Written by: Badr Ahmed

The aviation sector in East Africa is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, with countries in the region racing to develop their airports and turn them into regional and international air transport hubs, taking advantage of global geopolitical changes and the increasing demand for travel, tourism and logistics services.

East African governments are betting that airports are no longer just gateways for travel, but have become key drivers of economic growth, supporting tourism, trade, investment and supply chains, and giving countries greater competitiveness in the global aviation market.

Airport race heats up in East Africa

Although the aviation sector in sub-Saharan Africa provides approximately 7 million jobs and contributes nearly $80 billion to the region's economy, it still faces significant challenges that limit its ability to generate high profits. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that air travel in Africa will grow by 61 TP3T by 2026, a rate exceeding the global average, but the profit margin for African airlines will remain at only 11 TP3T, the lowest among all regions of the world.

African airlines face numerous structural obstacles, most notably high taxes, high jet fuel prices, and weak infrastructure, along with regulatory restrictions that limit competition and hinder the opening of new air routes between African countries. Furthermore, high airfares make travel within the continent more expensive than in many other parts of the world.

In addition to the economic challenges, security is one of the biggest challenges facing the sector, given the continued terrorist threats and political instability in some countries, as well as the lack of air traffic control systems and the poor facilities of some airports, which affect safety standards and limit the expansion of African airlines in international markets.

In contrast, East African countries are leading a wave of massive investments to develop airport infrastructure. In Ethiopia, Abusera International Airport is being built with investments reaching $12.5 billion, and is expected to handle 110 million passengers annually, making it the largest on the continent.

Billions of dollars invested to boost the continent's position in global aviation

Rwanda is also continuing to implement the Bugesera International Airport project with Qatari investment support, with a capacity of 14 million passengers per year by 2032, as part of a plan to transform Kigali into a regional aviation and tourism hub.

Kenya, for its part, is seeking to strengthen its competitive position through the expansion project of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, with investments exceeding one billion dollars, including the construction of a new terminal and the modernization of runways and facilities, which will raise the airport's capacity to more than 22 million passengers annually, compared to about 7.5 million currently.

The Kenyan government is also seeking to establish a new airport near the smart city of Konza, with the aim of linking the aviation sector with economic and technological zones, and enhancing Nairobi's position as a major gateway to East and Central Africa.

Experts believe that the growing competition between Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda will redraw the aviation map of the continent, especially with the changing routes of global flights as a result of geopolitical turmoil, which gives East Africa a historic opportunity to attract more airlines and international investments.

Despite the positive forecasts for air traffic growth in the coming years, experts stress that the success of these plans will remain contingent on addressing infrastructure challenges, liberalizing aviation markets, reducing operating costs, and enhancing security and safety standards, thus enabling the continent to transform the expected growth in passenger numbers into sustainable economic gains and consolidate its position as one of the world’s most important emerging aviation hubs.