The 2022 Africa Aviation Summit and Expo opened Monday in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. In particular, participants discussed how the aviation industry can accelerate its recovery, promote better sustainability and improve the experience of its customers.
The summit is an opportunity to start working to make the continent’s aviation industry more sustainable and resilient to future shocks, Rwandan Minister of Infrastructure Ernest Nsabimana said at the opening.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the aviation industry worldwide, and Africa is no exception, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said at the event.
It is clear that intense collaboration between all stakeholders allows the industry to rebound collectively, but improved connectivity in Africa remains important to expand travel and access the economic benefits of air transport on the continent, said Akbar Al Bakar, CEO of Qatar Airways Group. He urged leaders on the continent to make enough infrastructure available to the industry to meet travel demand, which he said will soon return to pre-COVID levels or even exceed them.
“To accelerate the growth of the aviation industry, we also need to address the shortage of skilled people across the aviation value chain. Aviation is after all a hugely attractive career for all young people in Africa,” said Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the opening of the summit.
Mr. Kagame noted that further liberalization of air transport in Africa would serve as a catalyst to accelerate the recovery of the industry, including by improving connectivity, stimulating demand and creating new jobs.
African airlines are estimated to have lost at least $8.6 billion in revenue in 2021 due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Association of African Airlines said in a February report. . These losses represent about half of the revenue generated by African airlines in 2019.
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