African airlines reject cost‑shifting for passenger data systems, insist governments must pay

African airlines and their industry representatives have firmly rejected proposals that would make airlines and passengers pay for government‑run Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record systems, arguing that border security is a core state responsibility and should be funded from public coffers.

In a joint statement, the African Airlines Association, the Airlines Association of Southern Africa, and the International Air Transport Association said they fully support the deployment of API and PNR systems across the continent, but they oppose any attempt to recover costs through new charges on carriers or travellers. The three organisations cited the International Civil Aviation Organization’s policies on charges, which they said explicitly recognise border security as a government function. “The costs associated with border‑security measures, including API and PNR programmes, should be borne by governments,” they stated.

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 ultimately push up ticket prices, weaken connectivity, and undermine the broader economic benefits that aviation brings through tourism, trade, and investment.

The associations also cautioned against poorly coordinated implementation. If African countries introduce incompatible or inconsistently applied systems, they argued, security gains could be diluted while costs and operational complexity multiply for airlines and passengers alike.

The industry laid out four guiding principles for any API/PNR rollout. First, governments must establish clear laws governing data collection, processing, and transfer, aligned with ICAO standards and relevant bilateral or regional agreements. Second, authorities should collect only the information genuinely needed for the stated security purpose, avoiding overreach. Third, passenger data must be used strictly for border control, national security, law enforcement, and serious crime prevention, with safeguards against discrimination and indefinite retention. Fourth, data formats, storage, and transmission should follow harmonised global standards, with strong protections for personal information.

The aviation bodies stressed that they are not opposed to API and PNR systems, they support them. But they insist that implementation must be done correctly, with clear legal frameworks, proper oversight, and without placing an additional financial burden on an industry already grappling with high operating costs.

They called on governments to work collaboratively with the industry to design systems that strengthen security without making travel more expensive or cumbersome. “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,” the statement concluded.