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ECOWAS Leaders Push for Cheaper Flights as Côte d'Ivoire Leads Aviation Tax Reforms ECOWAS Leaders Push for Cheaper Flights as Côte d'Ivoire Leads Aviation Tax Reforms

West Africa's decades-long struggle with punishingly high airfares may finally be approaching a turning point. At the 69th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, regional leaders issued a strong call for Member States to accelerate the implementation of sweeping aviation reforms designed to make flying across the region more affordable, more competitive, and more accessible to ordinary citizens and businesses alike.

The Summit, held at the newly inaugurated President Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Lungi, Sierra Leone, offered a fitting backdrop for such a discussion. As Sierra Leone unveiled one of West Africa's most modern conference facilities, leaders were simultaneously wrestling with a critical question: how to make it easier and cheaper for people to reach venues like it. Côte d'Ivoire emerged as the standout performer, becoming the first — and so far the only — ECOWAS Member State to fully implement the bloc's landmark decision to remove selected aviation taxes and reduce passenger and security charges.

The reforms trace their roots to the Abuja Decision of December 2024, when ECOWAS Heads of State adopted the Supplementary Act on Aviation Charges, Taxes and Fees. The policy requires Member States to eliminate specific taxes on air transport and reduce passenger service and aviation security charges by 25 per cent, with measures expected to take effect from 1 January 2026 through amendments to national legislation. ECOWAS estimates that these reforms could bring ticket prices down by as much as 40 per cent on some regional routes, transforming the economics of intra-West African travel.

The scale of the challenge is significant. West Africa has long ranked among the world's most expensive regions in which to fly, despite the relatively short distances separating many capitals. Passengers can face as many as 66 separate charges on a single ticket, while airlines contend with more than 100 different fees across various jurisdictions. Taxes, fees, and charges on an international departure in West Africa average 92 US dollars, compared with 66 dollars across Africa as a whole and roughly 32 dollars in Europe and the Middle East. This cost burden has suppressed travel demand, limited airline growth, and undermined ECOWAS's core mandate of free movement of people, goods and services.

Côte d'Ivoire's leadership has set a clear benchmark. Abidjan began easing its aviation tax load several years ago by removing the Treasury tax and the national solidarity contribution on airline tickets, before reducing the international tourism tax. Earlier this year, the Ivorian Government approved additional measures cutting passenger service and aviation security charges on intra-ECOWAS flights by 25 per cent, aligning fully with the regional framework. The Summit urged other Member States to expedite legislative reforms, engage airport authorities, and complete the necessary policy adjustments to ensure uniform implementation across the region.

For Africa's tourism industry, the implications extend far beyond cheaper tickets. Affordable air connectivity has long been one of the continent's most stubborn tourism obstacles, discouraging multi-country itineraries, weekend city breaks, and the fast-growing MICE segment — Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. As more African destinations invest in convention centres, hotels, and tourism infrastructure, improved regional air connectivity becomes essential to unlocking visitor growth. Cheaper fares could stimulate leisure travel, corporate movement, and cross-border trade in equal measure.

ECOWAS is also going beyond taxation. Leaders welcomed the establishment of the ECOWAS Regional Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee to monitor implementation and support Member States. The Authority further called on the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, the African Development Bank, Afreximbank and other partners to mobilise funding for airport infrastructure and aviation services in countries embracing the reforms. Complementary initiatives such as regional aircraft leasing, joint maintenance facilities and harmonised safety standards are also being promoted.

The message emerging from Lungi is unambiguous: making air travel more affordable is not merely aviation policy — it is an economic development strategy. If West Africa's leaders can translate this political will into consistent legislative action, the skies over the region could become dramatically more open, competitive, and accessible in the coming years, reshaping how tourism, trade, and integration unfold across the sub-region.