Africa’s national airlines face troubled skies
The continent’s aviation industry won’t survive unless countries start cooperating with each other.
(Oupa Nkosi)
Over the past half-century, the financial outlook of African airlines has often been more turbulent than the flights themselves. Many carriers formed in the post-independence era had entered receivership by the early 2000s, including Uganda Airlines, Air Tanzania and the West African Air Afrique. Yet, after the economic downturn from 2007 to 2009, African leaders recommitted public resources to general aviation, allocating billions to new international gateways and airlines to service them.
Aiming for the same heights as Ethiopian and Singapore airlines, these carriers had additional backing from international creditors bullish on growing passenger numbers and record industry profits.