Luanda - The chairperson of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Aaron Munetsi, defended in Angolan capital, Luanda, the reduction of travel costs in the southern sub-region and the exemption of tourist visas, with aim to boost interconnections on the continent.
In addition to boosting interconnections on the continent, Munetsi said, the reduction in travel costs and the exemption of tourist visas would improve the positioning of the African aviation sector globally.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 53rd edition of the AASA General Assembly, Munetsi said one of the major challenges facing the African civil aviation sector to get the continent interconnected is the operational safety maintenance, along with the abolition of tourist visas for Africans and the reduction of the price of airline tickets.
The AASA official underlined that the African continent operates at very low levels and that to change the current picture there is the need to empower more than one and a half billion citizens of the continent as potential travelers with lower ticket costs, which will result in improved inter-African connections.
Munetsi said the goal will help to achieve the creation of a single market in Africa, opening up the continent's "skies" to more companies, with an increasing flow of passengers allowing companies to become self-sustainable.
As a result, he continued, the continent's citizens will have to start trading with each other, which is why AASA supports the effective implementation of the African Free Trade Area.
According to Munetsi, leaders of African countries need to open their borders and eliminate visas for their fellow citizens.
Munetsi highlighted the Angolan government's measure to allow tourists from more than 93 countries to enter Angola without a visa, underlining that it is helping to boost travel and tourism in the region, particularly to Angola, and sets an example for other states to follow.
The AASA official said he hopes that other countries on the continent will follow Angola's example, with the aim to improve travel traffic and intensify trade and consolidate the continent's economy.
The 53rd General Assembly of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa brought together more than 200 delegates from the sector's companies and operators in Luanda to discuss the development of commercial aviation on the continent.
The event took place in Angola for the first time, co-organized by the Angolan airlines TAAG.
This is a privileged platform for networking and strengthening relationships between industry players, giving the Angolan aviation ecosystem the opportunity to promote its strengths to the international community.
AASA is a regional association that brings together African airlines based in the south of equator and acts as a representative on the Civil Aviation Committee of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
AASA has 16 airline members, namely TAAG, Air Austral, Air Botswana, Airlink, Air Zimbabwe, Congo Airways, Eswatini Air, Federal Airlines, FlyCobra, FlySafair and LAM-Mozambique Airlines.
It includes LIFT, Mango Airlines, Mozambique Express, Proflight Zambia and South African Airways.
In addition to the airlines, AASA also has 35 associate members from sectors directly or indirectly linked to aviation.
AASA is also a regular participant and contributor to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) initiatives in the region.OPF/PPA/AMP
