The Transport Convention Africa 2026 is one of the most significant gatherings for aviation on the continent in recent memory. Taking place in Lomé, Togo from June 15 to 19, 2026, the First African Air Transport Convention and Exhibition is set to push forward real reforms that will affect how Africans fly, how much they pay, and where they can go.
The event is organised by the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and backed by the African Union Commission, under the patronage of the Togolese government. Its theme; “Single African Sky: Connectivity and Sustainable Development of Air Transport” points directly to what is being discussed: merging Africa’s fragmented aviation systems into one open, competitive market.
What Is the Single African Air Transport Market?
The Single African Air Transport Market, known as SAATM, was introduced in 2018 as part of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The goal is to remove the market access restrictions that have kept air travel within Africa expensive and inconvenient for decades.
Under the old system, airlines had to negotiate separate bilateral agreements with each country they wanted to fly through. That created a situation where passengers from Dakar heading to Johannesburg, for instance, had to route through unnecessary stops, adding four to six hours to a journey that could be direct.
SAATM is built on the Yamoussoukro Decision, a long-standing African policy agreement that was never fully implemented. The Lomé convention is designed to accelerate that implementation.
What will the Convention Actually Cover?
The five-day event is structured around specific sessions targeting real problems in African aviation:
- Continental Policy Forum — where regulators and ministers discuss how to align laws across participating countries
- Route Development Marketplace — focused on identifying new connections between African cities
- Cargo and Logistics Corridor Lab — improving freight movement across the continent
- Infrastructure, ATM and Finance Hall — addressing airports, air traffic systems, and funding gaps
- Innovation, Security and Sustainability Expo — covering new technology and environmental standards
- There will also be business networking sessions and bilateral meetings for airlines, governments, and investors to form partnerships.
What This Means for Flight Prices
The data from early implementation is already showing results. Average roundtrip fares across African routes dropped 18–22% in the first quarter of 2026 as competitive pressure increased. On the Addis Ababa to Cape Town corridor, for example, prices that previously sat between $580 and $720 dropped to the $385–$450 range after new carriers entered the market.
Budget operators can now deploy aircraft across multiple countries without the bottleneck of individual bilateral negotiations. That freedom is translating directly into lower fares.
ECOWAS also endorsed a separate strategy to reduce regional air transport charges by around 25% from January 1, 2026, giving the reforms additional support at the West African level.
Before these reforms, getting authorisation for a new route between two African countries could take 14 to 18 months. That timeline has been cut to 6 to 8 weeks under the new AFCAC-coordinated framework.
The number of authorised interstate route pairs has grown from 312 bilateral agreements to a potential 1,847 routes by September 2026. Fourteen new carriers launched pan-African operations in the first two quarters of 2026 alone compared to the usual two or three that would enter the market in a full year.
Airlines filing for new routes include Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Air Peace, and Fastjet. Airports in cities like Harare, Lilongwe, and Brazzaville have received certified status to handle more international traffic under the streamlined process.
A common concern whenever aviation is deregulated is that safety takes a back seat to cost-cutting. The structure being implemented here goes the opposite direction.
Previously, 54 countries maintained separate safety certification systems. Carriers operating across multiple African nations had to maintain individual compliance teams for each. Under the unified AFCAC framework, one set of standards applies across all participating states — making oversight more consistent, not less.
What the Tourism and Business Travel Stand to Gain
The convention’s aviation reforms are already showing up in tourism numbers. Advance bookings across Africa are up 40% as multi-country itineraries become simpler and cheaper to put together.
A business traveller connecting Lagos to Nairobi to Dar es Salaam can now do so on a single booking, with baggage checked through — rather than buying three separate tickets and handling luggage at each connection point.
Regional passenger traffic is projected to grow by 34% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the 4.2% annual average that characterised the years before the reforms.
Togo was not chosen as a venue by accident. Lomé is already a functioning aviation node in West Africa. Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport has undergone upgrades including additional parking for wide-body aircraft. The government’s target is to grow the airport’s throughput from under one million passengers annually to around 1.5 million by the end of 2026.
Asky Airlines, the regional carrier headquartered in Lomé, is expanding its network with plans to add wide-body aircraft and explore longer-haul routes into Europe. A new pilot training simulator centre based in Lomé has been announced, with operations expected to begin by mid-2026.
These moves position Lomé as a secondary hub feeding passengers into major intercontinental gateways while also connecting smaller and underserved West and Central African cities.
The African Union has committed to a roughly $30 billion aviation modernisation plan covering airport upgrades, air traffic management systems, and digital infrastructure, all of it designed to support SAATM’s long-term success.
International seat capacity into Africa is up nearly 20% year on year in 2026. That growth, combined with the policy reforms being finalised in Lomé, puts the continent at an inflection point.
The Lomé convention is not a final destination. Implementation will be uneven across 54 countries, and some benefits will take months or years to fully materialise. But the direction is clear — African skies are opening, fares are falling, and the infrastructure to support real continental connectivity is being built.
What Travellers Should Do Now
- Check airline websites directly for new routes before using booking aggregators, as some new connections update slowly in global systems.
- Monitor fare changes on your usual routes through platforms like Google Flights and Skyscanner.
- Verify how often new thin routes actually fly, some may start at three times a week rather than daily.
- Confirm visa requirements before booking, especially on newly opened corridors.
- Check ground transport options at secondary cities now receiving international flights, airport infrastructure sometimes lags behind runway development.
- Buy travel insurance that covers airline disruptions, as new route networks are still stabilising their operations.
