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Airports Company acts on baggage pilfering case at Kotoka Airport
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ollowing a recent case of pilfering by a staff of one of the ground handling companies at the Kotoka International Airport, the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has moved to curb any such future incident. The GACL on Thursday, December 17 confirmed the incident and the action taken to curb that. “Our attention has been drawn to a video circulating on social media involving a staff of a ground handling company operating at KIA. He was arrested by Aviation Security of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) with several phones in his possession after handling an aircraft. GACL confirms that the incident occurred on Tuesday, December 15, 2020and the individual suspected to have been involved has been handed over to the Airport District Police for interrogation and appropriate action,” the airports operator said.
Tourism falls by more than 70% due to pandemic - UNWTO The latest tourism data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has revealed that destinations welcomed 900 million fewer international tourists between January and October when compared with the same period of 2019. PAGE 02
Airbus Awards Ethiopian for its Unique Agility and Resilience During the COVID–19 Crisis Ethiopian Airlines Group, the largest Aviation Group in Africa, is pleased to announce that Airbus, the largest aircraft manufacturer, has awarded Ethiopian Airlines for the unique agility and resilience that it displayed amid the COVID-19 global crisis.
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Tourism falls by more than 70% due to pandemic - UNWTO This translates into a loss of US$ 935 billion in export revenues from international tourism, more than 10 times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic crisis. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Since the start of this crisis, UNWTO has provided governments and businesses with trusted data showing the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global tourism. Even as the news of a vaccine boosts traveller confidence, there is still a long road to recovery. We thus need to step up our efforts to safely open borders while supporting tourism jobs and businesses. It is ever clearer that tourism is one of the most affected sectors by this unprecedented crisis.” Based on the current evidence, UNWTO expects international arrivals to decline by 70% to 75% for the whole of 2020. In this case, global tourism will have returned to levels of 30 years ago, with 1 billion fewer arrivals and a loss of some US$ 1.1 trillion in international tourism receipts. This massive drop in tourism due to the pandemic could result in an economic loss of US$ 2 trillion in world GDP. Travel restrictions continue to weigh on the recovery Asia and the Pacific, the first region to suffer the impact of the pandemic and the one with the highest level of travel restrictions to date, saw an 82% decrease in arrivals in the first ten months of 2020. The Middle East recorded a 73% decline, while Africa saw a 69% drop. International arrivals in both Europe and the Americas declined by 68%. Europe recorded smaller decreases of 72% and 76% in September and October compared to other world regions, following the slight though short-lived recovery in the summer peak months of July and August. The resurgence of the virus across the region has led to the reintroduction of some forms of travel restrictions. However, Europe is the region in which more destinations (91% as of 1 November 2020) have eased such restrictions, mainly among Schengen Member States. At the other end of the spectrum,
Asia and the Pacific continued to record declines of nearly 100% in September and October, reflecting the ongoing closure of borders in China and other major destinations in the region. The Americas has seen a gradual improvement since June with comparatively lower decreases in international arrivals through October. This reflects the reopening of many destinations in the region, including small island developing states in the Caribbean. Secretary-General Pololikashvili adds: “A coordinated approach to easing and lifting restrictions on travel whenever is it safe to do so l is essential. This will not only open destinations up to tourism again, but clear and consistent rules between countries will go a long way towards building back trust in international travel and boosting consumer confidence.” Demand remains weak overall despite a slight improvement in some markets Data on international tourism expenditure continues to reflect very weak demand for outbound travel. However, some large markets such as the United States, Germany and France have shown some signs of recovery in the recent months. Furthermore, demand for domestic tourism continues to grow in some markets, including both China and Russia.
Looking ahead, the announcement of a vaccine and the start of vaccination are expected to gradually increase consumer confidence. At the same time, a growing number of destinations are easing or lifting restrictions on travel. According to the latest research from UNWTO, the proportion of closed destinations has dropped from 82% in late April 2020
to 18% in early November (expressed in percentage of international arrivals). The extended scenarios for 20212024 presented by the United Nations specialized agency for tourism point to a rebound by the second half of 2021. Nonetheless, a return to 2019 levels in terms of international arrivals could take between two-and-a-half and four years.
