The African passport came into circulation last July, and is intended to facilitate visa-free business and private travel between the various countries on the continent. Not all the countries concerned have signed up to the scheme, far from it - around fifteen of them authorise visa-free access for nationals of the continent - but things should change. This effort at openness initiated by the African Union is in line with the roadmap Agenda 2063which advocates an integrated and united Africa, based in particular on the Common African Passport ( Common African Passport ").
While we wait for the sesame to become more widespread, Sabre has put the spotlight on the travel sector on the African continent, with the "Travel in Africa" study. The African Traveller - Pain points, preferences and aspirations of the African Traveller" . Nearly 1,600 people were surveyed, all of whom had travelled by plane in the last two years. Four countries are targeted by this report: Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya.
One of the main findings of the study is that the price of air travel remains out of reach for most of the population. Only 23% of the African population have travelled by air in the last 24 months. There are wide variations from one country to another on this point: the average is 35% in Nigeria, and falls to 13% in South Africa.
Price is not the only obstacle to air travel. The unavailability of flights, cited by 34% of travellers, the volatility of fares (33%), the reliability problems encountered by certain booking sites (20%) or their lack of clarity (22%) are all obstacles to booking according to Sabre. But when it comes to choosing the national airline rather than a foreign carrier, it is the economic aspect that makes the difference in most cases, with the exception of Nigeria.
The introduction of this African passport is expected to generate greater expenditure in the airline sector. Sabre estimates an increase of 24%, from an average annual budget of $1149 to $1508. The American GDS sees this as an opportunity for airlines in terms of ancillary costs. These famous additional services billed à la carte currently average 90 dollars per passenger - and even 113 dollars in Nigeria. Their budget could rise to 110 dollars in the near future. Access to wi-fi would be the most popular service, ahead of catering, travel insurance and in-flight entertainment.
With this in mind, Sabre lists five recommendations designed to encourage the growth of air travel on the African continent: make travel simple and accessible, invest in new technologies to improve the development strategy within airlines and for customers, diversify distribution channels, and finally invest in data to better personalise the offer.
