Airlines warn African governments: don’t make passengers pay for border security data systems
African airlines and their global industry bodies are drawing a firm line: governments that want to use passenger data for border security must fund those systems themselves, not pass the cost on to airlines or travellers.
In a joint statement issued by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the groups declared their full support for Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record systems. But they said they would oppose any attempt to impose new charges on carriers or passengers to finance them.
The three organisations pointed to existing ICAO policies, which they said place the responsibility for border security squarely on states. “The costs associated with border‑security measures, including API and PNR programmes, should be borne by governments,” they insisted.
The statement, signed by AFRAA Secretary‑General Abdérahmane Berthé, AASA CEO Aaron Munetsi, and IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East Kamil Alawadhi, warned that shifting the financial burden onto airlines would inevitably push up fares, reduce connectivity, and undermine the economic growth that aviation fuels through tourism, trade, and investment.
They also raised concerns about fragmented implementation. If African countries go their own way with incompatible systems, they argued, the security benefits could be undermined while costs and complexity spiral for both carriers and passengers.
The industry laid out a set of core principles that they said should underpin any API/PNR rollout: governments must establish clear legal frameworks for data collection and transfer, aligned with international standards; data collection should be limited to what is strictly necessary; passenger information must be used only for legitimate security and law‑enforcement purposes, with safeguards against discrimination and indefinite retention; and data handling should follow globally harmonised formats with robust protections for personal information.
The aviation bodies emphasised that they are not opposed to passenger data systems – in fact, they support them. But they insist that implementation must be done properly, with clear oversight and without placing an extra financial burden on an industry already struggling with high operating costs.
They called on governments to work hand‑in‑hand with the industry to design systems that strengthen security without making travel more expensive or cumbersome. The statement concluded: “A consistent approach, with governments and industry working together, improves security outcomes, makes travel more seamless, safeguards personal data, and avoids unnecessary costs and complexity.”