The Society of Aviation and Airport Transport Commercial Operators (SAPTCO) has rescheduled its annual lecture, which will focus on the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), to January 7, 2027.
The lecture, initially scheduled for an earlier date, will take place at 11:00 a.m. at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Training Suite, Annex, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
A former Secretary-General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Ms Iyabo O. Sosina, will deliver the lecture. Sosina played a significant role in the development and launch of SAATM during her tenure at the continental aviation body.
According to a statement by SAPTCO’s Managing Consultant, Sam Adurogboye, the annual lecture, which will also serve as a training programme, is expected to provide a platform for aviation stakeholders to examine the challenges hindering the effective implementation of the African single aviation market.
Adurogboye described the gathering as an important opportunity to brainstorm on an initiative that, despite its ambitious objectives and years of existence, has yet to achieve its full potential.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reportedly accepted the organisation’s invitation to attend as Special Guest of Honour, while the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, will participate as Guest of Honour.
The former Director-General of the NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, who delivered the inaugural SAPTCO Annual Lecture, is also expected to attend as Father of the Day.
Other participants will include representatives of domestic and international airlines, aviation agencies, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), as well as aviation journalists and other industry stakeholders.
The lecture will examine the objectives of SAATM, particularly the need to advance the Open Skies Policy, liberalise air transport services through the granting of traffic rights and give practical effect to the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision.
Launched in January 2018 as an African Union initiative, SAATM was designed to establish a single, unified and liberalised air transport market across the continent.
The initiative seeks to remove restrictions that limit access to African airspace, encourage greater competition among airlines, improve connectivity between African cities, reduce airfares and stimulate intra-African travel and trade.
It is also regarded as a critical component of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with improved air connectivity expected to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services across national borders.
However, more than eight years after its launch, the initiative continues to face implementation challenges, including the reluctance of some African countries to fully liberalise their air transport markets and grant the traffic rights envisaged under the framework.
Adurogboye expressed concern that the initiative had yet to translate into the expected benefits for African aviation, despite the extensive consultations and commitments that preceded its introduction.
He said the lecture would help redirect the attention of African leaders and aviation policymakers to the original objectives of SAATM and the need to move beyond declarations towards practical implementation.
He added that the effective implementation of the initiative would improve connectivity across Africa, promote economic growth, reduce operational costs for airlines and deliver wider benefits to the continent.
The SAPTCO annual lecture is expected to provide an opportunity for policymakers, regulators, airline operators and other industry players to identify practical measures for overcoming the obstacles to the realisation of a truly integrated African aviation market.
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