Release date: 03 February 2022

The number of people infected by the Omicron Covid variant continues to increase. This has unfortunately resulted in some countries putting in place panic measures against international travel.  Globally, the number of cases has reached 350 million and 10.7 million in Africa. Stringent travel advisories, insistence on full vaccination before travel, forceful vaccination at ports of arrival, repatriation of passengers not meeting entry travel requirements and quarantine of passengers at their own costs are some of the unorthodox measures being enforced by some governments. In fact, in one African country airlines are fined as much as US$3,500 per passenger for landing passengers that have not taken their second vaccination or failed to complete online health declaration forms.

As a result of these uncoordinated measures, air passenger traffic from January to December was only 42.3% compared to the same period in 2019.  Capacity reached 52.7%. In January 2022, the capacity is expected to inch up by 6.3% to 59% while air passenger traffic will see a marginal increase of 0.3 from the previous month.

Domestic market maintained the biggest share for capacity deployed though actual passenger traffic saw a dip. Domestic demand at 42% however outperformed intra-Africa and intercontinental which remained subdued at 31.9% for intra-Africa and 25.6% for intercontinental. On the actual number of passenger seats offered, domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental account for 47.3%, 24.9%, and 27.8% respectively.

At least 3 African airlines continued their international routes expansion and by end of the year 2021 had exceeded the number of international routes operated pre-Covid. 12 other African airlines also either re-opened routes or launched new international routes. As at the end of 2021, African airlines had reinstated approximately 80.8% of their pre-Covid international routes, though frequencies remain low.

The Intra-African connectivity reached 76% of the pre-Covid level in November 2021, increased to 80% in December and is forecast to slide back to 76% in January 2022 because of the closure of some routes. The political situation in Ethiopia resulted in the contraction of traffic volumes in November and December 2021. The situation is however improving.

Across Africa in general, passenger traffic volumes remain depressed due to the unilateral and uncoordinated travel health restrictions imposed by some governments following the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COV-2.

Airline revenues have remained low with many operators battling with cash-flow issues. Full year revenue loss for 2021 is estimated at US$8.6b, equivalent to 49.8% of the 2019 revenues. In 2020, African airlines cumulatively lost $10.21b in revenues due to the impact of the pandemic, representing 58.8% of 2019 revenues.

Other government regulatory Developments:

• The Kenya government through its Ministry of Health has mandated arriving passengers 18 years and older to present valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate at the port of entry effective December 22, 2021.  Similarly, all departing passengers must also present valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
• Effective January 2, 2022, passengers arriving in Rwanda must quarantine for three 3 days at a designated quarantine hotel at their own cost; take PCR test on the 3^rd day at own cost as well as antigen test. Additional PCR test required on 7^th day at a destination testing site also at own cost.
• All adult passengers travelling to Ghana must be fully vaccinated and present a negative PCR test result in order to enter the country, as of December 14, 2021. Airlines shall be surcharged $3,500 for every passenger they fly in who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 or who has not completed the pre-departure health declaration forms from point of origin. Only arriving citizens and diplomats who are not fully vaccinated will be vaccinated at the airport upon arrival. All departing passengers from the country must be fully vaccinated.
• Effective January 15, 2022, foreign flight crews travelling to Canada are only allowed to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated.  This includes cargo operations.
• Anyone entering the UK must now quarantine until they receive the results of a PCR test taken on their second day in the country. Anyone testing positive faces a 10-day quarantine.
• The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) issued Safety Decision 2021-02 no. 23 on 30 December 2021, which imposed restrictions and strict entry/exit measures on flights and passengers for operations from/to the UAE.  AFRAA wrote to DG GCAA expressing the impact this will have on African airlines and requesting for a meeting to find a more acceptable solution. The UAE announced on 26 January 2022 the resumption of passenger flights from the countries that had been restricted effective 29 January 2022.

