The African Union's Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative, launched on January 28, 2018, aims to create a unified air transport market. However, implementation across member states has been slow due to national protectionism for national flag carriers. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that only 19% of intra-African routes currently have direct flights, forcing passengers to take longer and more expensive journeys through hubs outside the continent.
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and other stakeholders are working to address the challenges faced by African airlines, which operate in one of the world's toughest cost environments. IATA attributes the high costs to African governments treating aviation more as a source of revenue than as a catalyst for economic development, along with increased fuel costs. The continent has begun resolving these challenges by re-drawing Africa's skies using a new approach known as a Free Route Airspace system.
The free-route approach allows airlines to plan user-preferred routes (UPRs) and fly more direct paths based on weather, winds, and traffic conditions. AFRAA Secretary General Abderahmane Berthé explained that the system relies on four key elements, including airlines filing user-preferred routes based on prevailing winds, weather, and aircraft payload. Air navigation service providers on either side of a flight information region boundary coordinate to clear the route.
Initial projections by the AFRAA-led initiative indicate that one launch airline could save 1,393 flight hours and $15 million in operational costs annually, alongside 5,000 tonnes of fuel and 15,750 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The free-route approach is already operational across 24 states in West and Central Africa, which have been under piloting since November 2023. These regional airspaces became fully open to UPRs for any airlines by October 30, 2025.
AFRAA is working with global, continental, and national aviation bodies to deliver the new airspace arrangements. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) provides the regulatory framework, while the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) provides financial support. National regulators and service providers are implementing the changes on the ground. The team is looking to extend the experiment to Eastern and Southern Africa while removing regulatory, infrastructure, and market barriers.
The fixed-airway systems tied to most commercial agreements of national flag carriers and international routes have been cited among key barriers to building a competitive and sustainable African aviation industry. The slow and uneven implementation of the Yamoussoukro Declaration, adopted by 44 countries in 1999, is also partly blamed for the fragmentation of Africa's aviation market. Some countries continue to protect national carriers and maintain restrictive bilateral air service agreements.
With the implementation of the free-route airspace, passengers visiting neighbouring African countries will no longer be funnelled through European or Middle Eastern hubs. Captain Ayub Gitau, Head of Flight Operations at 748 Air Services, expressed his excitement for the looming shorter routes that will come with open skies for Africa. The new approach is expected to make flying across borders cheaper and more efficient, promoting economic development and connectivity across the continent.
Key points
- African countries implement free-route airspace to enable direct, cheaper flights
- The initiative aims to reduce costs and emissions while promoting economic development
- The free-route approach is already operational across 24 states in West and Central Africa
