This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the African aviation market is poised for rapid growth, with passenger numbers projected to increase by 200 million to over 356 million in the next two decades.
As of 2019, the African market was already growing at a rate of 4.6 per cent, outpacing other regions such as Latin America, North America, and Europe, which were expected to grow at 4.1, 2.5, and 2.1 per cent respectively.
Kenya's aviation market is expected to double in size, with an additional 11.3 million passenger journeys and over 449,000 more jobs created, adding $11.3 billion to the GDP by 2038.
Other countries such as Tanzania and South Sudan are also expected to see significant growth, with passenger numbers increasing from four million to 13 million and four million to seven million respectively.
Currently, air transport supports 6.2 million jobs and $55.8 billion in Africa, accounting for 1.8 per cent of all employment and 2.6 per cent of all GDP in African countries.
Speaking at the Routes Africa 2019 forum in Mombasa, IATA vice president for Africa, Raphael Kuuchi, emphasized the need for more incentives to attract more airlines and create more routes.
"Only Ethiopia and Kenya have direct connections to more than half the countries in Africa; there is a need to tap into that potential to boost trade. It is expensive and time-wasting for a passenger in Africa to travel out of the continent and connect back in order to visit another African country," he said.