About    AFRAA

The African Airlines Association, also known by its acronym AFRAA, is a trade association of airlines from the member states of the African Union (AU). Founded in Accra, Ghana, in April 1968, and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, AFRAA’s mission is to promote, serve African Airlines and champion Africa’s aviation industry. The Association envisions a sustainable, interconnected and affordable Air Transport industry in Africa where African Airlines become key players and drivers to African economic development.

AFRAA membership of 44 airlines cuts across the entire continent and includes all the major intercontinental African operators. The Association members represent over 85% of total international traffic carried by African airlines. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Nairobi, 13 January 2022: The travel ecosystem is reeling from the adverse impact of the re-introduction of travel restrictions and implementation of blanket travel bans since the onset of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) is making a clarion call to governments and stakeholders to harmonise the health protocols, reconsider the bans and adopt a risk-based approach in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

AFRAA Secretary General, Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé stated: “2021 marked the dawn of recovery with positive trends in air transport activity being remarked across the globe. As at October 2021, African airlines had reopened 81.3% of their international routes that had been closed due to the pandemic. African cargo capacity grew by 33% since 2019 and cargo load factors improved by 9% from pre-pandemic levels.”

“The travel restrictions and blanket bans are a huge risk to the gains made in the recovery of the travel ecosystem. Furthermore, air transport connectivity and economic sustainability of airlines’ operations will be negatively impacted.” Mr. Berthe added.

AFRAA recognises that a risk-based approach and the safe reopening of borders are critical for the efficient restart of aviation. We urge governments to remove border restrictions and open their markets to restart the industry with support from Industry Restart Plan Standards and guidance documentation.

Recommendations for Vaccination, Travel Entry and Exit Requirements

AFRAA reiterates the Call to Action campaign for Africa against Covid-19 “Saving Lives, Economies, and Livelihoods” by the Africa High-Level Task Force. In line with the Call to Action campaign, AFRAA is impressing upon governments and stakeholders on the following specific elements to safely re-open all borders:

1. States should not impose COVID-19 vaccination certificates as a mandatory travel entry and exit requirement until there is satisfactory access to vaccines globally, reasonable vaccination coverage is attained, and sufficient guidance on the use of the vaccine for travel is available based on recommendations of the WHO.
2. States to continue with pre-departure testing until vaccines become widespread, with States transitioning to the use of Rapid Antigen Testing as an alternative to PCR, some of which have been proven to have similar reliability to PCR, is significantly cheaper and takes within 30 minutes for results.
3. To address credibility of test/vaccination certificates, Governments to continue to adopt digital COVID-19 test/vaccination certificates wherever possible as verifiable health credentials and as a trusted platform for traveler information.
4. States to implement rapid roll-out of vaccines across the continent to facilitate the restart of economies and Air Transport. To date, less than 6% of Africans are fully vaccinated. Vaccination will mitigate the greatest risks of the spread of the pandemic.

AFRAA remains committed to support the travel ecosystem recovery and continues to engage in collaborative efforts with stakeholders on initiatives that will form a strong foundation for the transformation and development of air transport sector.

Download PDF: The Call for Action document can be accessed via the link: https://africacdc.org/download/call-to-action-safe-reopening-of-borders-to-save-lives-economies-and-livelihoods-in-africa/

Download the Full Press Release Here: Press Release – Clarion Call for a Safe and Risk Based Approach for Travel

Nairobi, 13 janvier 2022 : Présentement l’écosystème du voyage subit l’impact négatif de la réintroduction des restrictions aux voyages et de la mise en œuvre d’interdictions générales de voyage depuis l’apparition de la variante Omicron du coronavirus. L’Association des compagnies aériennes africaines (AFRAA) lance un vibrant appel aux gouvernements et aux parties prenantes en vue de l’harmonisation des protocoles sanitaires, la reconsidération des interdictions et l’adoption d’une approche axée sur le risque, conformément aux directives de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS).

Le Secrétaire général de l’AFRAA, M. Abdérahmane Berthé, a déclaré que « l’année 2021 a marqué l’amorce de la reprise avec des tendances positives, remarquées dans le monde entier, au niveau du transport aérien. En octobre 2021, les compagnies aériennes africaines avaient rouvert 81,3 % de leurs lignes internationales fermées en raison de la pandémie. La capacité de fret a augmenté de 33 % depuis 2019 et les coefficients de remplissage du fret se sont améliorés de 9 % par rapport aux niveaux d’avant la pandémie ».

