www.ainonline.com
African CEOs Deliberate Renewed Impetus for Open Skies
Airline CEOs discussed a renewed impetus for the liberalization of African skies while meeting in Brazzaville, Congo, last week for the 47th general assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA). Major African airline CEOs deliberated the much-delayed Yamasukuro Declaration (YD), an initiative to establish a single air transport market by avoiding restrictive bilateral air service agreements.
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www.ainonline.com During theforum, moderator Girma Wake, board chairman of RwandAir, asked executives how African airlines can collaboratively take control of the liberalization process for sustainable growth and development. Edmund Makona, CEO of Air Zimbabwe, said that most everybody in the value chain continues to profit except airlines, whose margins average roughly 3 percent. ―Are we not killing the goose that lays the golden egg?‖ he asked rhetorically. ―It is important that we focus on the involvement of the airlines in the implementation of the YD.‖ Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam argued that airlines should move freely from point to point within Africa. Gebremariam said that the African Union should adopt a community clause—similar to that in the European Union—that enables Africa to negotiate as a block. ―Liberalization is a big step but that is not enough,‖ he said. ―Infrastructure cost, fuel cost, navigation cost and ground handling cost have to be reasonable.‖ Fatima Beyina-Moussa, chief executive of ECAir, said that her airline will cooperate with other African airlines if the YD gets fully implemented. Fatima revealed her plan to establish mini hubs in different African countries making use of the YD. Meanwhile, the new CEO of Egypt Air, Sherif Fatih, surprised the forum when he said his network development team and consultant told him that his airline would derive no benefit from the declaration. Egypt is one of the eleven African states that last January expressed firm commitment to fully implement the YD at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa. ―The consulting firm we hired to consult us on restructuring Egypt Air and our network development team told me that there is nothing in it for Egypt Air,‖ Fatih said.
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www.ainonline.com African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) secretary general Iyabo Sosina challenged Fatih. ―Egypt Air is flying to a number of destinations in Africa on the basis of the YD,‖ she said. ―If there is nothing in it for Egypt Air then why are they using the YD to go to all these points in Africa?‖ Fatih did not dispute Sosina’s assessment. ―Do not challenge me because I myself am challenging my people,‖ he said. ―Please do not talk about emotions. I am talking about revenue. My people were not talking about their beliefs, hopes and all those nice things. What they presented to me is based on facts and figures.‖ RwadAir’s Wake warned that an airline that wants to fly alone gets nowhere. ―All airlines small or big should be prepared for the African market liberalization,‖ he said. ―Those who are not preparing themselves for the market liberalization will die a natural death.‖ Citing a study conducted by IATA, Makona said that if only 12 African countries liberalize their market they could create 155,000 jobs, carry another 5 million passengers and contribute $1.3 billion to the continent’s GDP. ―Africa has a low load factor of 61 percent. Imagine what would happen when you give the additional five million passengers to the airlines which have 61 percent load factors. We must see the value of liberalization.‖ Air Zimbabwe’s Makona stressed the need for a broad conviction to liberalize the market. ―There must be a need for all of us to work together and appreciate the value in each of us,‖ he said. ―In a collaborative approach we can do more. Big airlines and small airlines need to collaborate and change the situation to a win-win situation. The starting point is the conviction that we have to work together.‖
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http://www.vanguardngr. com/
2nd Abuja Int’l Airport runway invitation for disaster – Aviation Minister By Favour Nnabugwu The Minister of state, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika yesterday said the reconstruction of 2nd runway of Abuja International Airport was a disaster in waiting if not fixed as soon as possible. Sirika during the formal handing over to him by the out gone Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, Hajiya Binta Bello said said government could not afford to delay the reconstruction of te Abuja runway any further because of the enormous danger involved. ―I am very young in the industry but where l trained, we have 8 runways and a single runway is just an invitation for disaster and that is why we have to do it, it is a must, it must be done.‖ He also said that the re-modeling of airports across the country, the introduction of development fund for the aviation and the maintaining and sustaining existing structures in the sector were paramount to current administration. The Minister of State assured the Nigerians that every fund meant for projects in the aviation sector would be judiciously and appropriately used to bring the desired change to the sector. He warned that he would not tolerate laxity from agencies and members of staff of the sector, ―I know 95 percent of you here; some are my colleagues, friends and even my senior in the sector. Please do not leverage on the relationship, do your work, and be the boss, take your work for granted and be the boss.‖
