AIRLINE passengers in the West are spoiled. For all our complaining about poor customer service and stingy legroom—grumbles that Gulliver is only too happy to partake in—we live in the golden age of affordable, accessible flying. If Ireland's Ryanair wants to launch an obscure route between Latvia and Slovenia, it is free to do so. The need to schmooze foreign officials and navigate a forest of red tape has been systematically eroded by decades of pan-European liberalisation. In this fully deregulated environment, passengers reap the spoils with cheap airfares. Not so elsewhere in the world. Especially not so in Africa.
In Africa today, as in Europe three decades ago, bilateral restrictions rule the skies. Before an African airline can fly from its home nation to another on the continent, it must be designated as an approved carrier by both countries. For state-owned airlines, this process is relatively straightforward. For private sector start-ups, it can take years. Greasing a few palms may help. Further complicating matters, the number of carriers and the...Continue reading
Source:Gulliver http://ift.tt/1Q54ykr
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