Sustainability in Africa’s aviation sector will benefit from more flights, not fewer, and must be tailored to the specific circumstances on the continent, not just subbscribing to the Western world’s traditional views of reducing carbon footprint.

According to Kenya Airways Chief Commercial and Customer Officer Julius Thairu, sustainability in Africa needs to take into account the different pace of development on the continent compared with developed nations.

“There is a danger of thinking of sustainability in Africa as just ‘going green’. We need to talk about it in a much broader sense, because we are working in a context where food security, poverty and inequality are the major issues,” said Thairu.

“Sustainability needs to be meaningful in your own environment. And part of that is connecting Africa. When you drive connectivity you’re going to be driving economic empowerment and prosperity, which will drive sustainability.”

CO₂ emissions reduction pioneer

Kenya Airways is pioneering carbon emission reduction initiatives on the continent, becoming the first African airline to operate a long-haul flight incorporating sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) earlier this year.

“We know that climate change is a critical issue so we’re involved in various initiatives, whether it be planting trees, removing plastic on board or investing in new-generation aircraft with lower carbon emissions.

“The advent of SAF is promising for the future but, currently, with availability very limited and costs between five and seven times higher than traditional jet fuel, this would significantly drive up ticket prices and threaten operational viability,” Thairu stressed.

‘Not much being done to address high costs’

One of the major reasons behind African airlines’ struggles to achieve profitability and enhanced connectivity is the high operational costs they face compared with other regions.

“We should be bringing clear actions and timelines to this discussion because not a lot is being done,” said Thairu, referencing the lengthy delays in implementing the ideals of the Single African Air Transport Market – which seeks to liberalise African airspace and break down the barriers to intra-Africa travel.

“We are happy to hear that more capacity is being built by other airlines because we need more airlines to bring down the cost of travel. We need countries to stop competing and start collaborating. And questions need to be answered in terms of high taxes. When flying in and out of Kenya, why do we need to pay a passenger tax of US$50? This funnels into ticket pricing and 40% of our pricing model relates to taxes,” said Thairu.

He said the issues were well known. “There are some encouraging steps such as easing visa regimes, but we need all stakeholders to get together around a table and take tangible action to address the problems.”