Page 23 - World Airnews Magazine April 2021

AIRLINES AFRICA

A BIGGER BOEING FOR AFRICA AFRICA’S POST-PANDEMIC

WINNERS
atar Airways has demonstrated
Qits commitment in Africa. In
response to strong demand, the airline has

operated its largest twin-engine aircraft,
the Boeing 777 to Entebbe and Kigali for

the first time.

“This aircraft will be operating on Monday,

Wednesday, and Friday. Its official flights thiopian Airlines and South Africa’s

started Monday this week due to an increase EAirlink are well positi oned to
in the number of passengers from 200 emerge as African industry winners from
passengers on average over 400 passengers the Covid-19 pandemic, analysts said.
per day,” the Qatar Airways vice president The outlook for South African Airways

Africa, Hendrik Du Preez, said recently. (SAA) and Air Mauritius, meanwhile,
He said that by June this year, they will be is bleak.

operating four times a week. No African airline will emerge from the
“Frequency will increase in June and we pandemic unscathed, said Indigo Ellis,

shall be operating on Tuesday, Thursday, associate director at Africa Matters in

Saturday, and Sunday. The state-of-the-art London. Passenger numbers are less than
aircraft (B777) features 24 seats in Business half their pre-2020 levels, and industry

Class and 388 in Economy class compared losses to January 2021 are estimated at
to the dream liner Boeing B787 which more than (US) $10.5bn.

carries 22 business class and 232 economy He said that while international increased to two flights per airline per day This, Ellis noted, is despite a return

class,” Hendrik said. passenger traffic in and out of Entebbe effective January 2021, but with room for to relative normalcy in some domestic

“We are proud to be the leading International Airport was 1,980,000 more flights per day for airlines willing and markets over the past three months.

international carrier connecting Rwanda passengers in 2019, the numbers reduced having the traffic. Travel restrictions to the UK and the

and Uganda with Asia, Europe, the US, to 565,541 in 2020 owing to the long On the side of cargo, Luggya said traffic US for most arrivals from Southern
and the Middle East. From 33 routes at spell during which commercial passenger increased from 42,000 metric tonnes of Africa mean the picture is “bleak” for

the height of the pandemic, we have operations were suspended as a result of cargo handled at Entebbe International many carriers, with limited prospects for SURVIVAL BY DEFAULT of state-owned Air Namibia. The airline

rebuilt our global network to more the COVID-19 pandemic. Airport in 2019 to 58,000 metric tonnes of government bailouts, said Ellis. One point in favour of African airlines is received an estimated N$11bn ($740m) in

than 900 weekly flights to over 130 Since the resumption of flights in October cargo in 2020. Neither SAA nor Air Mauritius have the distances to be covered and the lack of bailouts over two decades.

destinations, supporting the Rwandan 2020, the numbers are increasing slowly. Qatar Airways has become the first enough cash to stay afloat. Ellis said, usable infrastructure for alternatives such The loss of direct air routes to

and Ugandan Diaspora with more flexible An average of 1,863 passengers per day global airline in the world to achieve the “Governments are simply not able to as train and car, said Andrea Baroni, an destinations in Africa and Europe will

and seamless travel options to visit family was recorded in January 2021 with 24,095 prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety offer the kind of liquidity that the aviation aviation consultant in Switzerland. probably be taken up by other operators,

and relatives.” arrivals, 29,409 departures, and 4,279 in Rating by the international air transport sector requires.” People needing to travel long distances including Airlink and Lufthansa, according

Vianney Luggya, the manager public transit. Before the outbreak of the COVID19 rating organization, Skytrax. It is unlikely that some of the smaller pan- within Africa have to go by air or water. to analysts at NKC African Economics.

affairs Uganda Civil Aviation Authority pandemic, Entebbe International Airport Qatar Airways operates three-weekly continental carriers like Kenya Airways or “This fact will probably save many of the Ellis said the most far-reaching impact

