Nigeria, 16 others begin test- run of single air transport market treaty
• We are not aware, local airlines say
NIGERIA and 16 African countries have agreed to begin implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market ( SAATM), starting with the test- run of the initiative. By the new agreement, the 17 countries, out 35 SAATM signatories, will fully open their air transport markets immediately to one another and without conditions.
It is also expected that member- States’ eligible airlines would take advantage of SAATM and expand their operations across Africa.
However, local airlines have again denied knowledge of the initiative or the new pact to open up the Nigerian market in the pilot phase.
While the Federal Government is planning the new national carrier to spearhead SAATM, local airline operators reiterated that they should not be shoehorned into continental aeropolitics that is allegedly designed to rip- off the Nigerian market in fa vour of bigger African airlines.
Recall that about 35 African Heads of State and Government in Januar y 2018 signed the SAA TM treaty to enable all African airlines to fly into signator y countries without restrictions.
Meeting at the 23rd anniversary of Yamoussoukro Declaration ( YD) in Dakar, Senegal, recently, Aviation and Transport Ministers of the 17 countries launched the SAATM Project Implementation Pilot ( PIP), as a milestone in the efforts to push open sky initiative.
Among the countries are: Cabo Verde, Côte d’ivoire, Cameroun, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Zambia. All these States were adjudged to have domestic carriers eligible to participate in the SAATM.
In setting the scene for the event, Secretary General of African Civil Aviation Commission ( AFCAC), Adefunke Adeyemi, informed that the commission, in collaboration with all the stakeholders, would proceed with clear actions and timelines to achieve SAATM implementation.
Adeyemi said AFCAC would generate more publicity with enhanced visibility to raise further awareness among stakeholders of SAATM’S activities and a dedicated section of the AFCAC website will spotlight the SAATM States and celebrate their efforts while encouraging new States to sign up to SAATM.
A member of the Airline Operators of Nigeria ( AON) yesterday, told The Guardian that the local operators were unaware of the test- run of SAATM.
“I’m hearing it for the first time, though I’m not surprised. Unfortunately, that is how we roll in this part of the world. Since 2018 that they have been at it, we have been warning that it is not in the interest of Nigeria to keep having ministry officials negotiate policies with other African countries without knowledgeable operators at the decision table.
“Now, they are opening up our market without the local operators in the know. Even if the unborn Nigeria Air will represent the country, we the airlines are also stakeholders and should be part of the operations. Otherwise, there is a sinister plan to run us out of business and we will surely resist that,” he said.