West African leaders have delivered what is being hailed as the biggest single boost to regional air connectivity in decades, voting to abolish multiple air transport taxes entirely and slash passenger service and security charges by 25 percent across all 15 ECOWAS member states from 1 January 2026.
The breakthrough came at the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Summit in Abuja, where presidents and prime ministers signed a binding Supplementary Act that directly attacks the region’s notorious reputation for having some of the world’s most expensive intra-African airfares.
Under the new rules, a long list of national taxes and levies imposed on air tickets will be eliminated completely, while remaining passenger service charges and security fees often among the largest add-ons on a ticket will be reduced by a quarter.
The measures are designed to end the paradox that has made it cheaper for many West Africans to fly to Europe than to a neighbouring country, a situation blamed on overlapping taxes, high fuel surcharges and fragmented regulations.
ECOWAS leaders say the reforms will lower ticket prices, unlock tourism and business travel, strengthen local carriers, boost intra-regional trade and finally deliver on the bloc’s decades-old promise of free movement of people and goods.
To prevent backsliding, the ECOWAS Commission will monitor compliance through a new Regional Air Transport Economic Oversight Mechanism with powers to enforce the changes.
Aviation industry leaders and travellers have reacted with jubilation, calling the decision a potential game-changer for West Africa’s long-neglected air transport market.
Airlines and civil aviation authorities now have one year to update pricing systems and national regulations before the cuts become mandatory on 1 January 2026.
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