The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) > Blog
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Air Botswana’s Peter Kgomotso appointed to The IATA Industry Financial Advisory Council

Air Botswana is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Peter H. Kgomotso to the IATA Industry Financial Advisory Council (IFAC), until 2022. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), is the trade association for the world’s airlines representing at least 290 airlines, including Air Botswana.

Mr. Kgomotso who is currently employed by Air Botswana as the Finance Director, will form part of the IFAC team that plays an advisory role to the Board of Governors and the IATA Director General, on matters concerning industry financial services, standards and policy aspects related to international air transport.

Peter Kgomotso is a Finance executive and Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), with over 20 years of experience gained in the banking, FMCG, Service, Consulting and now Airline industry. Outside Botswana, he has worked in Nairobi-Kenya and Johannesburg-South Africa. Over the years, he has been building, leading and advising corporates through various trading markets in Africa. Kgomotso has further led international expansion and reconciled capital supply with demand plans for various organisation.

The Air Botswana Board of Directors, Management and Staff wish Mr. Kgomotso a productive term in the Council.

Thank you.

Source: Air Botswana

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Shell and Rolls-Royce sign agreement to accelerate progress towards net zero

The companies will join forces to progress the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in aircraft engines and shape policies that support a net zero pathway for the industry

Shell and Rolls-Royce today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which aims to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry and their progress towards net zero emissions. The long-term agreement builds on more than a century of cooperation between the two companies, and embodies a shared perspective that collaboration across the aviation value chain is necessary for the decarbonisation of the sector.

In recognition of the scale of the challenge, the MoU will expand and accelerate several existing areas of cooperation between the companies such as advancing the use of SAF. This includes Rolls-Royce’s new SAFinity service, for which Shell is the exclusive SAF supplier, and working together on demonstrating the use of 100% SAF as a full “drop-in” solution. This will see the companies explore opportunities to help progress the use of 100% SAF towards certification, building on Rolls-Royce’s ongoing 100% SAF testing programme.

“The heritage of collaboration between Rolls-Royce and Shell is a strong foundation for the future, particularly when it comes to our shared ambitions for achieving net zero emissions,” said Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation. “Being from different parts of the aviation value chain means Rolls-Royce and Shell bring complementary expertise, experiences and ideas to the table. Wide-ranging cooperation can drive new solutions that will help the aviation industry and our customers navigate a pathway to net zero.”

“Supporting the decarbonisation of aviation while continuing to enable progress in flight are goals that Rolls-Royce and Shell both share,” said Paul Stein, Chief Technology Officer at Rolls-Royce. “We believe that working together on these aims can deliver benefits for both the development of new innovations as well as collaborating to find ways to unlock the net carbon emissions reduction potential of technology that is already in use today. SAFs will not only power large aircraft and business aviation, but also hybrid electric Urban Air Mobility (‘Flying taxis’) and the forthcoming generation of hybrid fixed wing city hoppers, which is why we place such importance on the ramp up of SAF adoption across the industry.”

The MoU will explore opportunities for Shell and Rolls-Royce to provide decarbonisation solutions to meet their respective targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This will include both companies contributing technologies and expertise to help reduce operational emissions. Shell will assess opportunities to support Rolls-Royce in reducing travel emissions through the supply of SAF, while Rolls-Royce will lend its technical expertise to advise Shell in its new fuels development, as well as innovative low carbon energy alternatives for new aircraft and power systems.

The MoU will also set the foundation for Rolls-Royce and Shell to work together to proactively engage industry bodies and forums to progress strategic policy issues, and address existing barriers associated with the aviation sector’s pathway to decarbonisation. As part of this, Rolls-Royce and Shell also expect to work closely with stakeholders from across the aviation community to help support wider progress towards net zero.

As part of the MoU, Rolls-Royce and Shell will assess broader opportunities for cooperation across aviation as well as infrastructure in other mobility sectors such as shipping and rail.

