Aviation a necessity, not luxury

…Pushes harder for SAATM, open skies

By Chinelo Obogo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has declared that air travel remains a basic necessity for economic growth and national connectivity, not a luxury for the wealthy.

He described it as a connecting tissue that binds commerce, tourism and manufacturing value chains.

Keyamo stated these earlier in the week during a webinar organised by Aluko & Oyebode law firm, which brought together top aviation, legal and economic experts to discuss the future of air transport across Africa.

The event, themed; “Navigating the African Skies: Legal, Economic and Trade Pathways for the Future of Aviation in Africa,” was moderated by Adeleresimi Philips-Adeleye and Adebowale Aluko and convened to explore the frameworks, policy developments, financing strategies and collaborative pathways required for sustainable expansion of the aviation sector across the continent.

In his keynote address titled “Unlocking Africa’s Aviation Potential: The Open Skies Imperative,” Keyamo said that aviation must be seen as core economic infrastructure and not a luxury, describing it as “the connective tissue” that binds commerce, tourism, manufacturing value chains, and regional integration.

He called for renewed commitment to the Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), acknowledging that although implementation has been slow, the economic promise of open skies remains “real, measurable, and urgent.”

The Minister identified three primary areas critical to unlocking Africa’s aviation potential. In his submission, Keyamo highlighted Nigeria’s recent reforms including Federal High Court practice directions enhancing compliance with the Cape Town Convention, as major steps toward strengthening investor confidence and reducing financing costs for airlines. He urged wider harmonization of legal frameworks across Africa to create an enabling environment for aircraft leasing, dispute resolution, and asset protection.

He spoke of the importance of modernizing airline fleets and collaborating with manufacturers, lessors, and global technical partners. Citing Nigeria’s Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing as a model, he stressed that such partnerships are essential for building local capability and integrating African carriers into global supply chains. He warned that delaying reforms would leave Africa disconnected and economically disadvantaged, stressing that “the alternative to open skies is unacceptable.”