HARARE, Jul 10 (NewsDay Live) — Zimbabwe has thrown its weight behind efforts to liberalise Africa's aviation sector, with government officials saying seamless air travel across the continent could unlock a tourism boom.
To kickstart the initiative, stakeholders from across Africa have been meeting in Harare since Thursday to accelerate air transport liberalisation for continental connectivity and integration.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry deputy minister Tongai Mnangagwa said officials from the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) had agreed to making intra-African air travel more seamless and affordable.
Describing aviation as "the backbone of tourism," Mnangagwa reaffirmed Zimbabwe's commitment to regional connectivity, saying the country's collaborative aviation-and-tourism model would help stimulate tourist arrivals and promote multi-destination travel. He said full implementation of the air travel liberalisation, together with initiatives such as the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, UniVisa and enhanced air connectivity, would help unlock Africa's tourism potential.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) said the pilot implementation project was launched on November 14, 2022 in Dakar, Senegal, and involves 24 African states.
Zimbabwe is pushing to join the pilot group.
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Organisers say the project aims to raise so-called Fifth Freedom traffic operations rights that allow airlines to carry passengers and cargo between two foreign countries as part of a route beginning or ending in their home country from 23% across participating states in 2025 to 30% by 2027.