

The African Union (AU) said high taxes and charges are partly responsible for the high cost of air transport in Africa. Reducing the high taxes and charges is expected to boost economic growth and create jobs. The AU said that signatories’ economies would gain $4.2bn in GDP, as well as 596,000 new jobs and a 27% reduction in air fares if SAATM is fully implemented.

“SAATM will ensure aviation plays a major role in connecting Africa, promoting its social, economic and political integration and boosting intra-Africa trade and tourism as a result,” the union said.

Already Kenya and South Africa have entered into an agreement that will allow their airlines unlimited access to their markets.