Why EALA wants free airspace in EAC member states
A fleet of Kenya Airways planes at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in this picture taken on July 15, 2020.
What you need to know:
- The motion was passed on Wednesday evening by the assembly.
- It remains to be seen if the member states will implement the house resolution.
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has passed a motion seeking to remove all restrictions imposed by members’ states on their airspace in order to boost tourism and intra-trade among the countries.
The motion jointly sponsored by Kenya’s Kennedy Musyoka and his Ugandan counterpart Paul Musamali Mwasa says the liberalisation of the EAC airspace will create new airline routes and greater connectivity of the Community leading to shorter travel times, greater convenience and savings for East Africans.
The motion was passed on Wednesday evening by the assembly which has been having its sittings in Nairobi since Tuesday last week.
“Air service liberalisation would result in substantial benefits for passengers such as fare savings, more direct routes, increased route frequencies resulting in greater convenience and time savings,” reads the motion.
“African Open Skies creates much more opportunities and economies of scale. When African airlines are empowered by this realization, economic development on the continent would be accelerated, thousands more jobs would be created and the movement of people within the continent would be enhanced,” further reads the motion.
The motion wants the council ministers and partner states to expedite the liberalisation and domestication of the EAC airspace, to declare the EAC airspace as one common air space for all airlines registered and licensed by the Partner States.
In the motion, the EALA lawmakers have also called on the partner states to consider expanding the mandate of the East African Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) to include coordination of airlines and flight schedules of airlines operating within the Community.
The motion received support from all member states except DRC which expressed its reservation on security grounds due to its fragile relationship with Rwanda.
Mr Musyoka told the Nation that if East Africa is serious about intra-trade, then it should not hesitate in implementing the resolutions of the Assembly.
“I know there are some fears in opening our skies, but it is high time we do it for the sake of our own development. We are already trading amongst ourselves, why can’t we open the airspace for the airlines? Mr Musyoka posed.
Mr Musyoka says that there are fears among some countries that the opening of skies in member states will make other countries more than others.
“There is this notion in EAC that we are competing against each other, this is not the case. Each country will get their own fair share of benefits if there is liberalization of airspace,” Mr Musyoka said.
He decried that failure to have some direct flights in some towns and cities among EAC members’ states has affected business and tourism with the region.
Mr Musyoka said if implemented it will not only open the EAC trade space but also create jobs in the aviation industry.
Since Kenya and Tanzania are set to co-host the 2027 African Nations Cup, Mr Musyoka said this is the best time to implement the motion and make the tournament a success.
Despite the passage, the big task remains on whether the member states will implement the house resolution.
“We will do sensitization among the people and follow up with the council of ministers in the members’ states to ensure full implementation of this resolution,” Mr Musyoka said.
African countries have been hesitant and struggling to implement the 1999 Yamoussoukro declaration, which allows participating countries to lift market access restrictions for airlines, remove restrictions on ownership, grant each other extended air traffic rights and liberalize flight frequency and capacity limits.
It also seeks to harmonise safety and security regulations in aviation, based on International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements.
Without an open air space regime in place, African countries have been relying on bilateral air services agreements to operate, presenting challenges of concluding multiple negotiations between several countries.
Apart from the Yamoussoukro declaration, Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) has also remained a source of worry for airline executives.
The Single African Air Transport Market (“SAATM”) is one of the Flagship Projects of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Its major objective is to connect Africa in order to achieve social, economic and political integration and boost intra-Africa trade
However, only Thirty-seven countries have so far signed up to the SAATM, whose implementation is yet to gain traction with only 23 countries ratifying the treaty but few ones are keen in implementing its requirements.
