Towards a Theoretical Framework for the Allocation of Resources to African Air Transport

Abstract

Tourism is essential to Africa’s economic growth, yet it is constrained by the limitations of the airline industry. The African airline industry faces challenges which inhibit its ability to provide the level of air transport connectivity demanded to fully realise the potential of tourism, into and within, Africa. This study proposes a synoptic model which will enable the impact of the African airline industry’s challenges to be assessed in terms of their effect on the tourism industry. This then lays the groundwork for a remediation strategy. In this qualitative study, data was collected through C-Suite face-to-face interviews with purposively selected senior managers in the airline industry. The study revealed the key challenges facing the African airline industry and proposed a conceptual model to enable informed decisions for improving airline connectivity. The major contribution of the study is the development of a proposed African Air connectivity Model which quantifies a connectivity measure as a proxy for distance in the gravity model of trade.