The urgent need for airline co-operation in Africa is constantly reiterated. But, to be frank, not much has been achieved so far. While African Government and airline officials speak frequently and loquaciously about the benefits of collaboration, in practice most of them continue to pursue their loss-making policies in splendid isolation.
Meanwhile, around the world more astute airlines are busy forming strategic alliances in order to strengthen their business, enhance their competitive edge and preserve their existence. They recognise that the partial or total loss of individual identity may be a small price to pay to safeguard their future.
The proposed African Joint Air Services (AJAS) project, involving Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, offered the promise of a profitable venture based on the efficient shared utilisation of long-haul jet aircraft. But this eagerly awaited enterprise now appears to have been abandoned following the withdrawal of Zambia for financial reasons.
Similarly, five years on, little tangible progress has been made in implementing the Yamoussoukro Declaration of 1988 which mapped out an eight-year strategy for African airline co-operation and integration.
It is debatable whether many African airlines will ever stop paying lip-service to co-operation and join the ranks of far-sighted carriers such as Air Botswana and Ethiopian Airlines which are trying to strengthen the African airline industry through collaborative ventures.