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Airbus Awards Ethiopian for its Unique Agility and Resilience During the COVID–19 Crisis In connection with the award, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Group CEO remarked: “We at Ethiopian are immensely delighted that one of the top companies in the world, Airbus, has recognized the efforts of the management and employees of Ethiopian Airlines unique agility and resilience amid the COVID 19 global crisis. We were there when the world needed us most. I would like to express my gratitude to the over 17 Thousand hardworking Ethiopian employees and management team.” Mr. Hadi Akoum, Airbus Vice President Sales Africa and Levant Customer Affairs on his part said: “This is to express the admiration of Airbus executive management and Airbus whole employees for the unbelievable achievement of Ethiopian Airlines in this unprecedented epidemic. While other airlines were just trying to figure out what to do, Ethiopia Airlines was aggressively pressing ahead finding solution, creating solution converting their passenger aircraft to freighters. Ethiopian Airlines is the first one to
do it on Airbus A350 and continue to fly and create even new business. “This is something unique all over the world. Today, Ethiopian Airlines is able to maintain the operation of all fleet where others are at 10 percent of their capability, and many airlines have just simply gone bankrupt and people have lost their jobs. This has been done
because of the visionary leadership of Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam. “Ethiopian Airlines today is showing the example to the whole world in resilience and visionary thinking of the leadership. Thank you very much, it is a real admiration that we express at Airbus for your leadership and for Ethiopian Airlines Employees.”
Ethiopian Airlines is the first global airline that converted A350 passenger aircraft to cargo to transport the much needed medical supplies to combat the spread of COVID 19. The Airline is now operating 16 A350 aircraft in its network.
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Qatar Airways to surprise its passengers starting Dec. 19 Passengers departing to and from Qatar Airways’ destinations in the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and select destinations in Asia and Africa, will enjoy the airline’s festivities from 19 December 19-26. From the moment Business Class passengers arrive on board, they will be greeted with a seasonal welcome drink and a specially designed bespoke holiday menu card, featuring a range of flavoursome holiday dishes including smoked salmon tartare with pink pepper seared scallops, beetroot and ikura roe, beef wellington with turmeric mashed potato, grilled sweet potato, pumpkin, oyster mushroom and beef jus, and a spicy raspberry chocolate dome for dessert. Premium customers will also be presented with quiet reminders of this holiday season, including a festive napkin band wrapped around the cutlery pack and a rich hot chocolate with marshmallows. Passengers can stay entertained with the extensive collection of festive movies on the Oryx One Inflight Entertainment system and enjoy the airline’s turndown service when it is time for rest, complete with the added comfort of the signature limited edition ‘Seasons Greetings’ message pillow. The Economy cabin will be dressed with festive headrest covers and customers travelling in Economy
Class will also enjoy a delightful seasonal menu that includes turkey chasseur, turmeric mashed potato with parsley as a main course, and christmas pudding for dessert. Qatar Airways has also created festive touches throughout the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Hamad International Airport (HIA) for the very first time. Passengers can delight in the seasonal décor reflected in the flower arrangements, and holiday giftbox displays and feast on an assortment of holiday delicacies from the buffet or select from the special digital à la carte menu. For those passengers wanting to embrace the spirit of the season, a large communal table with stunning decorations including holiday inspired place mats, bread liners, napkin bands and table décor will bring people together to share a meal which amongst many choices can include waldorf salad, stuffed turkey roulade, beef wellingtion, yule log, gourmet hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows, signature mocktails and more. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “This year has been incredibly challenging due to the ongoing pandemic. That is why this year we are investing more efforts than ever before into our festive activities on board and at HIA, to bring the joy back to flying. In the coming weeks,
tens of thousands of passengers will travel with us for a vacation or to visit family and friends abroad and our aim is to continue to unite family and friends and make their journey even more memorable during this special time.” When travelling with Qatar Airways during the festive season, passengers can expect the highest levels of safety throughout their journey. The airline’s onboard safety measures include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the
option to use a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London and New York. A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.