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(2) He emphasised training and re-training of staff of the sector to enhance their proficiency and cover for possible errors Speaking on her six months tenure in the aviation sector, Hajiya Binta Bello said the sector during short tenure delivered effectively on the core mandate of ensuring safety, security and comfort of air travelers. ―On the 7th of May, I resumed the sector and within the six months that l stayed, l ensured that we continue to deliver effectively, efficiently the mandate of the aviation sector in terms of security, safety and comfort of passengers.‖ ―There is no ministry, former or new that has no challenges and the challenges of the aviation sector are as usual as you know, funding remains the main issue of the sector. I know when I took over, l met a debt of over N100billion and l have not been able to pay back even N1 billion, so it’s a huge challenge.‖ On the Abuja second runway, she said: ―We have at the moment an issue which has turned to be a national issue and everybody is looking forward to it. I’m sure you are aware that i constituted a committee to look into the best model government could adopt and recommendation have since been submitted to the office of the President. ―There is also the need for construction of the second runway in Abuja. You are also aware that the existing runway at Abuja is over 30 years old, it has given way and there is need to construct a new one and l would want to mention here that no contract on the second runway has been awarded.‖ While welcoming the Minister of State for Aviation, the new Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr Sabiu Zakari pledged the support and loyalty of the staff to the Minister while he admonished the staff to support the Minister in his duty to achieve the Buhari’s administration focus of change mantra.
http://www.dailymail.co. uk/
British Airways named the 'dirtiest' transatlantic operator with the airline burning over 50% more fuel than the most efficient carrier An environmental think tank has named British Airways the worstperforming airline when it comes to fuel consumption and carbon emissions on transatlantic routes. American and British legacy carriers fared poorly, with Norwegian Air Shuttle being crowned the most fuel-efficient airline that flies between Europe and the US and Canada. Research revealed the three companies that rank at the bottom – BA, Scandinavian airline SAS and German flag carrier Lufthansa – account for more than 20 per cent of the transatlantic air travel.
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http://www.dailymail.co. uk/ The study was conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation – which helped to uncover the pollution cheating scandal at Volkswagen – and examined data from the top 20 airlines with nonstop transatlantic routes. It found that BA burned 51% more fuel per passenger than Norwegian, although the British airline had far greater flights than its low-cost rival and its planes have first and/or business class cabins, which add more weight. The study said BA had 6,121 flights per year on its top transatlantic route (London to New York) – with the Boeing 747-400 being the prevalent aircraft – while Norwegian uses the more fuel efficient Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 416 flights per year on its top route (Oslo to New York).
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http://recorderpress.com/
British Airways passenger restrained on flight after trying to ror Despite the incident, the plane landed safely at Logan global Airport at around 6.30pm, where it was met by MA State Police troopers, who were positioned at the jet bridge. British Airways is part of global Consolidated Airlines Group SA. A passenger on board a plane heading to Bostonhas been restrained after trying to force one of the plane doors open, an airline spokesperson said. Int a statement British Airways saying the will not allow an abusive or unruly passenger. Darren A. Halliwell, 48, of Aspull, England, was restrained after he attacked several flight attendants and publicly urinated, prosecutors said. According to the MA State Police, a woman in her 30s tried to enter the cockpit. The flight landed about a half-hour ahead of schedule at Boston's Logan worldwide Airport at 1:30 p.m. A spokesman for state police says troopers have taken the passenger into custody. Security expert Anthony Amore spoke to FOX25 and said the Mass. State Police have dealth with problems like this before and know what to do.
ادارة العالقات العامة -الشركة القابضة لمصر للطيران