Source: Rolls-Royce

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MTU Maintenance launches ON-SITEPlus product branding

MTU Maintenance, global market leader in customized aero engine solutions, launches ON-SITEPlus, a larger group of on-site, near-wing and quick-turn services. This development and rebranding of the portfolio underscores the importance of on-site and near wing activities as a means to reduce maintenance cost and extend on-wing times – a trend that has been particularly prevalent during the COVID-19 crisis and is expected to continue as the industry recovers post-pandemic.

MTU Maintenance’s growing ON-SITEPlusteam carries out AOG support, on and near-wing repairs from borescope inspections to module swaps as well as hospital shop visits for the largest engine portfolio worldwide, including the popular CF6, CF34, CFM56, GE90, LEAP, and V2500 engines.The company has six on-site facilities across the globe and over 120 authority approvals.

“We intelligently customize solutions from all services in our broad portfolio to ensure continued and reliable operations,” says Martin Friis-Petersen, Senior Vice President MRO Programs, MTU Aero Engines. “Wherever possible we repair on or near-wing and to the highest MTU standards. In doing so, we minimize disruption, reduce overall cost and complexity, as well as maximize engine usage for our customers. We see great demand for such services in the future and as such, will continue to invest in this business area in coming years.”

Its largest ON-SITEPlus facility MTU Maintenance Dallas, which can dispatch teams to customers or provide workscopes up to hospital shop visits, has recently expanded its available dock space by 40,000 square feet to provide short and long-term engine storage to support customer needs. MTU Maintenance Dallas is an MTU center of excellence for on-site and quick turn repairs for CF34, CF6, CFM56, GE90, V2500, PW2000 and PW4000 engines on the American continent.

“The ‘plus’ in ON-SITEPlus symbolizes not only the wide range of our services and additional support, but also our credo ‘customer first better every day’ in which we are dedicated to going above and beyond and always delivering more,” adds Arne Straatmann, Director of On-Site Services, MTU Maintenance. “Time is of the essence when it comes to such services, and we provide smart customized service packages that encompass various aspects of the MTU portfolio to increase the speed of our response. These include for instance, material solutions from our own supply in AOG situations or spare engines to ensure continued operations during repair.”

With over 30 engines in its portfolio, MTU Maintenance has completed over 20,000 shop visits in 40 years. The company combines this engineering expertise with in-depth market understanding and robust financial strength to create the best solutions for customers. MTU Maintenance has facilities in the Americas, Asia and Europe and employees over 5,800 engine experts from over 60 different nationalities.

Source: MTU Maintenance

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Accelya and Qatar: Taking New Roads in Airline Distribution

As the industry looks towards recovery, priorities for airline professionals are evolving. Many see airline control over the offer and its distribution as a critical driver for long-term profitability. And greater airline control requires NDC. One such airline making an impact with its NDC distribution strategy is Accelya customer, Qatar Airways.

Qatar recently announced plans to introduce a new platform to enable trade partners to build tailored travel experiences for their customers. Providing a great user experience, Oryx Connect will give travel agents access to rich airline content and better functionality when customizing travel experiences for their customers. In addition to getting content directly from the platform, agents can also access NDC content from various aggregators, including Aarongroup, Duffel, Travelfusion, Travvise, and Verteil.

Qatar will not be penalizing booking via traditional indirect channels with surcharges and other barriers. Rater, Qatar has publicly announced that it is incentivizing travel agents to use its NDC channel. An important stimulus is providing travel agents with excellent offer and order management capabilities from booking, servicing, ticketing, and payment.

Qatar is not alone in pursuing distribution freedom with NDC. According to the Airlines: A Path Back to Profitability report, 68% of airlines use or intend to use NDC as part of their retailing and distribution strategies[1]. Transformation is happening, and the Qatar initiative brings more clarity as to how industry priorities are evolving.

To find out how Accelya helps airline optimize their distribution strategy, please visit Accelya.com.

 

[1] “Airlines: A Path Back to Profitability” report, page 28

 

Source: Accelya

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The African Air Transport sector in the post COVID-19 era: Resilience and Efficiency through Leadership and Cooperation

Hermes – Air Transport Organisation will co-organise with iPADIS a zoom event on Thursday 1 July 2021 entitled: “The African Air Transport sector in the post COVID-19 era: Resilience and efficiency through Leadership and Cooperation”.

