Starving Africans add to airline woes

The airline industry risks another year of financial uncertainty thanks to the undermining efforts of starving Africans, a new report by the World Trade Organisation has revealed.

By managing to survive despite having almost no nutrition, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are causing governments to have to review their spending plans, the report states.

It points in particular to the recent decision by Swaziland's parliament to block the purchase of a $50 million 19-seater Bombardier Global Express long-range jet for the country's monarch, King Mswati III.

"Despite the King having complete power of veto over the decision, he has been forced to halt the purchase thanks to an estimated 140,000 starving citizens," the report states. "This situation cannot be allowed to continue or act as a precedent across Africa so we suggest the creation of a food embargo on Swaziland until such a time as all the poor people are dead."

The WTO is right to be worried. There is a chronic shortage of food across the African continent, and more countries' dictators face having to curb their spending. History points to airplanes as the first luxury to be cut in such situations.

And with wars now the most popular cause for pop stars and comedians, African rulers can no longer rely upon aid agencies to sort the problem out.

"This could be catatrosphic for my business," said the head of one airline manufacturer. "I've already revised down my estimates this year by six per cent. If I go any lower, I'm at risk of going out of business." He agrees with the WTO's decision. "I don't know who's letting this food through but it has to be stopped."

It's not all bad news however. The WTO estimates that by 2009, nearly a third of poor people on the continent will have succumbed to AIDS-related disease. "As long as we maintain the high cost of HIV drugs and there is no wind-change in the rulers' approach to the AIDS epidemic, we can look forward to increased trade within seven years," the report says.