ACET Launches Africa’s First AI Challenge for Infrastructure The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) and Omdena, a collaborative technology platform, today launched a global challenge that aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict future infrastructure needs in Africa. This project, the Omdena Challenge, is the first attempt in Africa to harvest data comprehensively to improve infrastructure. Comprised of 42 data scientists from 20 countries, the challenge represents a unique opportunity for accelerating positive change in Africa through the use of advanced technology and innovation. Working as global team, participants will seek
to develop new predictive models, approaches, tools, and methodologies that African governments and development partners can deploy to better anticipate—and address— the continent’s growing demand for quality infrastructure. Efficient and effective infrastructure is critical to economic transformation, but Africa’s infrastructure gap is up to $108 billion per year. African governments are faced with exorbitant costs, directly financing 42 percent of all infrastructure needs from national budgets. The Omdena Challenge will utilize various sources of openly available data—including satellite
images, climate and topological data, population and demographic data, Google Trends, and Google business data, as well as social media data to help understand aspirations, needs, and sentiments of people living in the region. It will run for eight weeks. The project will support ACET’s ongoing work on infrastructure and private sector development, including the G20 Compact with Africa, infrastructure project cycles, sustainable export processing zones, infrastructure financing and investment promotion. “We are thrilled to work with Omdena and so many data scientists around the world”, said Rob Floyd,
ACET Director and Senior Advisor. “This challenge is important in that it brings together ACET’s work on innovation and on infrastructure. If we can develop some new predictive model using artificial intelligence, they can be important drivers of Africa’s economic transformation.” Omdena is a collaborative platform and social enterprise where a global community of changemakers builds innovative and ethical AI solutions to real-world problems. In addition to working with ACET, Omdena other project partners include the World Resources Institute, Save the Children, and the United Nations World Food Programme.
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How to Make Climate Pledges Stick
By Shang-Jin Wei
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hina’s pledge in September to pursue carbon neutrality by 2060 was followed by a similar pledge from Japan a month later. With these commitments being made at a time when the US has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, it is easy to interpret them as part of the ongoing geopolitical competition for global leadership. But managing climate change is not a zerosum game. Here, national competition to strengthen ambitions and policies benefits everyone. To bridge the gap between pledges and tangible results, we will need to lock in these recent commitments and create incentives for other countries to increase their own climate targets. While COVID-19 lockdowns have reduced global carbon dioxide emissions this year, intensive prepandemic emissions are likely to return with a vengeance in 2021. How can we start truly reducing emissions in a timely, efficient, and fair manner? Over the next ten years, Americans need to reduce their per capita carbon consumption from about 200% to about 80% above the current Chinese level (from about 18 metric tons of carbon per person per year to ten). Similarly, Germany needs to cut its per capita carbon consumption from about 80% above the current Chinese level to below the current Chinese level (from about ten to six metric tons per person per year). And the Chinese need to cap their per capita emissions before the end of the decade, while also moving toward carbon neutrality. To those accustomed to hearing that China is the world’s largest
greenhouse-gas (GHG) emitter, these recommendations may come as a surprise. In terms of annual contributions to atmospheric GHGs, China is indeed the world leader, followed by the United States. But in terms of individual annual contributions, an average German leads a life that is about 80% more carbon intensive than the average Chinese; and the average American’s footprint is about 200% larger than the average Chinese. These differences are shown in the figure below, which traces per capita consumption versus production of GHG emissions in the US, Germany, and China from 1995-2015. (The figures are computed by combining information in an inter-country inputoutput table and carbon intensity in production by sector, country, and year.) It is no less important to bear in mind that climate change is caused by the entire stock of atmospheric GHGs, not just the emissions from a given year. Because GHGs dissipate slowly, the cumulative emissions from the Industrial Revolution onward – especially those since 1900 – do more damage than the emissions in, say, 2018-20. From this cumulative point of view, the US and Europe are responsible for an overwhelming majority of atmospheric GHGs, dwarfing the contributions of all other countries combined. And yet, not all advanced-economy citizens feel this responsibility, for at least three reasons. First, we hear constantly from politicians and the media that China is the “largest emitter,” which, though true, is not the whole truth. Second, Europe and the