Follow the event proceedings on 1st July 2021 from 14:00hrs (Abuja Time) to catch AFRAA Secretary General, Mr. Abderahmane Berthe on the Leaders Panel.

Organisers: Hermes – Air Transport Organisation & iPADIS
Media Partner: ATN – Air Transport News
Zoom provided by: University of the Aegean

Join Zoom Meeting

https://aegean-gr.zoom.us/j/91019301466

Meeting ID: 910 1930 1466

 

Thursday 1 July 2021 

(Abuja time)

14:00 Welcome

Denis Chagnon, iPADIS

14:05 Welcome Addresses

Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President, iPADIS
Dr Kostas Iatrou, Director General, Hermes – Air Transport Organisation

14:10 Keynote Addresses

Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the Council, ICAO

Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General, ACI

14:30 Leaders Panel

Moderator:
Jeff Poole, President, Hermes – Air Transport Organisation
Panellists:

-Tefera Mekonnen TEFERA, Secretary General, AFCAC
-Abdérahmane Berthe, Secretary General, African Airline Association – AFRAA

-Chris Zweigenthal, Chief Executive, Airlines Association of Southern Africa – AASA

-Ali Tounsi, Secretary General, ACI Africa

16:00 Conclusion

Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President, iPADIS

Find below the program:

http://hermes.aero/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The-African-Air-Transport-sector-in-the-post-COVID-19-era.pdf

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AFRAA SkyConnect Dialogues with Mr. Ali Tounsi, Secretary General – ACI Africa, 07th July at 14h00EAT

Date: 7th July, 2021
Session Time: 14:00h EAT (UTC +3)
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3v7ae4e 

The July edition of AFRAA Sky–Connect show will host Mr. Ali Tounsi, Secretary General – ACI-Africa for a thought-provoking one-on-one dialogue on:

  • ACI-Africa’s role in supporting African aviation and especially its role in airports safety, security, infrastructure/capacity development and sustainability
  • The size of African airport and implications for revenue generation.
  • Competitiveness of airports and airlines expectations.
  • State owned versus private airports – ACI-Africa’s views.
  • Airports readiness for traffic boom arising from SAATM and AfCFTA implementation.
  • Collaboration for success of the industry.

The AFRAA SkyConnect Leadership Dialogues is a monthly top executive leadership series on developments within the aviation space in Africa and globally. Expect nothing but out-of-the-box thinking and far – reaching recommendations to shape Africa aviation.

Join us on 07 July 2021 at 14.00hrs EAT

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Save The Date: AFRAA 53rd Annual General Assembly & Summit – Virtual Format

21 June 2021

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) would like to inform its members, partners and industry stakeholders that the AFRAA 53rd Annual General assembly (AGA) will be held from 16-17 November 2021 in virtual format. The AGA will be held at the kind invitation of TAAG Angola Airlines – the President of the Association.

We would have loved to stage an in-person event in partnership with TAAG Angola Airlines and stakeholders in the Republic of Angola as had been planned. However, in light of travel restrictions and slow pace of vaccination roll-out in Africa, the prevailing uncertainties will not be ideal for an in-person conference of the magnitude of the AFRAA AGA.

AFRAA continues its engagement in collaborative efforts to support the industry in the restart and journey to recovery. We look forward to your participation at an exciting virtual edition of the AFRAA AGA in November 2021. The event website with the agenda and details of registration on the online platform shall be launched and communication made in due course.

Please mark your diaries.

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Star Alliance, NEC and SITA sign Teaming Agreement, Paving the Way to Expand Touchless Journeys Across Member Airlines

STAR ALLIANCE, NEC AND SITA SIGN TEAMING AGREEMENT, PAVING THE WAY TO EXPAND TOUCHLESS journeyS across member airlines

Passengers will soon be able to use their biometric ID as their boarding pass across a vast network of airlines and airports

FRANKFURT, TOKYO, GENEVA – 15 June 2021 – Frequent flyer program customers of Star Alliance member airlines will soon be able to use their biometric identity across any participating airline at any participating airport following a new agreement between the world’s largest airline alliance, NEC Corporation and SITA.

