Africa’s efforts to deepen economic integration could remain limited unless governments make air travel more affordable and remove restrictions that continue to fragment the continent’s aviation market, RwandAir Chief Executive Officer Yvonne Makolo has said.

Makolo said African countries need to change the way they view aviation, arguing that affordable air connectivity is essential to enabling people, businesses and capital to move across borders.

"The fundamental thing is for governments and everybody to understand that aviation is not a luxury. It’s a necessity for our people on this continent,” she said.

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She was speaking at the Africa Mindset Reset Forum, where African leaders, policymakers, business executives, academics and young people discussed practical ways of advancing the continent’s development.

Makolo noted that the continent has about 1.4 billion people but accounts for only around two per cent of global air traffic, she said.

"We are all fighting for this tiny piece of the pie, because we’re putting all these barriers to it. High operating costs are among the factors keeping fares high, with African airlines facing fuel prices that are 20 to 40 per cent higher than in other parts of the world,” Makolo said.

She said airport taxes, ground-handling charges and overflight fees further increase the cost before airlines add their own fares.

"Before you even put the RwandAir fare, we have between $100 and, if you move to Central Africa, $200, $300 in West Africa already on the ticket,” she said.

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Makolo said the high cost of flying has implications beyond the aviation industry because it makes it more difficult for Africans to travel for business, investment, tourism, work and education.

Makolo called for stronger implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), saying countries need to move beyond signing agreements and remove restrictions that prevent airlines from fully accessing other markets.

"We’ve signed SAATM. We just need to implement it correctly,” she said.

Makolo said some countries still restrict fifth-freedom rights – commercial aviation privileges that allow an airline from one country to land in a second country, pick up passengers or cargo, and carry them on to a third country – and limit airlines from operating from additional points within their territories, making it harder to establish efficient regional networks.

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She said opening African skies would increase connectivity and help create a larger aviation market.

Visa restrictions should also be addressed alongside aviation barriers, she said.

"If we just remove this and understand we need to get our people moving within the continent, trading with each other, remove visas, so that we can roll that pie to a much bigger one,” Makolo said.

Makolo said Rwanda’s aviation sector has benefited from government policies that recognise connectivity as an important part of the country's development.

She cited the country’s visa openness, investment in airport infrastructure and expansion of RwandAir’s fleet as measures that have supported the airline’s growth.

"The removal of taxes on jet fuel is an example of policies that can help reduce operating costs. But operating within the African continent as an airline is a huge, huge challenge,” she said.

Makolo said addressing the challenges requires governments to recognise that aviation is not simply about moving passengers.

"Aviation can support trade, investment, tourism and employment, particularly in a continent with a large and growing young population,” she said.

"Achieving these ambitions will require African governments to treat connectivity as an economic necessity and create an aviation market in which more Africans can afford to move across the continent.”