Luanda, July 22, 2025 (Lusa) - The Angolan government on Tuesday said that intra-African air connectivity remains limited, “with few direct routes and high operating costs,” which affect the flow of tourists and job creation, and called for integrated policies for its liberalisation.
According to Angola’s secretary of state for civil aviation, maritime affairs and ports, Rui Carreira, today, more than ever, it is essential to strengthen the role of air transport as a facilitator of mobility, trade, regional integration and, above all, as an instrument of cohesion and sustainable economic growth.
Speaking at the opening of the 2nd UN Ministerial Conference on Tourism and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on Tourism and Air Transport in Africa, in Luanda, the official advocated integrated policies to promote the liberalisation of African airspace.
The African continent "has one of the greatest tourism potentials in the world: a rich cultural diversity, unique cultural heritage and a dynamic and entrepreneurial youth. However, less than 5% of world air traffic is concentrated in Africa, a continent that represents 16% of the world’s population," he stressed.
Rui Carreira also noted that a very significant portion of intra-African tourism still faces operational, regulatory and logistical barriers, “not to mention the constraints generated by political instability in some countries”.
“It is precisely in this context that air transport needs to be seen not as a cost, but as a strategic investment for African states,” he argued.
The Angolan minister said it was imperative that the African continent move forward with integrated policies that promote the liberalisation of airspace in the spirit of the African Single Air Transport Market and the Yamoussoukro Decision, an African Union (AU) agreement that aims to liberalise air transport between African countries , signed by 44 African states in 1999.
Carreira also advocated strengthening airport infrastructure, with a focus on efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability, and regional cooperation involving air operators, tourism authorities and international partners, "with the aim of creating a more resilient, accessible and innovative ecosystem".
The training of technical staff, the digitisation of airport services and the stimulation of private investment and public-private partnerships are also, in the view of the Angolan secretary of state, fundamental axes for enabling long-term projects and aligning the African aviation sector with global standards.
“Tourism and air transport are not isolated sectors. They are cross-cutting axes that connect health, education, culture, trade and diplomacy," he concluded.
This ministerial conference, taking place in the Angolan capital from July 22–24 under the auspices of UN Tourism and ICAO, brings together government leaders from the African continent, operators from the aviation and tourism sectors and businesspeople.
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