The agreement announced today is aimed at accelerating the availability of biometric self-service touchpoints across Star Alliance’s member airlines while delivering a faster, touchless airport experience.

Connecting to SITA‘s Smart Path solution, the Star Alliance biometrics platform will be able to use SITA’s shared airport infrastructure already available in more than 460 airports. Together with SITA and NEC’s global presence, multiple biometric projects can be delivered in parallel, speeding up the availability of biometric passenger processing to Star Alliance’s member airlines globally. This will be vital in enabling Star Alliance to deploy biometrics faster.

A further advantage is the NEC I:Delight platform – which allows passengers who have opted to use the service to be identified quickly and with a high degree of accuracy, even on the move – can be easily integrated with SITA Smart Path. The I:Delight platform is also able to recognize passengers even when wearing a mask, an increasingly important feature for travel during the current pandemic. The platform is already in use by Star Alliance member airlines at several airports in Europe.

Uniquely, passengers using Star Alliance’s biometrics platform enroll only once. Passengers then can pass through biometrically enabled touchpoints across multiple member airlines and participating airports using just their face as their boarding pass. This speeds up the passage through the airport while making each step completely touchless, supporting important health and hygiene safety measures in times of COVID-19 and delivering on Star Alliance’s vision of a seamless customer experience.

Jeffrey Goh, CEO, Star Alliance, said: “This agreement is instrumental in bringing further scale to our biometrics service, with the inherent benefits of speed and meeting customer expectations for a more touchless and hygienically safer experience across all of our member airlines. Biometrics is a key element of that experience and our strategy of leading the way in digitalizing the passenger journey.”

Barbara Dalibard, CEO, SITA, said: “Together with NEC, SITA is pleased to be supporting Star Alliance in bringing the full benefits of biometric identity to their member airlines. Passengers have long welcomed the advantages of control and speed automation brings to the passenger journey; a trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19. With this agreement the benefits of biometric identity will be extended from a single airline or journey to a vast network of airlines. That is truly unique and demonstrates the benefits digital identity can bring to the passenger.”

Masakazu Yamashina, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation said: “NEC is honored to join this three party partnership with Star Alliance and SITA. While the impact of COVID-19 continues, we are pleased to lead the creation of seamless and touchless travel. NEC is committed to providing a safe and comfortable customer experience through our NEC I:Delight identity management solution.”

Watch the announcement of the partnership here.

 

-ENDS-

 

For further information, (not for publication) contact:

SITA 

Julius Baumann

Head of Media Relations

Tel: +41 22 747 6993

Email: Julius.Baumann@sita.aero

 

 Star Alliance

 

Star Alliance Press Office

Tel: +49 69 96375 183

Email: mediarelations@staralliance.com

 
NEC Corporation of America

John Wise

Tel: +1 972 413 9176

Email: john.wise@necam.com

 

 NEC Corporation

Jasper Joseph

Tel: +81 80 2038 9096

Email: j-jasper@nec.com

About SITA

SITA is the IT provider for the air transport industry, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Our technology powers more seamless, safe and sustainable air travel.

Today, SITA’s solutions drive operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to more than 400 customers on 18,000 aircraft globally. SITA also provides the technology solutions that help more than 60 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel. Our communications network connects every corner of the globe and bridges 60% of the air transport community’s data exchange.

SITA is 100% owned by the industry and driven by its needs. It is one of the most internationally diverse companies, with a presence in over 200 countries and territories.

SITA’s subsidiaries and joint ventures include SITAONAIR, branded SITA FOR AIRCRAFT, CHAMP Cargosystems and Aviareto.

For further information, go to www.sita.aero

 

About NEC

NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

 

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 12,000 daily flights to almost 1,300 airports in 197 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.

 

Visit our homepage or connect to us on social media:

 

 

 

 
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Royal Air Maroc : précisions sur les facilités prévues dans le cadre du dispositif exceptionnel mis en faveur des Marocains du monde

Suite à la mise en place d’un dispositif “exceptionnel” et “historique” pour faciliter le déplacement des Marocains résidant à l’étranger (MRE) en période d’été, en application des Hautes Instructions de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI, une affluence record a été constatée sur nos différents canaux de distribution -site internet, agences Royal Air Maroc et agences de voyage-. Si les vols de certaines dates ont été totalement saturés, plus de 70% de la capacité mise en place sur la période est encore disponible à la vente. Nous encourageons donc les clients à rechercher des dates alternatives s’ils ne trouvent pas de place à leurs dates initialement prévues.

