Africa to adopt open sky policy...

[airmemphis]

Hopefully this should increase intra-African flights. I know services in North Africa are quite restricted.

http://www.reuters.co.za/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:428e08ed:614b265510387b64?type=topNews&localeKey=en_ZA&storyID=8560509

I wonder whether this will actually happen...

[spacedaddy]

Look at the USA. Deregulation has led to fewer and fewer airlines and they can't even make a profit. It will be the same in Africa and it will happen more quickly. When there are three or four airlines left 30% of the destinations now served will not be as the markets are too thin. In other words don't look for a direct Luanda to Addis flight this century on any surviving airline. If competition dies through only considering survival of those with the richest government behind them the consumer is the loser. Killing the competition did not make American, United or Delta profitable and don't blame 9/11.

[MarkD]

or you could compare it to Europe, a far more appropriate comparison, given the nature of africa (many countries) as opposed to us (one... -ish)

However, Africa needs (in my opinion) the kind of co-ordination that EU membership brought to Europe, so that when one country's *AA goes off the reservation that there are consequences sufficient to get them back in line, including suspending their ability to access deregulated markets.

The recent flap about Turkey's carriers will hopefully encourage Turkey reduce their JAR exceptions sharpish, for example.

[Shrike200]

I'd prefer it if they made a 'competency' policy a priority first.......

[oneeyed]

Wonderful idea - a bit old though - for those who don't remember there are treaties like the Accord the Yamoussoukro (hope I got that right) and the Dakar Convention that the West African Nations have agreed upon for god knows how many years and what's happening with it???

How many airlines have actually been designated under those treaties??

And what about the Nigeria / US Open Skies Agreement - it was signed when Randy 1 was still President and Chief Obasanjo was in his first term.

Aparently African Governments are still trying to protect their non existent (not any more) National Carriers instead of allowing the forces of the market to thrive Perhaps it is good the way it is as most of the regulatory bodies would be unable to cope.

[I.R.PIRATE]

Oooh, hooray, I cant wait for the day when I can sit in my garden in SA and watch Antonovs and Il-76 cavoting above. A true step in to the future