IATA calls on Ethiopia to give priority to the aviation sector economy

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the Ethiopian government to continue giving priority to the aviation sector to meet the increasing demand for flights.

The Federation said in a statement issued today, Wednesday, that in light of expectations that the number of passengers from Ethiopia will rise to three times what it is now during the next twenty years, continuing investment in infrastructure and workers “will be necessary to increase the aviation sector’s contribution to Ethiopia’s economic growth in the long term.”

The IATA statement indicated that the aviation sector provides economic and social contributions to Ethiopia, which include:

• Economic activities worth $2 billion, including supply chains, spending on employment, and the impact on the tourism sector, and these activities contribute 1.2% of GDP.
• Providing 527,000 job opportunities across several economic sectors, including aviation, tourism, and supply chains.
• Transporting goods worth 284,400 tons annually, which contributes to boosting trade exchange.

Great opportunities for growth

IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamel Al-Awadhi, said that with 60% of Ethiopia’s population under the age of 25, “the aviation sector represents a tremendous opportunity to transform growth into jobs, skills and comprehensive economic development.”

The “Focus Africa” ​​conference, organized by IATA, discusses aviation sector development priorities, during Wednesday and Thursday in Addis Ababa, with the participation of 300 senior officials in the African aviation sector and representatives of African governments.

The importance of aviation for Africa

In this context, Al-Awadhi stressed the great economic importance of the aviation sector in Africa and its role in driving growth and creating job opportunities.

Al-Awadhi said, in a statement issued today on the IATA website, that the aviation strategy, which focuses on cost competitiveness, energy security, sustainable development and ease of doing business, “will create job opportunities, encourage trade, support tourism, and increase regional integration.”

He added that the prosperity that this strategy can achieve will enable African governments to move forward with economic and social development projects, in a way that exceeds funding from taxes that can be imposed on passengers.

During the discussions at the conference dedicated to supporting African aviation in Addis Ababa, the Union (IATA) called on African governments to adopt a strategy for the aviation sector that focuses on the following:

• Improve securityAlthough Africa has made significant progress in aviation safety, with the accident rate declining from 12.13 to 7.86 incidents per million flights, between 2024 and 2025, it is still well above the global average of 1.32.
• Improved cost competitivenessThe cost of doing aviation business in Africa is still high, and one of the most important elements of this cost is the taxes and fees imposed by governments on airlines and airports, the cost of which in Africa is approximately 15% higher than the global average.
• Facilitating doing business: The Federation calls for removing obstacles to doing business, and stresses that this is necessary for the aviation sector to flourish
• Energy security and sustainabilityThe recent crisis in global energy supplies has highlighted the relationship between energy security and sustainability, especially the sustainable production of aviation fuel, which underscores the necessity of investing in energy security.