African single air travel market slow in taking off
Parked aeroplanes at Kigali Airport, Rwanda. So far, 28 out of 58 member states have signed up to the Single African Air Transport Market. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Countries that have signed up to the Single African Air Transport Market so far plan to begin implementing it as soon as the heads of state endorse the dispute settlement mechanism, which is expected to happen at the AU Extraordinary Summit in Niger this week.
By mid-June, 28 of the 55 member states of the African Union had signed up to the pact, which aims to open up intra-African air transport, long stymied by protectionist policies. Of those, 18 countries have signed the implementation MoU. But progress has been hampered by delays in setting up a regulatory framework. Some of the member states that have refused to sign up to SAATM, such as Uganda, say it would simply create a few dominant carriers and undermine competition.
