Page 68 - World Airnews Magazine August 2020

AFRICAN

RELIEF IS CRITICAL FOR SURVIVAL

Unblock the bottlenecks so that urgent financial relief HARMONISING RE-START MEASURES
pledged for air transport and tourism can reach the businesses it is Resuming aviation safely in Africa is essential to get the continent’s
meant to help , the International Air Transport Association (IATA) economies up and running. With African governments tentatively
is urging. planning and considering the resumption of regional and inter-
Do this and at the same time open borders and start imple- continental scheduled passenger flights, IATA is advocating for a
menting the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Take-Off harmonised adoption of the ICAO Take-Off guidance which outlines
guidance to ensure a safe restart to aviation. recommended bio-safety measures.
Addressing the media in the latest webinar Muhammad Albakri, It includes adequate physical distancing, wearing face masks or
IATA regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East painted coverings, enhanced sanitation and disinfection, health screening,
a gloomy picture of the current situation with African airlines set to contact tracing and the use of passenger health declaration forms.
lose $42 each time they carry a passenger this year. It also calls for testing, where rapid and reliable testing is available.
Albakri said the organisation is estimating that the recovery “To instil public confidence and avoid repeating the mistakes
period for Africa and the Middle East is going to be a lot slower made after 9/11 - which created disjointed airport security
than anticipated and that it could take until 2023 before the same measures - governments and local authorities must adopt ICAO’s
levels of revenue and passenger numbers achieved in 2019 are bio-safety measures in a harmonised fashion and implement them
equalled. consistently and diligently. This will also ensure that air travel
“This is not normal times. We are in a crisis. The industry is is able to support the revival of economies without becoming a
dying. It’s like a patient that is in ICU and needs speedy assistance vector for spreading COVID-19,” said Albakri.
and intervention otherwise they could pass away. We need So far, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and
governments to urgently unblock the bureaucracy, simplify the Tanzania have allowed or announced the imminent resumption of
application process, open up the credit lines and just make it scheduled international passenger flights. Combined, they account
happen,” he said. for 19% of passenger traffic on the continent.
As a consequence of the pandemic and associated restrictions,
African airlines are forecast to lose (US) $2 billion in 2020. Without
urgent financial relief, the industry is at risk of collapse, putting VALUE OF AVIATION IN AFRICA
about 3.3 million jobs and (US) $ 33 billion in African GPD in
jeopardy. Air Transport is at the core of the travel and tourism value chain.
Combined the sectors support the livelihood of 24.6 million
To date, the governments of Sub-Saharan Africa Rwanda, people across the continent, contribute (US) $169 billion to Africa’s
Senegal, Côte D’Ivoire and Burkina Faso have pledged a total of economy and represent 7.1% of the continent’s GDP.
(US) $311 million in direct financial support to air transport. A fur- Air transport has helped make globalisation possible. This has
ther (US) D $30 billion has been promised by some governments, contributed to successfully lifting more than one billion people
international finance bodies and other institutions including the from poverty since 1990, and aviation continues to facilitate this
African Development Bank, African Export Import Bank, African by contributing to 15 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for air transport
and tourism. “Containing the pandemic is the top priority. But without a life-
But much of this relief has not reached those airlines in need. line of funding to keep the sector alive, and a roadmap to restart
“Far too little of it has reached its intended recipients. aviation safely as soon as possible, the economic devastation of
Governments and lenders need to urgently unhook the bottlenecks COVID-19 could take Africa’s development back a decade or more.
so that the money can flow quickly, otherwise it will be too late to “Aviation supports livelihoods, trade, education, good health
prevent closures and job losses. There will be no point re-opening and wellbeing, quality education, reduces hunger and poverty and
the borders and skies if there is no industry left to speak of that ensures access to essential medical supplies and humanitarian aid,
is capable of supporting trade and tourism, which are the key as proven throughout this crisis. Without an air transport industry,
components of any thriving economy,” said Albakri. the people of Africa are at risk of not being able to realise their
dreams and aspirations,” said Albakri. Q
World Airnews | August Extra 2020
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