US are doing a much better job than China (and most other developing countries) at controlling more visible forms of particle pollution, which is not necessarily the same thing as limiting planet-warming GHGs. Lastly, rich countries’ imports are typically much more carbon intensive than their exports, which means that their residents are maintaining a highcarbon lifestyle partly by offshoring a portion of their emissions to other countries. This is true for rich countries that run a balanced trade account, and it is even more the case in countries that run a large merchandise trade deficit. Americans, for example, have a substantially more carbon-intensive lifestyle than the country’s domestic carbon production may suggest. To go beyond the currently deficient commitments under the Paris climate agreement – and to make up for the time lost under outgoing US President Donald Trump – we need both new pledges and new sticks and carrots. For starters, all rich countries should aim to achieve carbon neutrality on the consumption side, not just on the production side, no later than 2050. Those that can reach this target sooner should of course do so. Moreover, all of today’s middleincome countries should aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Because the carbon intensity of developing countries’ exports is often higher than that of their imports, a netzero emissions pledge is a taller order on the production side than it is on the consumption side. The international community needs to provide technical and financial assistance to low- and lower-middle-income countries, conditioned on their efforts to achieve
near-carbon neutrality by 2075. We can do better than relying just on national pledges and voluntary compliance. A uniform structure of tariffs on carbon-intensive imports and domestic taxes on CO2 emissions for Europe, North America, China, Japan, and like-minded countries would substantially raise the cost of emitting GHGs globally. The revenue from carbon tariffs and taxes can be used to support not only renewable energies but also innovations to reduce the costs of carbon capture and storage. A carbon tariff would make it more costly for China to walk back on its recent climate commitment, because its carbon-intensive exports would become less competitive. It also would make China more willing to fulfill its pledge, because it would lose less business to other exporting countries that have lower environmental standards. And, of course, without the US and China’s participation in any international carbon tariff system, the scheme would not cover enough global imports and consumption to be effective. US President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and China’s new climate pledge together represent a new opportunity to tackle carbon emissions. We should seize it before it vanishes. Shang-Jin Wei, a former chief economist at the Asian Development Bank, is Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. www.project-syndicate.org.
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Delta Airlines aids in global COVID-19 vaccine shipment Delta people have been on the front lines of the global pandemic since the very beginning by providing essential travel. Now, our people are on the front lines supporting COVID-19 vaccine shipments – most recently from Detroit to Atlanta and San Francisco – following successful shipments of test vaccines earlier this year. These critical vaccines are being shipped with the highest priority on Delta aircraft, with the entire journey monitored in Delta’s unique Vaccine Watch Tower that enables full end-toend visibility for all vaccine shipments. With 24/7 centralized monitoring and customer reporting, the Tower works closely with Flight Operations to ensure the safe and secure transportation of the vaccines at the required temperature. “Within three hours of being engaged, Delta Cargo had the vaccines in hand and on their way. Our successful COVID-19 vaccine shipments this week prove what we’ve known for a long time: that we’re ready and able to take on more in the all-hands-ondeck domestic and global distribution effort of this life-saving vaccine,” said Rob Walpole, Vice President – Delta Cargo. “Our vaccine task force, which
was created months ago to understand the shipping requirements and work with healthcare and pharmaceutical experts, has built scalable critical shipment capabilities to support this effort.” Delta’s extensive experience in shipping vaccines involves years of building an operation validated by Pharma industry standards and includes being the first U.S. passenger airline to receive IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators Pharma Logistics Certification at our Atlanta hub and headquarters. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta offered four tailored pharmaceutical shipping options that meet specific temperature requirements for vaccines – ensuring integrity through the entire journey. With large warehouses and cooler facilities in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York-JFK and Seattle, as well as a network of 49 certified Pharma airports across the globe, Delta has the necessary infrastructure in place to support COVID-19 vaccine shipments. In addition to robust domestic shipment capabilities to support rapid distribution within the U.S., Delta has a broad and
nimble global distribution network in coordination with strong airline partners – providing worldwide reach with stop-gap reliability and greater ability to warehouse and ship vaccines from more global hubs. Delta Cargo launched a Cargo Charter operation in March to provide safe and reliable transportation of goods around the globe by working primarily with Delta’s established world-leading logistics partners. Delta
