Airline operators urged to make air travel affordable in Africa

Airline operators in Africa have been urged to make air travel affordable across the continent.

Currently, many passengers in the continent rely heavily on road travel from one country to the other due to exuberant fares of flight tickets.

An Aviation industry player in Ghana, Ms. Radia Adama Saani has therefore appealed to sector players in the aviation industry to help make air traveling less expensive.

She made the call at the just ended All Africa Students Youth Summit held at Rabat in Morocco.

She noted that aside increasing passenger volumes and affordable air travel, it would also boost tourism in the continent.

She explained that passengers would want airline operators in Africa to intervene in addressing the high cost of air fares, ostensibly to position the thriving business currently wobbling.

She further urged African leaders to take keen interest in promoting Travel and Tourism by adopting Visa free or visa on arrival policy for all Africans for both business and leisure trips across the continent.

Ms. Radia Adama Saani who is also the Chief Executive of MoonTouch Travel Limited, an International Travel and Tours company in Ghana, emphasized that aside policy framework, airline operators in Africa ought to partner each other to make the aviation Industry work.

Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the summit, she explained that her appeal to operators in African continent was fundamentally to remind them to take up the task of making traveling in the continent less expensive.

"I told the panel that for Africa to succeed in trade, business transaction, and remained strong politically, connected geographically as a continent, we really needed an Aviation industry that was not only vibrant, but affordable, that could promote African business partnerships through the Aviation industry. Also I entreated all foreign missions in the continent to make visa acquisition an easy one among African countries"

For his part, the Dean of University of Ghana Business School, Professor Justice Nyigmah Bawole, indicated that it was time for airline operators to adopt pragmatic policies necessary in shaping the Aviation industry in the continent using affordability of air fares as benchmarks.

According to the University don, there was a lacuna in the industry as identified by Ms. Radia Adama Saani, and that the continent really needed an action plan to improve the Aviation business for easy African connectivity.

The summit in perspective

The summit was organised by All Africa Students Union (AASU) in partnership with the Moroccan International Cooperation Agency (AMCI) and the Ghana Morocco Old Students Association (GHAMOSA).

It was opened on Thursday December 19 and ended on 22nd December 2019 in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco under the theme "The future of work, prospects and challenges for young people”.

The opening session of the summit also discussed many areas of interest required to advance African countries, with emphasis on visible challenges, solutions in the continent.

The summit brought together recognised youth groups, business tycoons, experts in academia, diplomats and professionals across the continent.