Par ailleurs, Royal Air Maroc tient à rappeler que l’ensemble des billets émis jusqu’au 13 juin bénéficient, de part leurs conditions commerciales, des conditions commerciales suivantes :

–        Un remboursement du montant du billet sous forme d’un avoir à exploiter ultérieurement sur les vols de Royal Air Maroc, valable 12 mois et remboursable en numéraire à l’expiration de sa validité ;

–        Ou un changement de date du voyage, sans pénalité. A titre exceptionnel, la date de validité peut s’étendre jusqu’au 31 mars 2022 au lieu du 31 octobre 2021 prévu initialement (une différence tarifaire peut être appliquée). Quant aux clients qui ont déjà bénéficié d’un changement de date gratuit, ils auront la possibilité d’obtenir un deuxième changement de date gratuitement, à titre exceptionnel ;

Par ailleurs, les clients disposant d’un billet avec option de remboursement gratuit, peuvent bénéficier de la restitution du montant en numéraire comme indiqué dans les conditions tarifaires du billet.

Source: Royal Air Maroc

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Rolls-Royce officially opens world’s largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed

Testbed 80 to test the most efficient aeroengines of today and the even more sustainable propulsion systems of the future

Rolls-Royce has officially opened Testbed 80, the world’s largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed, in a ceremony with the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, in Derby, UK.

The completion of the project is a major milestone after almost three years of construction and a £90m investment. With an internal area of 7,500m2, making it larger than a Premiership football pitch, Testbed 80 was designed with distinctive technologies and systems which are more capable and complex than any of our other testbeds. The testbed conducted its first run on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine at the test facility in Derby, UK earlier this year.

Warren East, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce, said: “Testbed 80 is the largest facility of its type in the world. However, it is not only big, it is also smart and features the most advanced testing technology we have ever used. As the new global hub of our testing capability, it will support the next stage of our UltraFan programme as we begin ground testing the first demonstrator in 2022. This incredible piece of infrastructure is a very visible sign of our commitment to this site and secures the future of Derby as the home of large engine development, continuing a history that began in the late 1960s with the RB211.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “This testbed here in Derby shows that the UK remains a global leader in aeroengine technology. I’m proud that we’re supporting Rolls-Royce’s development of the highly-efficient UltraFan engine, as well as investment in green and cutting-edge aerospace technology here in the UK that will create high-skilled, well-paid jobs for decades to come.

“As the civil aviation market recovers, the innovation of great British companies such as Rolls-Royce and the entire aerospace sector are central to our plans to build back better from the pandemic and end our contribution to climate change by 2050.”

Testbed 80 will support all three pillars of our sustainability strategy. Firstly, continuing to improve the efficiency of the gas turbine. The facility has been designed to test a range of today’s engines, including the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000, but will also have the capability to test the UltraFan® demonstrator, the blueprint for our next generation of engines. UltraFan will be 25% more efficient than the first Trent engine, and we will begin ground testing the demonstrator at the testbed in 2022.

Secondly, we are committed to promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), which can already be used as “drop-in” fuels in our existing engines. Testbed 80 has been designed to support this commitment – it is equipped with a 140,000-litre fuel tank (you could fill your car up almost 3,000 times with this amount of fuel) for different fuel types, including SAFs. Next year, we also plan to run our first UltraFan demonstrator test using 100% SAF.

Finally, in line with our ambition to pioneer novel, more sustainable technologies, the testbed is designed to have the capability to test the hybrid or all-electric flight systems of the future.

Part of the new technology development for Testbed 80 has been supported by the ATI’s PACE project, specifically for the UltraFan.

Rolls-Royce is pleased to have partnered with MDS Aero Support Corporation of Ottawa, Canada, for the design and construction of this facility.

Source: Rolls – Royce

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