Why Flights within Africa Cost Arms and Legs.
It’s crazy that flights within Africa, even to neighbouring countries, cost more than flights to Europe, Asia, America or anywhere in the world. Imagine paying a fortune to watch the #AFCON2023 finals.
Ever wondered why this is so? Stay with me.
Flying within Africa is an extreme sport, and even the elite are not spared. This makes doing business super expensive.
For contexts, it costs around the same amount to fly from Lagos (the most popular and populous city in Nigeria) to Kigali (the capital of Rwanda) as it would take to fly from Lagos to London, Turkey, Lebanon or even New York.
No cap (in typical Gen-Z parlance), Africa has the worst air service/transportation in the world.
Why is this so, you might wonder. Well, here are some of the reasons:
1. Limited Competition: The aviation market within Africa has fewer competitors compared to international routes, giving airlines more control over pricing and leading to higher ticket prices for domestic and regional flights.
Also, Africa has a small and stagnant market share…a malnourished one, if you ask me. African airlines accounted for only about 2.1% of global passenger traffic in 2021.
2. Infrastructure Costs: Many African countries have limited infrastructure for air travel, including airports with fewer amenities and higher operating costs. These factors contribute to higher prices for flights within the continent. For instance, data from the World Bank shows that in 2019, only 34% of airports in sub-Saharan Africa had paved runways, compared to 87% in East Asia and the Pacific. These infrastructure deficits result in higher operating costs for airlines, which are often passed on to passengers in the form of higher ticket prices.
3. Operating Costs: Airlines within Africa face higher operating costs due to factors such as limited access to fuel, higher maintenance expenses, and bureaucratic hurdles, which increase overhead costs and are passed on to passengers.
4. ITK (I-Too-Know)**, Ignorance and Dumb Government: Each country is doing “No gree for anybody.” They are strong-headed; they each think they know it all and would rather stick to their flawed remedies even when they are not very effective or even DOA.
ITK is a Nigerian slang for someone that behaves in a “Know it all” manner.
Each government wants to own their carrier and stamp their flags on them, either for genuine reasons, albeit with a flawed strategy that’s doomed from the start, OR just for “laundry” purposes, like our Nigerian government. Does Hadi Sirika or Buhari ring a bell?
NB: I used dumb because the level of corruption perpetrated by our government officials in Africa would convert satan to a churchgoer. Trust me, I was not harsh at all.
5. Demand and Supply Imbalance: Demand for international travel to and from Africa may be higher compared to domestic or regional travel within the continent, leading airlines to adjust prices accordingly to maximize revenue.
This demand-supply imbalance can lead airlines to focus more on international routes, thereby increasing ticket prices for domestic and regional flights.
6. Government Regulations and Taxes: You trust Africa with bizarre and counter-productive government regulations.
From insane fees to taxes to regulations, they’d always clock in on that.
We all know how complex African countries often have complex visa requirements for most African countries are. South Africa is saying Hi.
Then there’s the high airport taxes compared to other regions.
Who bears the brunt of the cost in all these? The passengers.
7. Distance and Accessibility: Africa’s vastness and diverse landscapes often mean domestic flights cover longer distances than international flights to neighbouring countries, leading to higher operating costs for airlines and contributing to the price difference.
The average distance of domestic flights in Africa is approx. 1,190 km, compared to 864 km for international flights within Africa. This longer distance contributes to higher operating costs for airlines, which are reflected in ticket prices.
It’s so bad that even though around 18% of the world’s population lives in Africa, it accounts for less than 2% of global air travel.
Worthy of Note: The spiraling economic downturn, inflation issues and currency instability also deals a debilitating jab to the aviation industry. Using Nigeria as a case-study, the official USD/NGN rate went from $1 = NGN520 in June 2023 to $1 = N1,440 today, 10th February, 2024. It gets more interesting because, a prospective air traveler will have to source fx (for tickets that are quoted only in USD, eg. Kenyan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, et al) at black market rates, which are usually higher.
I pray we find light in Africa cos there are so many areas that are not working which have obvious solutions.
It is well.
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I first posted this content as a thread on Twitter. You can check it out here.
***Forgive me; I’ll add photos in the coming days. I created this post on my iPhone and did not understand why I could not upload photos.***
