By Aksah Italo

Flying within Africa can be surprisingly costly. A direct ticket from Dakar, Senegal, to Nairobi, Kenya can cost between US 1,100 and US 1,300. By contrast, taking the same journey via a European hub like Paris—essentially leaving the continent and coming back—can cost slightly less, around US 1,030 to US 1,050, according to a recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) case study. In other words, it can be cheaper to go outside Africa and return than to fly directly within it.