LIBERALISATION OF AVIATION
How embracing open skies can help Africa close in on economic greatness
Africa’s natural resources and burgeoning young population are the ingredients for accelerated growth. The Mo Ebrahim Foundation reports that 60% of the continent’s population of more than 1.2-billion is under the age of 25. Yet the UN’s Human Development Index, for example, has found that in every African country there is more inequality now than there was in 2010. As a native of Angola who has lived on several continents, I am bemused that Africa seems forever on the cusp of economic greatness. It may seem insular to suppose that the aviation sector will help to trigger that greatness, but we should not underestimate its potential. After years of false starts and frustrated efforts, Africa is finally moving towards a single air market, more commonly known as an open skies framework: the liberalisation of commercial aviation to create a free-market environment. This will mean airlines can fly between any two African cities without having to do so via their home hub airport, thus el...
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