Page 14 - World Airnews Magazine December 2019 Edition

AFRAA AGA AFRAA AGA

AIM TO BOOST AIR FOUR PRIORITIES FOR

CONNECTIVITY IN AFRICA AFRICAN AVIATION

ation to achieve its true potential, a major

paradigm shift is required; not only among

he African Airlines Association key players, but also among all stake- he International Air Transport As-

T(AFRAA) in partnership with Air holders within the continent’s aviation Tsociati on (IATA) has asked author-

Mauritius kicked off AFRAA’s 51st Annual ecosystem. Improved collaboration among ities in Africa to focus on four priorities to

General Assembly with a call to support African airlines is probably the single most help economic and social growth within

African airlines achieve sustainable urgent target we must set for ourselves the continent.
because alone, no African airline will suc-
operations for improved air connectivity cessfully overcome the hurdles of scale and Speaking at the 51st AFRAA AGA, director

in Africa. the high cost base that are holding back general and CEO International Air Transport

This year’s Assembly was officially the African aviation industry.” Association Alexandre de Juniac said it was

opened by the President of the Republic Appavou also reiterated his wish for appropriate to meet in Mauritius as this is

of Mauritius and brought together more the creation of a first African Alliance. a country that relies on air transportation

than 400 delegates from across Deliberations over the course of the to connect it to the world. And it has built

60 countries. 51st AGA featured high level partners one of Africa's strongest economies with

Under the theme “Success in an such as the International Civil Aviation aviation as a central pillar.

integrated and interconnected Africa”, Organization, the International Air Trans- “Across the African continent, the

AFRAA secretary general Abderahmane port Association (IATA), the African civil promise and potential of aviation is rich.

Berthé said in an effort to boost the aviation commission and others. Panel Already it supports (US) $55.8 billion in

competitiveness of African airlines the discussion participants tackled matters economic activity and 6.2 million jobs. And,

association had created the AFRAA con- of interest of the African air transport as demand for air travel in Africa more than becoming IATA Standard Safety Assessment OPENING THE CONTINENT TO TRAVEL

sulting unit. market including the reconciling of the doubles over the next two decades, the (ISSA) certified as not all operators can AND TRADE

“This will serve as a knowledge and ex- Single African Air transport market with critical role that aviation plays in Africa's qualify for the IOSA registry, either because A further priority for governments is

pertise hub for the African air transport airline strategic plans, growth avenues economic and social development will grow of the aircraft type they operate or because liberalizing intra-Africa access to markets.

market. Furthermore, our vision, mission to be found in positive synergies and the in equal proportion,” he said. their business model does not allow “The high barriers that African states have

and strategic objectives have been next steps towards enhancing competi- While the environment is a big challenge conformity with IOSA standards. But ISSA erected between their neighbours are evident

revamped to ensure we can better meet tiveness to boost employment creation, for all the industry and may not be top of provides a valuable operational benchmark in trade levels. Less than 20% of African trade

the needs of African carriers so they can revenue generation and continued mind yet for aviation in Africa, it is key for for smaller carriers. is within the continent. That compares poorly

become key players and drivers of Afri- economic transformation. tourism markets in Europe,” he said. He said IATA is working closely with with Europe at 70% and Asia at 60%,” he said.

can economic development,” he said. AFRAA currently represents more than For Africa, he said the four critical pri- AFRAA to grow the ISSA registry among IATA is promoting three key agreements

He said the governance framework of 85% of the air transport market in Africa orities are safety, cost-competitiveness, airlines in this region and congratulated which, when combined, have the potential to

the Association has been redesigned to and has recently grown its fraternity with openness and gender diversity. SafariLink on becoming the first ISSA transform the continent. These are the African

enhance efficiency and effectiveness. five new members namely: Safarilink avia- registered carrier in the region earlier Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which

CEO Air Mauritius Somas Appavou said, tion, Air Djibouti, Air Senegal and Uganda SAFETY this year. came into force in July, the African Union (AU)
“Most agree that in order for African avi- National Airlines and Air Peace. Q “The loss of ET302 earlier this year was a COST COMPETITIVENESS Free Movement Protocol that would ease the

tragic reminder of the importance of that severe visa restrictions that African countries

priority. The accident weighs heavily on the He said African carriers lose (US) $1.54 for impose on African visitors and the lastly the
entire industry. And it created fissures in every passenger they carry, as the high cost Single African Air Transport Market—or SAATM.

the globally recognised system of aircraft of jet fuel has contributed to these losses. “My message to governments on this trium-

certification and validation. Rebuilding “User charges are excessive. They virate of agreements is simple—hurry-up! We

public confidence will be a challenge. A account for 11.4% of African airlines' know the contributions that connectivity will

harmonised approach by regulators to operating costs. That is double the industry make to the SDGs. Why wait any longer to give

returning the aircraft to service will make a average,” he said. airlines the freedom to do business and Afri-

major contribution to this effort. “And there is a plethora of taxes and cans the freedom to explore their continent?”

“We must never forget that global stan- charges, some unique like Redevance fees,

dards have helped to make aviation the safest Hydrant fees, Railage fees, Royalty Fees GENDER DIVERSITY
form of long-distance transport. And there is and even Solidarity taxes. Africa can be proud of its leadership in
a good example of that in the safety perfor- De Juniac asked government to imple- this area. Women are at the helm of four

mance of African airlines. The continent had ment three actions in relation to this: to African airlines—far better representation

no fatal jet accidents in 2016, 2017 and 2018. follow ICAO standards and recommended than we see anywhere else in the industry.
That is largely due to the co-ordinated efforts practices for taxes and charges, disclose He asked all airlines to sign-up to the

of all stakeholders with a focus on global hidden costs such as taxes and fees and IATA 25by2025 Campaign which will help us
standards, guided by the Abuja Declaration. benchmark them against global best prac- address gender imbalance globally.

There is still more work to do.” tice, and eliminate taxes or cross-subsidies 25by2025 is a voluntary programme for

He said more states needed to incor- on international jet fuel. airlines to commit to increasing female

porate the IATA Operational Safety Audit “This is an issue in 19 African states name- participation at senior levels to at least 25%

(IOSA) into their safety oversight systems. ly: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, or to improve it by 25% by the year 2025.
“This is already the case for Rwanda, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, “We are the business of freedom. And
Mozambique, Togo and Zimbabwe and it is a Gabon, Libya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, for Africa that is the freedom to develop
membership requirement for both IATA and Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Togo and Zimbabwe. through our critical role in enabling connec-

AFRAA. IOSA is a proven global standard that He said IATA had success in clearing the tivity and the UN Sustainable Development

delivers demonstrably better performance. backlog in Nigeria and significant progress Goals. We do that by facilitating (US) $100

He said smaller operators should consider had been made in Angola. billion of trade annually, “ said de Juniac. Q
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