In the last several decades aeroplanes have become a significant means of travel and transport across Africa, both commercially and privately, and have become an avenue for economic development. It is especially so because there are several parts of the continent that still struggle with poorly developed road and rail transport systems.⁽²⁾ Africa’s historical link to European colonisers has also shaped not only the current state of continental transport systems generally, but also the airline industry present today.

Africa’s airline industry faces a number of challenges, including poor airline safety standards and operating problems. Airlines often struggle with managing fleets and services, sustaining capital for operations, and the difficulties of maintaining old aircraft. They are challenged in their abilities to expand routes both domestically and internationally, facing airspace restrictions and even the inability to purchase necessary parts to upgrade fleets.⁽³⁾ For African-operated airlines there has been a mixture of successes and failures in meeting international flight standards and keeping up with international competition. The situation remains in flux, and in terms of safety at least, the balance appears to be tipped generally in favour of failure as, despite improvements, Africa still has the highest average for airline accident fatalities in the world.⁽⁴⁾

This paper explores the complex recent history of airline safety in Africa and outlines recent improvements in air transport and travel by African-operated airlines.

Airline safety in Africa

Over the years there has been a long list of airlines in business across Africa, with each country operating a variety of national and private carriers. Many modern day African carriers have their roots in European colonialism, and the airline industry in Africa is still greatly influenced by this past.⁽⁵⁾ One legacy of this history is that most airlines are government owned, as national airlines were established in costly shows of patriotism following independence.⁽⁶⁾ Due to the vacuum in expertise left after the departure of the colonising powers, as well as a lack of financial capital, government ownership was often the only way for any airline to survive. However, this same lack of expertise, leading to poor management, as well as poor infrastructure and lack of resources within government,⁽⁷⁾ have shaped an industry struggling to compete with its international counterparts. This history and these struggles have significantly contributed to the continent’s issues with airline safety.

Serious concerns regarding airline safety in Africa were raised in a 2009 European Commission report on improving African airline safety, which noted that, although the continent only makes up 4% of global air traffic, it is responsible for a rate of aircraft losses 9 times above the global average.⁽⁸⁾ Statistics also show that the continent accounts for the majority of the world’s fatal aircraft accidents.⁽⁹⁾ The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) noted that over the period from 2001 to 2010, the accident rate associated with a relatively low number of commercial flights in the region was about 4 times higher than in other areas.⁽¹⁰⁾ Additionally, according to the World Bank “an air passenger is 30 times more likely to die in a crash in Africa than in the world's safest country for aviation, the United States.”⁽¹¹⁾ The figure below provides a snapshot of aircraft accidents in five regions, illustrating Africa’s dire record.

Accidents per region

Figure 1: Flight accident rates by region ⁽¹²⁾

The European Commission report suggests that airline safety in Africa may be compromised by an ongoing problem of deficiencies in certification and surveillance of airline operations.⁽¹³⁾ This is because airlines are thought to be short of the resources they need for qualified personnel to conduct proper audits and oversight of safety procedures. Furthermore, specific operating regulations are often not in place at all, or, when they are, do not comply with international standards. ⁽¹⁴⁾

The problem extends beyond a paucity of qualified personnel and insufficient oversight, as a lack of resources also prohibits airlines from maintaining and upgrading their aircraft and infrastructure. Airport infrastructure is a big contributor to problems in regulating aviation networks. Air traffic control infrastructure has been underdeveloped, itself contributing to the poor safety of many airlines. In addition, poor airport infrastructure has led to fears from international authorities about the safety of air traffic on the continent.⁽¹⁵⁾ This is problematic for some African carriers because international routes are more lucrative than domestic ones. Airlines use the profits from international flight services to fund most of their domestic operations and fleet upgrades.⁽¹⁶⁾ Without the profits from flying international routes, airlines are unable to ensure that their aircraft meet international safety standards, even if they were inclined to do so.

It must be noted that African airlines’ reputation as unsafe is, however, not always grounded in cold hard facts and figures. The role of politics cannot be omitted from discussions of airline safety at African-operated airlines. For example, it has been suggested that airline bans in European Union (EU) airspace are due not only to concerns about safety standards, but also to a desire by European carriers to control the industry. Of the 21 countries on the EU banned list, 14 are African.⁽¹⁷⁾ According to Tony Tyler, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the International Air Transport Association (IATA),⁽¹⁸⁾ the EU allows European airlines serve countries whose own carriers were banned. Furthermore the list of operators banned by the EU includes several that are safe. The EU has also failed to aid carriers in need of practical assistance in resolving deficiencies in regulatory oversight that would allow them to meet with EU standards. However, even though politics does influence the discussion about airline safety standards for African-based airlines, there is still the real issue of poor air safety for many of them.

