By: Saidu Jalloh
The Director General of Sierra Leone Civil’s Aviation, Madam Musayeroh Barrie has on the government weekly press conference at Foreign Affairs Conference Room addressed stakeholders and the press on the issue of soaring flight cost in Sierra Leone.
Madam Musayeroh Barrie expressed that the issue of flight costs is not something that can be fixed quickly due to multiple underlying problems. She also narrated that she had been at the lungi International Airport for over a decade and has a wealth of experience in Civil Aviation.
She proudly stated that SLCAA’s current safety rating stand at 72% and its security rating at 71%, surpassing the standards set by neighboring states in the region. Madam Musayeroh Barrie also explained that late ticket booking is a significant contributor to high flight costs, as many passengers book their tickets just days before their travel dates.
She noted that this follows a universal mechanism governing airlines. In her capacity as the head of SLCAA, she highlighted that limited competition, resulting from the presence of inadequate airlines in the country, has significantly driven up flight costs.
“Currently only three European airlines operate in Sierra Leone out of a total of eight,” she added.
She also pointed out that passenger volumes in Sierra Leone lag behind other West African countries, further contributing to high flight costs. Madam Barrie revealed the fluctuating passenger’s number from August 2022 to August 2023, she said Brussels Airlines saw a marginal reduction of 32 passengers, going from 2,387 to 2,355 people.
Madam Barrie illustrated the impact of these factors by using Brussels Airlines as a case study, where an airline ticket from Sierra Leone to England costs $1,871 with the government receiving only $139 in taxes. She emphasized that both internal and external taxes paid by airlines contribute to the inflation of flight costs.
In conclusion, she addressed that SLCAA is tasked with addressing these complex factors, which require long term solutions to alleviate the burden of high flight costs on passengers.
