A Kenya Airways plane.[Photo/Kahawatungu]
Struggling national carrier Kenya Airways will from next year face even stiffer competition from its peers, with more countries expected to adopt an agreement opening up African skies.
Forty-four African signatories to the Open Sky Policy are expected to fully show commitment to the 1999 Yamoussoukro Declaration by June next year.
Kenya is already among 11 countries that have signed up to fully implement the declaration. International Air Transport Association (IATA) made it clear in Nairobi that opening African skies are inevitable for the benefit of the whole of Africa.
The organization’s chief executive officer Tony Tyler said contrary to the belief that opening up African skies will weaken continental airlines, it will open up more opportunities for them.
He said the new development is also expected to create more jobs, generate more income, and facilitate movement of more people and goods around the continent as additional investments are expected to take place in the fresh scramble for the region’s economic potential.
“A potential five million passengers a year are being denied the chance to travel between these markets because of unnecessary restrictions on establishing air routes,” said Tyler.
An industry report by independent economic consultants InterVISTAS shows that once the Open Skies Policy is fully implemented, Kenya alone will see a creation of 15, 900 new jobs and an additional national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $76.9 million (Sh7.3billion).