The International Air Transport Association (Iata), the representative body for the global airline industry, reported at a media briefing on May 21 that, on May 12, airline flight departures in Africa were 94% lower than they had been on January 1. The entire African airline sector had effectively been grounded. African airlines had lost revenues totalling $6-billion and the continent’s aviation and related sectors had suffered 3.1-million job losses. The consequent loss in African gross domestic product came to $28-billion. These developments were all the consequence of attempts by governments to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.