dispatched idled aircraft on cargoonly flights to transport millions of pounds of supplies quickly and safely. Delta has operated over 1,800 cargo charter flights since February and is now averaging 30 cargo-only flights globally each week, carrying medical and PPE equipment, pharmaceuticals, U.S. mail, home office supplies and food. (Source: Delta Airlines)
Lufthansa Group and Sabre Corporation Sign distribution agreement The Lufthansa Group airlines, one of the worlds’ leading airline groups, and Sabre Corporation, the software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, yesterday December 16 announced a new, mutually flexible distribution agreement that enables modern airline retailing as well as technology innovation. Under the agreement, which covers the carriers Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines, Sabre will continue to distribute Lufthansa Group airlines’ content through traditional connectivity to hundreds of thousands of travel agents and thousands of corporations through its global distribution system (GDS). In addition, the agreement enables the distribution of Lufthansa Group airlines’ content via the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard in the Sabre travel marketplace. After the planned launch next year,
the diversified NDC program will give Sabre-connected travel agencies globally the ability to access Lufthansa Group airlines’ content through the Sabre marketplace and by signing up to one of the two available commercial models for NDC. The agreement supports Lufthansa Group airlines’ strategy to implement NDC technology and deliver personalized price offers through the newly launched Continuous Pricing. The continuation of this partnership equally supports Sabre’s vision to provide flexibility and evolve its global travel marketplace, as well as enable personalized retailing for Lufthansa Group airlines utilizing Sabre’s industry-leading technology solutions. “Our agreement with Sabre is a landmark deal for airline distribution. I am very excited to shape our joint path towards modern airline retailing and innovate by introducing a diversified NDC program with associated
commercial models, - enabling agencies to agree bilaterally on NDC with Lufthansa Group airlines”, says Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Senior Vice President Revenue Management and Distribution Lufthansa Group Network Airlines and Chief Commercial Officer SWISS. “Sabre and Lufthansa Group airlines share an ambition to innovate at the forefront of our industry. Through this new level of flexibility, we jointly enable a diverse distribution ecosystem, extend the reach of NDC and allow for differentiated commercial models. With this customer-oriented agreement, Sabre and the Lufthansa Group airlines team up to put the interests of our travel agency partners and our joint clients at center stage.” The agreement between Lufthansa Group airlines and Sabre marks a key milestone in the travel industry. It is the expression of the shared vision of interactive retailing, which enables both companies to jointly stay at
the very forefront of innovation. Lufthansa Group airlines and Sabre are working together intensely to bring Lufthansa Group airlines’ offer live on NDC solutions. The go-live plan for NDC will be communicated during the first half of 2021. “Today maybe more than ever, we are looking to engage creatively with our airline and agency partners to deliver outcomes that provide added value to all players in the travel ecosystem,” says Dave Shirk, President, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Sabre is committed to finding flexible, sustainable solutions that address traveler expectations, deliver against airlines’ strategies, ensure scalability, and safeguard efficient agency workflows. I’m proud that we have signed a sustainable agreement with our partners at Lufthansa Group and one that provides both companies a new level of flexibility to drive a new generation of retailing.”
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Beyond the Return Secretariat unveils updated events for December in GH Beyond the Return Secretariat today, December 16th at the Accra Tourist Information Centre. The over 30 events cover the period from December 17th, 2020 to January 3rd, 2021 and cuts across a wide array of both outdoor, indoor, hybrid and virtual events. Coordinator of the Beyond the Return and CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman said, many of the events have direct bearings with the seven pillars of the Beyond the Return which seek to among other things, drive investments into the country while giving the African Diaspora an opportunity to reconnect with their roots. He added that they have agreed with
events organisers to ensure that the appropriate COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols are strictly adhered to, adding that the success of these events will inform government’s decisions to ease restrictions that are still in place in some of the tourism and events’ sector such as cinemas, beaches and night clubs. Manager of the Beyond the Return Secretariat, Annabelle Mckenzie said the events are carefully chosen not just to be concentrated in Accra but at different locations in the country so they would be felt across. She stated that from next year, the Secretariat will consider specific events for each of the 16 regions in the country.
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