« Les restrictions au voyage et les interdictions générales constituent un risque énorme pour les gains réalisés dans le cadre du rétablissement de l’écosystème du voyage. De plus, la connectivité du transport aérien et la durabilité économique des opérations des compagnies aériennes seront négativement impactées».

« L’AFRAA reconnaît qu’une approche basée sur le risque et la réouverture protégée des frontières est essentielle pour le redémarrage efficace du transport aérien et par conséquent, lance un appel aux gouvernements africains pour la suppression des restrictions au niveau des frontières et pour l’ouverture de leurs espaces en vue de la relance du secteur avec le support des normes et des documents d’orientation du plan de redémarrage du secteur » a ajouté  M. Berthe avant de préconiser des recommandations.

Recommandations relatives à la vaccination et aux conditions d’entrée et de sortie des voyageurs

L’AFRAA réitère la campagne d’appel à l’action pour l’Afrique contre la Covid-19 lancée par le groupe de travail de haut niveau pour l’Afrique sous le thème « Sauver des vies, des économies et des moyens de subsistance » et attire l’attention des gouvernements et des parties prenantes sur les éléments spécifiques suivants dans le cadre de la réouverture protégée de toutes les frontières :

1. Les États ne devraient pas imposer des certificats de vaccination COVID-19 comme condition obligatoire d’entrée et de sortie des pays jusqu’à ce qu’un accès satisfaisant aux vaccins soit assuré au niveau mondial, qu’une couverture vaccinale raisonnable soit atteinte et que des conseils suffisants sur l’utilisation du vaccin pour les voyages soient disponibles sur la base des recommandations de l’OMS.
2. Les États doivent continuer à effectuer des tests pré-départ jusqu’au moment où une généralisation de la vaccination sera atteinte, en passant à l’utilisation de tests antigène rapides comme alternative aux tests PCR. Ces tests antigènes rapides se sont avérés, pour certains, d’une fiabilité similaire au PCR, tout en étant nettement moins chers et permettant d’obtenir des résultats en 30 minutes.
3. Pour garantir la crédibilité des certificats de test/vaccination, les gouvernements doivent continuer à adopter, dans la mesure du possible, les certificats de test/vaccination numériques COVID-19 en tant qu’attestations sanitaires vérifiables et en tant que plate-forme de confiance pour les données des voyageurs.
4. Les États doivent mettre en œuvre un déploiement rapide des vaccins à travers le continent pour faciliter le redémarrage des économies et du transport aérien. A ce jour, moins de 6% des Africains sont complètement vaccinés. La vaccination atténuera les plus grands risques de propagation de la pandémie.

L’AFRAA reste déterminée à soutenir la reprise de l’écosystème du voyage et continue de s’engager dans des efforts de collaboration avec les parties prenantes dans le cadre d’initiatives qui constitueront une base solide pour la transformation et le développement du secteur du transport aérien.

Pour le téléchargement du fichier PDF : Le document de l’appel à l’action peut être consulté via le lien suivant : https://africacdc.org/download/call-to-action-safe-reopening-of-borders-to-save-lives-economies-and-livelihoods-in-africa/

Téléchargez le communiqué de presse ici

Release date: 07 December 2021

A new wave of infection of COVID19 is ongoing in Europe and Oceania. Partial lockdowns and various restrictions measures are established in countries like Austria, Netherland, Belgium, etc.

Moreover, a new and potentially more transmissible coronavirus variant first identified by South African scientists has prompted a fresh round of travel restrictions across the world and raised concern about what may be next in the pandemic. On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern named Omicron.

It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g. more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants, including Delta. The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors.  Globally, the number of cases has reached 257 million and 8.6 million in Africa.

