Unlocking Africa’s Aviation Potential
5 September 2012
The FINANCIAL -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reinforced its commitment to African aviation and called on industry and government leaders in Central West Africa to work together to make aviation an even more integral part of African economic development and integration.
Safety, regional cooperation and global standards for infrastructure funding were highlighted as key issues which must be addressed.
“African aviation supports 6.7 million high quality jobs and business activity totaling some $67.8 billion. Aviation could play an even bigger role in facilitating Africa’s growth and development. To achieve this, however, we need a team effort of government and industry focused on improving safety, adopting a coordinated policy approach and implementing global standards,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO in a keynote address to open IATA’s Aviation Day in Dakar, Senegal.
“The most pressing problem for African aviation today is safety,” said Tyler. In 2011, the continent experienced an average of one accident for every 305,000 flights using Western-built jet aircraft. This was an improvement over 2010, when the average was one accident for every 135,000 flights. But it was still nine times worse than the global average. “It should be as safe to travel by air in Africa as it is in any other part of the world,” said Tyler.
Category: Transport