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The Ethiopian Airlines' Group Managing Director, Mesfin Tasew, says "There is no conducive environment for African airlines to flourish and grow."
He stated this during the ongoing African Aviation MRO Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the theme: ‘Strengthening Africa’s MRO and Training Capacity for the Future’.
Tasew said that the challenging situation faced by numerous airlines in Africa is due to the absence of a favorable environment for the growth of the continent's carriers.
At the panel discussion moderated by the convener of the summit and the Chief Executive Officer of African Aviation Services Limited, Mr. Nick Fadugba, Tasew took a swipe at the manner some African nations protect their carriers when they are signatories to the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) which liberalises air transport in the continent and helps to ease travel connections within the region.
“The cost of operation in Africa is very high; high taxes and very low level of infrastructure and a lack of access to Forex. That is the reason Nigerian airlines complained to the government to assist them access Forex to buy spare parts."