From January to November 2021, air passenger traffic reached 41.6% compared to the same period in 2019.  Similarly, capacity reached 58%. The low evolution of ASK is explained by the ongoing travel restrictions and the low willingness of travelers.

Domestic market maintained the biggest share for capacity but reduced traffic in August 2021, with demand for passenger outperforming intra-Africa and intercontinental at 39% compared to 29.3% for intra-Africa and 31.6% for intercontinental. Both intra-Africa and intercontinental displayed an increase in traffic.  As regards passenger seats offered, domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental account for 44.7%, 22.4%, and 32.9% respectively.

African airlines’ restart of operations on international routes continued with the positive trend into November with four of the top 15 African airlines exceeding the number of their international routes in the pre-COVID period. However, as of November 2021, we noted a slight decreased from 81.3% in October to 80.8% in November 2021 due to some airlines that closed few international routes, among which Air Arabia Maroc and EgyptAir.

The Intra-African connectivity reached 78% of the pre-Covid levels in October 2021. However, the connectivity in Mauritius remained 98% lower than in February 2020. Airports like Abidjan and Dakar slightly exceed their level of connectivity of February 2020.

Across the African continent in general, passenger traffic volumes continued to be low due to the inconsistencies in the messaging regarding border closures, health protocols and continued surge in COVID-19 infections in some countries, and recently the concern about omicron identified as a potentially more transmissible coronavirus variant. The result is significant low airlines revenues. Full year revenue loss for 2021 is forecast at US$8.5b that is 49% of the 2019 revenues. In 2020, African airlines cumulatively lost $10.21b in revenues due to the impact of the pandemic, representing 58.8% of 2019 revenues. This poor performance is a direct threat to the survival of the African aviation industry.

Other government regulatory Developments include:

• The government of Morocco tightened entry restrictions to its territory and suspended flights to some European countries including UK, Germany and the Netherlands due to the rise in COVID-19 cases. The move comes in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases across Europe.
• Effective December 1, 2021, only COVID-19 certificates obtained on the Trusted Travel platform or verified on the Global Haven systems will be valid for entry or exit into Namibia at certain points of Entry. Namibia aligned itself with the African Union, which has implemented the Trusted Travel System, an online platform for travelers to register their personal and COVID-test related details prior to travel.
• EU: Recommendation on the lifting of European travel restrictions for third-countries nationals – Updated country list – Two African countries on the list: Namibia and Rwanda, as from 9 November 2021
• The Government of Canada published the list of countries with entry prohibitions, which includes Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Foreign nationals who have been in any of these countries within the previous 14 days will not be permitted entry into Canada. This as of December 1, 2021.
• US join EU in restricting travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. The ban came into effect on 29 November.
• Effective December 6, 2021 the United Kingdom has banned flights from Nigeria over the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.

Nairobi, 3 décembre 2021 – Le travail louable accompli par les chercheurs sud-africains, qui ont mis en evidence la souche Omicron du SARS CoV-2 et l’ont annoncée de manière transparente au monde entier, n’a pas suscité d’applaudissements, mais des restrictions de voyage draconiennes et non coordonnées. Malheureusement, près de deux ans après la découverte de la Covid-19, il semble que nous n’avons pas appris de leçons utiles qui pourraient nous permettre de trouver une solution permanente à la pandémie.

Des réactions impulsives, antiscientifiques et mal ciblées, qui n’ont pas beaucoup aidé à contenir le virus SARS CoV-2 depuis mars 2020 semblent être la réponse privilégiée aux défis scientifiques de notre époque. Les restrictions de voyages n’ont jamais été la solution pour enrayer la propagation de la COVID. Au contraire, ces restrictions ont eu un impact négatif sur les économies et ont entraîné des difficultés indescriptibles.

Dans le cas de l’Omicron, la décision hâtive de certains pays de l’Union européenne d’interdire les voyages vers l’Afrique du Sud et d’autres pays voisins de l’Afrique australe contraste fortement avec les nombreux appels ignorés lancés au monde occidental pour qu’il garantisse un accès équitable aux vaccins dans le monde entier. L’accumulation des stocks de vaccins excédentaires dont ils n’auront peut-être jamais besoin aux dépens des pays en développement qui font une longue queue pour s’approvisionner, est une démonstration inouïe que le monde développé n’a pas encore pleinement compris que le virus covid19 ne fait pas de discrimination.