Recent efforts

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) points to the importance of aviation in opening African borders because it allows for an ease in the movement of goods and people across parts of the continent where land travel is difficult.⁽¹⁹⁾ As such, air transportation plays an essential role in the economic growth and development of countries by accelerating the convergence of goods and people.⁽²⁰⁾ Furthermore, the industry creates employment on a large scale. In 2010, the aviation industry in Africa supported about seven million jobs (including 257,000 direct jobs) and contributed US$ 67.8 billion to the continent’s GDP.⁽²¹⁾ Air transportation also creates market opportunities for local entrepreneurs by creating regional and global economic hubs.⁽²²⁾ The aviation industry is also an important driver of regional integration on the continent. Connecting African countries and regions through improved air transport can boost intra-African business, trade and tourism, as well as cultural exchange.⁽²³⁾ It is essential that airline performance, including safety, is improved in order to stimulate Africa’s economic growth.

Although statistics show that air safety is still problematic across the continent, improvements are taking place. IATA data show that with a 61% improvement in airline safety over the last few years, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen the greatest improvement in the world, followed by the Middle East and North Africa, with a 25% improvement.⁽²⁴⁾ This is in spite of the aforementioned problems that continue to plague parts of the continent, exacerbated by poverty, high taxes and corruption.⁽²⁵⁾ But much more needs to be done. Even in countries like Nigeria, with “a solid safety leadership”⁽²⁶⁾  problems can still arise. This was reiterated by IATA and the ICAO when citing the two airline accidents in Nigeria in June 2012, noting that that the accident rate for newer jets in Africa is still 92% higher than it was in 2011.⁽²⁷⁾

IATA membership is conditioned on compliance with very strict safety standards The organisation’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) has been carried out on several Africa-based airlines, which, having met IATA’s stringent operational management and control systems requirements, are now IATA members. In 2011, Africa-based IOSA registered airlines had a 1.84 per million flights accident rate, which is close to the world IOSA average of 1.73.⁽²⁸⁾ The importance of improving the safety of African airlines through adherence to IOSA safety standards is highlighted by the fact that those African airlines not part of the IOSA had a rate of 9.31.⁽²⁹⁾ Airlines which have made excellent progress towards raising safety standards, most of which are associated with international airline alliances such as Sky Team, and which provide regular international and domestic services, include South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways.⁽³⁰⁾

In 2012, plans to improve airline safety in Africa have been put into motion to help reduce the persistent high number of accidents. IATA and the ICAO, together with leading aviation stakeholders and regulatory organisations, committed to the five point Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan to address safety deficiencies and strengthen regulatory oversight in the region by 2015, following the Africa Safety Summit held in Johannesburg in May 2012. The plan calls for the “establishment of independent and sufficiently funded civil aviation authorities, implementation of effective and transparent safety oversight systems by all African States, completion of an IATA Operational Safety Audit by all African carriers, implementation of accident prevention measures focused on runway safety and loss of control, implementation of Flight Data Analysis (FDA), [and] implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) by all service providers.”⁽³¹⁾ In contrast to the EU’s approach to African airline safety issues, the plan includes practical solutions, including increasing the collection of data on airline safety,  improving pilot training and the provision of technical assistance to authorities.⁽³²⁾

The hope is that better policies and improved safety will increase standards and open up more international options for airlines, and contribute to economic growth in the region.⁽³³⁾ Other plans for improvement have included forming regional bodies to oversee safety and security standards, which can help mitigate the problems created by corrupt leadership, and increase accountability.⁽³⁴⁾

Additionally, due to a €40 million (USD 52.6 million) loan from the European Investment Bank in 2012, air traffic control systems across Africa are going to be upgraded and updated.⁽³⁵⁾ Support from the group “will include improved air traffic management software and radio links, implementation of a secure broadband satellite network, improved runway and approach lighting, better weather radar and aerodrome area weather systems and building renovation,”⁽³⁶⁾ all of which are vital in supporting the expected growth in air traffic over the next 10 years. According to the African Development Bank, Africa’s international air traffic is expected to grow at an average rate of 6.1% into 2015, making it one of the top three fastest growing regions just behind the Middle East and Asia Pacific.⁽³⁷⁾

Concluding remarks

Airline safety remains an ever evolving challenge in African development, and major improvements are required if any progress is to be made. Although overall airlines worldwide have seen a drop in haul loss rates in 2012, this has not been the case in Africa. In 2012, African carriers have suffered 12.69 losses per million flights, which is 57% worse than in 2011.⁽³⁸⁾ Aside from saving lives, the importance of airline safety lies in aviation’s contribution to economic growth and development, as hinted at by IATA’s Tony Tyler, when he stated that “government policies need to recognise aviation’s contribution to the health of the economy.”⁽³⁹⁾ Until safety standards improve, African-operated airlines may continue to be hampered in expanding into much needed international markets. However, with targeted efforts and intervention,⁽⁴⁰⁾ the story of African airlines can move beyond the statistics, instead becoming stories of success.

