IATA Urges Ethiopian Government to Maintain Support for Aviation
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the government of Ethiopia to continue its focus on maintaining efficient air connectivity amid the COVID-19 crisis. This will place Ethiopia in a strong position to weather the crisis and speed up the eventual industry and economic recovery.
“We congratulate Ethiopia for the positive steps it has taken to promote travel and air service connectivity throughout the pandemic. This includes accepting vaccinated travellers without restrictions, managing the cost of PCR testing to ensure it is affordable and implementing a testing regime which accepts both PCR and rapid antigen tests. These measures should put Ethiopia on a faster track to recovery, not just for air transport but across the economy,” said Kamil Alawadhi, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.
Ethiopia is performing above the African continent’s average demand for air transport services and has made progress in the recovery.
Passenger traffic to, from and within Ethiopia in June 2021 was 30% less than in June 2019, a significant improvement on the 47% drop for January 2021 compared to January 2019.
Ethiopia’s June performance was well ahead of the -66.6% (compared to 2019) recorded for the African continent.
Passenger demand is expected to recover to pre-COVID levels by 2023.
Key priorities to support and sustain a recovery include:
Digitalization of health certificates: As passenger numbers increase in the recovery, digitally managing travel health credentials will be essential to avoid queuing and crowding airports. The African Union’s Trusted Travel Pass and the IATA Travel Pass are both tools that can help governments efficiently and conveniently verify traveller health credentials.Releasing Blocked Funds: Approximately $59 million (as of August) in airline funds are being blocked from repatriation in Ethiopia. Resolving this quickly is critical for airlines to continue providing connectivity needed to sustain jobs and energize economies as they recover from COVID-19.Implementing the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM): The SAATM was the solution to unlocking travel within the African continent pre-pandemic. Post-pandemic it will provide an even more important economic boost to the continent. Full implementation of SAATM across the continent would generate significant economic benefits for Ethiopia, namely creating 21,000 new jobs and adding $81.8 million to the GDP. Read more
Airlines’ Entry into Entebbe Bound to Spur Growth of Hub
Entebbe is stirring from slumber as two new carriers, SA Airlink and Air Arabia, launch routes here at a time national flag carrier, Uganda Airlines, is scheduled to commence flights to Dubai October 4.
Aviation officials are upbeat on this development and say, rather than feel that they are being crowded out by foreign careers, they see this as a revival of the aviation sector, which had a 71.5 percent tumble in 2020.
Vianney Luggya, the manager for public affairs at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority says the experience had shown that new airlines tend to grow their own traffic.
“That is what we saw when Air Uganda entered the market in 2007. Within five years, they had grown into the biggest operator out of Entebbe by frequency and had added half a million passengers a year to our tallies and yet everyone else was growing at the same time,” Mr Luggya said.
Revised model
There is hope that a surge in the number of routes out of Entebbe, driven by the entry of new operators, will push the country’s aviation sector out of the doldrums. Passenger numbers dropped from 1.98 million arrivals in 2019 to just 565,541 in 2020. Cargo defied the pandemic rising from 42,000 metric tonnes in 2019 to 58,898 tonnes last year.
“We have a different model from existing operators and our studies of this market over the past five years, show that there is still plenty of room for growth in traffic,” says Abdisalam Ibrahim, Air Arabia’s General Sales Agent for eastern Africa.
The airline hopes that connecting Uganda to its five hubs in the Middle East and North Africa, will stimulate new travel by offering onward lift beyond Sharjah. Read more
FAAN Shuts Kebbi Airport Over N33m Debts
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has concluded plans to close the Kebbi State-owned airport over its indebtedness.
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) by issuing Notice To AirMen (Notam) to airlines from flying into the airport as from midnight yesterday when FAAN is expected to withdraw its services at the airport.
According to a source close to FAAN, from 12 midnight yesterday, FAAN would withdraw all its fire service and security personnel from the airport.
The source further disclosed that the Kebbi state government owes FAAN over N33m and has refused to pay since January this year despite a series of letters to the state.
“We are closing the Kebbi airport by 12 midnight Monday, they are indebted to us and we have written so many letters to the governor and there was no response and NAMA has already issued a NOTAM on Friday to inform all airlines flying into the airport to keep off,” the source said.
This is not the first time FAAN would take such action. In 2019, FAAN closed the Gombe and Kebbi airports as a result of over N700 million debts.
FAAN had issued a notice to both private and state-owned airports in Nigeria to settle their debts on or before April 24. The agency had said its services would be withdrawn if they failed to clear their debts.
“The authority shall be constrained to commence the implementation of sanctions at the expiration of this notice if the organisations fail or refuse to pay up as advised,” FAAN had said.
“In view of the above, the authority hereby notifies private airport operators that the services of our Aviation Security and Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel will no longer be available for the operations of their airports with effect from May 1, 2021.
“This action has become imperative as the management of Gombe Airport is indebted to the authority to the tune of N607. 9m, while Kebbi and Bebi airports are indebted to the tune of N124.5m million and N76.8m respectively.”
In 2020, the Federal Government had taken over the management of Osubi airport in Delta over alleged debts and mismanagement.
The Federal Government in July re-opened commercial flights at the airport.
The federal government shut down commercial operations at the airport in February 2020, following the inability of the former operator of the facility, Shorelines Oil Services Limited, to run it optimally.
The Airport is now being managed by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.
Zimbabwe: SAA Return a Boost for Tourism
South African Airways (SAA) yesterday resumed its Harare to Johannesburg flights, a move expected to boost the local tourism industry after a year of inactivity and almost 18 months without a commercial flight.
The carrier last week resumed other regional routes to Lusaka and Maputo and will today relaunch flights to Accra and Kinshasa.
SAA has not flown any commercial flights since March 2020 and stopped all cargo and repatriation flights in September last year.
Many airlines across the region are coming up with different strategies to tackle the travel slump triggered by the moves to fight Covid-19, which has led to government bailouts, collapses and huge job cuts.
Speaking during the relaunch of its Zimbabwe route at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mrs Thizwilondi Mabudafhasi said the resumption of the fights between Harare and Johannesburg was a clear illustration of the close cooperation between the two countries that will boost economic activity through tourism.
“It is with pleasure to be here today marking this milestone. We accept that Covid-19 has had tremendous effects to every economic activity. We are optimistic about the reopening of the tourism industry and we start recovering from the effects,” she said.
“The relationship between Zimbabwe and South Africa is one of the top priorities. I look up to strengthening our economic ties and this relaunch is a testimony to our cooperation.
“I believe South African Airways can fulfil an important role in our economies and creating the much needed employment and supporting our objectives. We have been patiently waiting for the resumption of flights and I encourage you to support their return.”
Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Mike Madiro said Government will continue supporting the aviation industry as it is a key driver to national development.
“Allow me to express my gratitude to those who worked hard to make this relaunch a success.
“This will provide an opportunity to work with colleagues from their aviation and tourism industry.
“My ministry will continue to support aviation industry as it is an essential service component which drives economic, social and cultural development in facilitating tourism and trade,” he said.
He said aviation contributed to the gross domestic product and creates employment therefore contributing to the National Development Strategy 1. Read more
Source: The NationOnline; The Herald, The East African Online, Air101