Abdérahmane Berthé, Secrétaire Général de l’AFRAA, a déclaré en substance que: « La variante Omicron est désormais détectée dans plusieurs régions du monde, mais les embargos de voyage ne semblent que viser l’Afrique. C’est un affront aux efforts déployés dans le monde entier pour trouver une solution durable. Nous serons mieux armés pour affronter le virus si nous œuvrons ensemble pour la recherche de solutions et si nous évitons la discrimination. »

« Pourquoi cibler l’Afrique alors que le virus est également signalé dans d’autres régions? Toute tentative de stigmatiser l’Afrique par le biais d’interdictions de voyage est vouée à l’échec. Nous ne devons pas faire la confusion entre la politique et la science. » M. Berthé a souligné.

L’Association des compagnies aériennes africaines (AFRAA) lance donc un appel à tous les pays qui ont émis des restrictions unilatérales de voyage à les révoquer immédiatement et à rechercher plutôt des mesures de collaboration qui permettront de relever le défi de la COVID de manière holistique. Outre la vaccination, il existe des protocoles éprouvés qui se sont révélés efficaces pour freiner la propagation de la covid19. Ceux-ci doivent continuer à s’appliquer pendant que nous travaillons ensemble à la neutralisation ou à l’élimination du virus.

L’AFRAA exhorte également les gouvernements africains à s’élever contre toute tentative de salir le continent par la propagande et la maladresse médicale. Ils doivent rappeler au monde que nous ne pouvons vaincre la Covid qu’ensemble et non divisés.

Nairobi, 03 December 2021 – The commendable work done by South African scientists in unearthing and transparently announcing to the world the discovery of the Omicron strain of SARS CoV-2 instead of attracting applause was met with harsh and uncoordinated travel restrictions. Unfortunately, in nearly two years since Covid-19 was first discovered, it appears we have not learned useful lessons that could lead to finding a permanent solution to the pandemic.

The unscientific, poorly targeted, knee-jerk reactions that have not helped much in containing the SARS CoV-2 virus since March 2020 seem to be the preferred response to scientific challenges of our time. Restricting travel has never been the solution to curtailing the spread of COVID. On the contrary, such restrictions have adversely impacted economies and unleash untold hardship.

In the case of Omicron, the hasty decisions by some EU countries to ban travel to South Africa and other neighbouring countries in Southern Africa, is in stark contrast to the numerous unheeded appeals to the western world to ensure equitable access to vaccines around the world. While stockpiling excess vaccines they may never need at the expense of developing countries that remain in a long queue for their supplies, the developed world is yet to fully understand that COVID19 virus does not discriminate.

AFRAA Secretary General, Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé stated: “The Omicron variant is now detected in several regions of the world, yet the travel bans seem to be targeted at Africa. This is an affront to the global efforts to find an enduring solution. We will be better off confronting the virus if we work together for solutions and avoid discrimination.”

“Why target Africa when the virus is reported in other regions as well? Any attempts to stigmatize Africa through travel bans will not work. We should not confuse politics with science.” Mr. Berthé added.

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) is calling on all countries that have issued unilateral travel restriction to immediately revoke them and instead seek collaborative measures that will address the COVID challenge holistically. Besides vaccination, there are tried and tested protocols that have proven effective in curbing the spread of covid19. These must continue to apply while we work together towards neutralizing or eliminating the virus.

AFRAA is also urging African governments to speak out at any attempts to smear the continent with propaganda and medical mischief. They must remind the world that we can only defeat Covid together not divided.

Please download the Press Releases here:

AFRAA Statement: Travel Ban on Africa is not the Solution to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Communiqué de presse: L’embargo de voyage sur l’Afrique n’est pas la solution à la pandémie de la COVID-19