Written by Shannon Rupp ⁽¹⁾

NOTES:

(1) Contact Shannon Rupp through Consultancy Africa Intelligence's Africa Watch Unit ( africa.watch@consultancyafrica.com). This CAI discussion paper was developed with the assistance of Claire Furphy and was edited by Nicky Berg.
(2) Guttery, B.R., 1998. Encyclopedia of African airlines. McFarland & Company: Jefferson, North Carolina.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Gaillard, P., ‘Improving aviation safety in Africa: A necessary condition for development’, European Commission, April 2009, http://ec.europa.eu.
(5) Guttery, B.R., 1998. Encyclopedia of African airlines. McFarland & Company: Jefferson, North Carolina.
(6) Ibid.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Gaillard, P., ‘Improving aviation safety in Africa: A necessary condition for development’, European Commission, April 2009, http://ec.europa.eu.
(9) Ibid.
(10) Zaki, O., ‘Africa’s aviation record: Death by numbers’, Think Africa Press, 13 September 2012, http://thinkafricapress.com.
(11) Phillips, D., ‘African countries risk losing millions in aid over poor air safety’, The New York Times, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com.
(12) Ioffe, J., ‘Why Russia is the world's deadliest place to fly’, Forbes, 2 November 2011, http://www.forbes.com.
(13) Gaillard, P., ‘Improving aviation safety in Africa: A necessary condition for development’, European Commission, April 2009, http://ec.europa.eu.
(14) Hepher, T., ‘IATA says EU’s airline safety bans hinder Africa’, Reuters, 10 June 2012, http://www.reuters.com.
(15) Guttery, B.R., 1998. Encyclopedia of African airlines. McFarland & Company: Jefferson, North Carolina.
(16) Ibid.
(17) Hepher, T., ‘IATA says EU’s airline safety bans hinder Africa’, Reuters, 10 June 2012, http://www.reuters.com.
(18) Ibid.
(19) ‘Building Africa: By air, by road, by sea’, NEPAD, 2012, http://www.nepad.org.
(20) Africa’s Aviation Industry: Challenges and Opportunities’, African Development Bank Group, 20 November 2012, http://www.afdb.org.
(21) Ibid.
(22) Ibid.
(23) Ibid.
(24) Zaki, O., ‘Africa’s aviation record: Death by numbers’, Think Africa Press, 13 September 2012, http://thinkafricapress.com.
(25) Phillips, D., ‘African countries risk losing millions in aid over poor air safety’, New York Times, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com.
(26) Strategic action plan to improve aviation safety in Africa’, International Civil Aviation Organization, 18 July 2012, http://www.iata.org.
(27) Ibid.
(28) Ibid.
(29) Ibid
(30) Aviation safety strategy in Africa: Are they really working?’, The Guardian, 20 July 2012, http://www.ngrguardiannews.com.
(31) ‘Strategic action plan to improve aviation safety in Africa’, International Civil Aviation Organization, 18 July 2012, http://www.icao.int.
(32)   Ibid.
(33) ‘Bankrupt Air Zim may cancel SA flights,’ Fin24, 5 December 2011, http://www.fin24.com.
(34) Phillips, D., ‘African countries risk losing millions in aid over poor air safety’, New York Times, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com.
(35) ‘African air traffic control to be upgraded following EUR 40m EIB support’, European Investment Bank, 29 November 2012, http://www.eib.org.
(36) Ibid.
(37) ‘Africa’s Aviation Industry: Challenges and Opportunities’, African Development Bank Group, 20 November 2012, http://www.afdb.org.
(38) Wall, R., ‘Airlines headed for safest year to date, Africa apart, IATA says’, Bloomberg, 13 December 2012, http://www.bloomberg.com.
(39) Styan, J.B., ‘EU crisis threat to African Airlines’, Fin 24, 7 December 2011, http://www.fin24.com.
(40) Phillips, D., ‘African countries risk losing millions in aid over poor air safety’, New York Times, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com.