Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN
Open skies over Africa for Africans is to become a reality this year over a broad corridor stretching from Egypt across East Africa to Namibia in the South-West, while significant strides are being made to improve air safety over the continent.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) - a free-trade organisation spanning 21 countries - has issued its member states with regulations governing the liberalisation of air transport within the region, which comes into effect in two phases.
The first phase, ending in October, sees the introduction of free movement for cargo and scheduled passenger flights with up to two daily frequencies between any city pairs. Beyond that, bilateral air services agreements are applicable. Carriers can adopt multiple designations and no restrictions apply on capacity or type of aircraft.
During the first phase, fifth freedom traffic rights are restricted to 30% of a carrier's capacity on routes where third and fourth freedom rights services are provided. Fifth freedom traffic will not be restricted on routes where there are no third and fourth freedom rights services. Any carrier will be eligible provided it is designated, substantially owned and effectively controlled by a COMESA member state, a combination of members or their nationals.
From October, all movements including 5th freedom traffic rights, will be unrestricted within the region. The plan is in line with COMESA's broader objectives of integrating regional transport systems and establishing a free trade area in east and southern Africa by 31 October. COMESA comprises Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, transport ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meet in Pretoria on 5 September to discuss regional liberalisation to be phased in over the next five years. This entails no restrictions on third and fourth freedom traffic rights within the region in terms of aircraft and frequencies. Liberalisation of fifth freedom traffic rights will also be discussed. This follows last year's ratification of an accord, signed by African leaders at Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire, in 1988, to further co-operation among African airlines, with the realisation that air transport had to be liberalised first. The Organisation of African Unity, COMESA and SADC have endorsed this.
Parallel with liberalisation, progress is being made to enhance air navigation networks in Africa. Increased incidents of near collisions in parts of Africa highlight the obsolescence and unreliability of the terrestrial communications infrastructure as air traffic grows. Equipment is vandalised, even stolen. Fickle electricity supplies may render facilities unserviceable, while stand-by power is not always available. It is also not uncommon for aircraft to fly without transponders or without filing flight plans.
But much has been done in the past two years to improve air safety over Africa. African regions have taken a collective modernisation approach to overcome financial shortcomings of individual states.
COMESA intends to establish a joint company responsible for communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) of its upper air space, 24,000ft (7,300m) above sea level, using satellite technology to reduce dependence on ground aids.
COMESA's regional economic integration group met in Sudan in August to consider proposals by the Safe African Skies Group (a private sector consortium of private sector companies including Lockheed Martin, Edlow Resources and African engineering company, Africon).
The proposals deal with the logistics of setting up the company to operate under a concession agreement with COMESA and the associated investment costs to member states. A report will be tabled at a meeting of the organisation's civil aviation directors in Cairo in September. If accepted, funds will be mobilised and the project implemented next year.
Similarly, SADC plans to establish a regionally owned body to provide CNS/ATM for upper air space within the region. An internal team assisted by an ICAO recommended consultant has produced a report for the SADC committee of transport ministers, which calls for even more research. The report should be finalised within nine months.
A $1.5 million very small aperture terminal satellite communications network has already been installed in all SADC countries, interconnecting the 14 member countries' ATC centres. It is managed by South Africa's Air Traffic & Navigational Services (ATNS) in Johannesburg.
South Africa itself has invested R630million ($91 million) in infrastructure and new technology across the country in the past six years. Extensive upgrades were completed in countrywide radar, radio, navigational and high frequency communications systems.
Source: Flight International
