Abstract:
In Africa, the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) to date remains the single most important air transport reform
policy, the continent-wide implementation of which remains pending. This study employs the Air
Liberalisation Index (ALI), developed by the Word Trade Organisation (WTO) Secretariat, to measure the
impact of each of the seven quantifiable market access features of South Africa's aviation policy in Africa
on air passenger traffic flows. A fixed one-way panel regression technique was applied to panel data,
representing five air transport markets: intra-African, the SADC, East African, West African and North
African over two time periods (2000e2010; 2006e2010). The results proved to be significant in three
markets, intra-African, the SADC and East African and provide new insights into the relationship between
air passenger traffic flows and aviation policy in the South African e intra-African and regional contexts.
