MEDIA ADVISORY

Establishment and Launching of a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)

INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

WHAT: The Single African Air Transport Market will be formally established and launched on the 28 January 2018 on the margins of the 30TH African Union Summit.

WHEN: 28 January 2018,

TIME: 14:30 - 15:00 hrs

WHERE: Small Conference Room 4 (3rd Floor) - The African Union Commission - Addis Ababa Ethiopia

WHO:

· Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission (AUC)

· Hon. Joseph Maswanganyi, Minister of Transport, South Africa

· President of the Council, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

· Secretary General, African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC)

· Secretary General, African Airlines Association (AFRAA)

· Vice President, International Air Transport Association (IATA)

· CEO, Ethiopian Airlines

· Chairman, RwandAir

· Vice President, Boeing

WHY:

The Single African Air Transport Market will be formally established and launched on the 28 January 2018 on the margins of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Eligible airlines of the 23 countries are, effective this season, are entitled to conduct their business into the markets and fully operate the traffic rights provided for in the Yamoussoukro Decision. The launch event brings together the aviation industry in Africa and airline manufacturers to forge ahead the effective implementation of SAATM.

The Press Conference, moderated by the Director for Information and Communication of the African Union Commission, will explore the issue of SAATM in-depth, including perspectives from the passengers, the airline industry, aircraft manufacturers and SAATM contributes towards the attainment of agenda 2063.

Objectives:

1. To commemorate the establishment and launching of the market, marking a notable milestone since the adoption of the Yamoussoukro Decision in 1999;

2. To gain insight into the exciting launch of SAATM from all stakeholders; and

3. To enhance publicity and global exposure on the establishment of the Single African Air Transport Market, a key AU Agenda 2063 flagship project – the first of the twelve flagship projects to be launched.

Note to Editor

The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is a flagship project of the African Union Agenda 2063, an initiative of the African Union to create a single unified air transport market in Africa, the liberalization of civil aviation in Africa and as an impetus to the Continent’s economic integration agenda.

The Declaration on the establishment of a Single Africa Air Transport Market, as a flagship project of the AU Agenda 2063 was adopted by the African Union (AU) Assembly in 2015. Eleven AU Member States have made a commitment to implement the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 that provides for full liberalization in terms of market access between African States, the free exercise of traffic rights, the elimination of restrictions on ownership and the full liberalization of frequencies, fares and capacities.

The third meeting of the Ministerial Working Group on establishment of the SAATM took place from 5 to 8 December 2017 and a number of activities were agreed to mark the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market. It is envisaged that airlines from the 23 SAATM countries would each be able to put up an exhibition during the launch. The theme of the fair is: “Flying the AU Agenda 2063: for an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Africa”.

To date, the number of Member States that have adhered to the Solemn Commitment has reached twenty-three (23), namely: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe.

JOURNALISTS ARE INVITED TO COVER THE EVENT.

Media enquiries:

Sophia Nesri, PIDA Information Analyst, SophiaN@africa-union.org

Janet Faith Adhiambo Ochieng, Communications Officer, OchiengJ@africa-union.org

Esther Azaa Tankou| Head of Information Division | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911361185| E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org|

For further information:

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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