air freight

‘Reasonable’ airline taxes will boost continental free trade, says Ethiopian Airlines’ Mesfin Tasew

By Jonas Nyabor

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Posted on February 6, 2023 14:09

© The newly-appointed Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tasew is pictured in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 24, 2022. Ethiopian Airlines/Handout via REUTERS — The newly-appointed Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Mesfin Tasew is pictured in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 24, 2022. Ethiopian Airlines/Handout via REUTERS

Indigenous airlines in Africa could do more to facilitate the movement of goods and people under the AfCFTA agreement if governments slash the hefty taxes imposed on the airlines, says group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Mesfin Tasew.

Speaking on air transport in Africa as a catalyst for a continental free trade area during the inaugural Africa Prosperity Dialogues at the Peduase presidential lodge in Ghana, Tasew said efforts by African governments to generate revenue from the aviation sector are in order. However, “the taxes on airlines should be reasonable”.

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