(UCAA) said, "The fact that Qatar Air handled an average of 5,400 passengers flights from Entebbe and Kigali and RwandAir will resume the volume of flights small airlines from extinction”, said Baroni. of Covid-19 on the industry has yet to

has started operating a bigger aircraft of per day in 2019. 90 weekly flights in total from Africa. to Europe they had before, she said. Baroni said flag carriers are expected to become apparent.

that capacity to Entebbe is a welcome In the first phase of resumption of Passengers traveling from African connect survive, especially in Francophone African “A shift in mindset away from airlines as

development and a vote of confidence. operations (October to December), an seamlessly with the widest network in the WHO WILL BE STRONGEST? countries that still have a good relationship public utilities will be required,” she said.

Emirates is the other airline that operates a average of one flight per airline per day US, Asia, and Europe via the Best Airport in Airlines with diverse revenue streams are in with Paris. Letting airlines fail would “Governments must be willing to liberalise

Boeing 777 to Entebbe.” was permitted. The number has since been the Middle East. Q a stronger position: open another door to increased Chinese their traditionally protectionist aviation

Ethiopian Airways is strengthened influence, said Baroni. markets and lower the barriers to entry for
by the fact that it capitalised on cargo The availability of spare parts will be private and foreign ownership.”

NEWS opportunities early on, said Marcel critical to resuming a reliable service, Given the likely resistance to such a shift,

Langeslag, director of African aviation said Baroni. it is far from clear if African governments
at Netherlands Airport Consultants in Some African airlines suffer from are ready to make the leap, said Ellis.

Langeslag agreed that consolidation on a

ANGRY CAT ATTACKS PILOT Johannesburg. frequent groundings due to lack of spares, regional or continental level is not likely

and Baroni said cases of violations of

Ethiopian has also been able to keep a
soon as the political challenges are “simply

relatively high number of international

aircraft manufacturers are known in

connections running through its hub in minimum requirements stipulated by too large. Many African governments show

A Tarco Airlines Boeing 737 was As noted by the UK's Metro, local Addis Ababa, he said. the industry. protectionist tendencies and continue

already 30 minutes into its flight from reports characterised the cat as Ethiopian may be content with its new Meanwhile Ellis said that effective to support market-distorting national

cat apparently went on a Khartoum, Sudan, to Qatar's capital city "aggressive and angry." partnership with smaller South African communication and collaboration on carriers.”

Arampage in the cockpit of a of Doha when the cat suddenly emerged The furry stowaway was said to be a player CemAir rather than riding to the the harmonisation of health and safety BOTTOM LINE

plane that was headed to Qatar recent- in the cockpit, according to the report. feral feline and, according to Al-Sundai, rescue of SAA, but it is still in the running measures will be “crucial to the sector’s Analysts argue that now is the ideal

ly. The feline was so disruptive that the Alarmed by its unfamiliar surroundings airline workers believe the cat likely for a takeover of Air Mauritius, Ellis said. long-term recovery”. moment for African governments to make
pilot actually decided to turn the plane and people, the cat instantly went on the boarded the plane while it was parked in In South Africa, Langeslag said that Airlink WARNING FROM NAMIBIA a virtue out of necessity and liberalise their

around and abandon the flight's sched- offensive, attacking the pilot and resisting the hangar overnight for cleaning. will perform well on the basis of its code- aviation markets. Q

uled route, according to a report in a attempts to catch it. The whole scene led It's also possible that the cat could've sharing agreements. The political dangers of letting airlines go
the pilot to head back to Khartoum to
to the wall have been demonstrated in

In January, Lufthansa and Swiss
Sudanese newspaper Al-Sundai. safely remove the feline passenger. crept aboard the aircraft during the pre- International Air Lines partnered with Namibia, where protesters in February Article courtesy:

flight engineer check. Q

Airlink on domestic South African routes. took to the streets after the liquidation https://www.theafricareport.com/
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