Mr. Esayas Woldemariam Hailu, Managing Director of ASKY Airlines, has disclosed that any airline passing through Ghanaian airspace en route to another destination incurs a $2,000 fee.

This revelation sheds light on one of the significant factors contributing to the high cost of air travel within Africa.

Speaking at the recent West African Travel Expo,Monitored by Journalist and Blogger Attractive Mustapha, Mr. Hailu highlighted that these overflight charges are not unique to Ghana. “Airlines must pay $2,000 to every country they pass through, not just Ghana,” he said.

He emphasized that these fees, coupled with poor infrastructure, high taxes, levies, restrictive traffic rights, and the non-implementation of the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM), drive up the cost of airfares across the continent.

Mr. Hailu pointed out that despite various treaties aimed at fostering collaboration among African nations, airlines still face substantial financial burdens when flying over multiple countries. “Airlines flying across any African country pay about $2,000 to each country it flies through,” he explained.

Additionally, Mr. Hailu criticized the high taxation on air tickets within Africa, noting that a significant portion of ticket costs—about one-third—goes into taxes. However, he argued that these funds are not reinvested into improving the aviation infrastructure. “All the money collected doesn’t go back to infrastructure development; rather, it is either siphoned or, in some cases, diverted by the governments,” he lamented.

To address these challenges and promote cheaper airfares within Africa, particularly in West Africa, Mr. Hailu called for the elimination of barriers that hinder seamless air travel. He urged African governments to take inspiration from their European counterparts by opening borders more freely to the traveling public.