This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
As of July 2, 2020, the African Union (AU) commissioner for infrastructure and energy, Amani Abou-Zeid, estimated that African countries had lost almost $55 billion (Sh5.5 trillion) in travel and tourism revenues in three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Abou-Zeid, the economic impact of lockdowns and border closures to curb the spread of the virus would be severe, with the continent's air industry hit particularly hard. She noted that tourism and travel represented almost 10% of the gross domestic product of Africa.
“We have 24 million African families whose livelihood is linked to travel and tourism,” Abou-Zeid said, adding that the downturn had come in a year when Africa was expected to see an increase in travel and air transport.
Abou-Zeid warned that the blow to the industry would be very hard, with African airlines experiencing a 95% drop in revenues, or about $8 billion, along with other losses such as the deterioration of assets. She also stated that some airlines in the continent would not make it post-COVID-19.
Prosper Zo'o Minto'o, regional director for the International Civil Aviation Organization, estimated that African airlines would need an estimated $20 billion to resume operations. In a bid to stay afloat, Ivory Coast's national airline Air Cote d'Ivoire received 14 billion CFA francs ($24 million) from the government to keep it operational.
