Decision on the Establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market - Doc. EX.CL/1067(XXXII)

DECISION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SINGLE

AFRICAN AIR TRANSPORT MARKET¹

Doc. EX.CL/1067(XXXII)

The Assembly,

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Ministerial Working Group on the establishment of a Single Air Transport Market (SAATM) within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063;

2. RECALLS:

1. the Declaration on the Establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market Assembly/AU/Decl.1(XXIV) adopted at the Twenty-Fourth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 31 January 2015;

2. The Solemn Commitment declared by AU Member States to the Implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision towards the establishment of SAATM by 2017 at the Twenty-Fourth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 31 January 2015;

3. MINDFUL OF the aspirations of:

1. The Constitutive Act of the AU adopted at the Thirty-Sixth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Lome, Togo on 11 July 2000 with entry into force in 2001;

2. The Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (also known as the Abuja Treaty) adopted at the Twenty-Seventh Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Abuja, Nigeria on 3 June 1991 with entry into force on 12 May 1994;

3. The Decision relating to the Implementation of the Yamoussoukro Declaration on the Liberalization of Access to Air Transport Markets in Africa endorsed at the Thirty-Sixth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in Lome, Togo on 12 July 2000;

4. CONVINCED that the realisation of SAATM is vital to the achievement of the long-term vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa under the AU Agenda 2063; that it will bring about the enhanced connectivity across the continent leading to sustainable development of the aviation and tourism industry with immense contribution to economic growth, job creation, prosperity and integration of Africa;

5. AFFIRMS that the following twenty-three Member States have declared their Solemn Commitment to the immediate implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision towards the establishment of SAATM:

1. Benin

2. Botswana

3. Burkina Faso

4. Cape Verde

5. Congo

6. Cote d’Ivoire

7. Egypt

8. Ethiopia

9. Gabon

10. Ghana

11. Guinea

12. Kenya

13. Liberia

14. Mali

15. Mozambique

16. Niger

17. Nigeria

18. Rwanda

19. Sierra Leone

20. South Africa

21. Swaziland

22. Togo

23. Zimbabwe

6. DECIDES to:

1. establish SAATM for African Airlines within the framework of Agenda 2063 on this 29^th Day of January 2018 among the Member States that have declared their Solemn Commitment as of to-date and for those that join later;

2. appoint Regional Champions of the Single Air Transport Market;

6. WELCOMES the launch of SAATM;

7. FURTHER REQUESTS:

1. Member States to abolish any provisions in their Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASAs) for intra-African air services that are contrary to the

provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision. As the market goes into operation, Member States and the industry expect that the intra-African market will operate without the need for bilateral air service agreements between Member States. To enhance the objectives of Agenda 2063 towards Boosting Intra-Africa Trade (BIAT) and fast tracking of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) in relation to air transport, Member States are encouraged to go beyond the market access provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision in order to accelerate the attainment of the objectives of the SAATM;

2. that subject to safety and security concerns of the aviation authorities of Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the Executing Agency, eligible airlines of Member States and nationals operating under SAATM shall be entitled to file and fly on the basis of their own economic considerations and without any hindrance;

3. the Commission shall submit to the Assembly an updated status of implementation and revised objectives of the Single market by January 2019;

4. the Commission, the RECs and the Champions, in collaboration with other air transport stakeholders, take effective steps to engage the African States who are not yet members to sign on to the Solemn Commitment;

5. the Commission to expedite completion of the activities on the SAATM Road Map, ensure awareness and dissemination of key continental aviation frameworks especially the Yamoussoukro Decision Regulatory and Institutional Texts, the African Civil Aviation Policy (AFCAP), as well as undertake capacity building of Member States and RECs on application and domestication of those instruments;

6. the Commission to work on a framework of establishing the single African sky architecture by 2023 that will strengthen aviation safety, security as well as ensure efficient and harmonised seamless air navigational and communication systems;

7. the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other funding partners to expedite the mobilisation of resources for the operationalisation of the Executing Agency to enable it adequately carry out its functions in the management and supervision of the established SAATM;

6. CALLS UPON the RECs and all development partners including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, AfDB, the African Airlines Association, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the European Civil Aviation Commission/Conference, the Arab Civil Aviation Commission, USA Department of Transport, Federal Aviation Administration and National Transport Security,

Civil Aviation Authorities of Partner States, the International Air Transport Association, the Airports Council International, the European Union, the World Bank, the World Tourism Organisation to recognise and support the smooth operationalisation of SAATM under Agenda 2063;

6. EXPRESSES its profound appreciation for the excellent work accomplished by the Ministerial Working Group on the establishment of SAATM.