As the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) gains traction, AFRAA, AUC and AFCAC, invites you to attend a Workshop on the Regulatory Instruments of the YD and SAATM in Nairobi, Kenya, from 18-20 March 2024. The 3-days Workshop will be held at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority’s (KCAA’s), East African School of Aviation Main Conference Room.

Register: https://forms.office.com/r/auVgQQPCHb?origin=lprLink

Purpose of Workshop

This is a capacity building Workshop on SAATM Regulatory Instruments and will be used to create awareness, and present all the regulatory text (Powers, Functions and Operations of the Executing Agency, Consumer Protection Regulations, the Competition Regulations, the Dispute Settlement Mechanism and the revised African Civil Aviation Policy (AFCAP).
The aim is to empower operators on their rights, obligations and opportunities in a SAATM environment.
The workshop will also present the Key Performance Indicators for the implementation of SAATM and encourage eligible airlines to work together to expand their Intra-Africa operations.

Expected Outcome

i) Enhanced understanding and appreciation by the airline industry on SAATM Regulatory Instruments;
ii) Enhanced understanding and appreciation by the airline industry on the Key Performance Indicators for the implementation of SAATM;
iii) Shared experience by Regional Competition Authorities and Consumer Protection Associations on the Regulatory Texts of the YD/SAATM
iv) Understanding of the progress and challenges in the implementation of the YD and the approved Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for tracking the implementation of the YD and SAATM;
v) Enhanced understanding and appreciation by airline industry on the opportunities and overall benefits associated with the liberalization of the African air transport through the YD/SAATM;
vi)  Promotion/Advocacy on SAATM;
vii)  Enhanced appreciation among Stakeholders on the need for collaboration on sustainable development of air transport in Africa through full implementation of the YD and SAATM; and
viii) Enhanced awareness on the need and advantages of a harmonized YD regulatory texts environment.

Who Should Attend

i) African Airline CEOs, Directors, Senior Airline executives and Managers responsible for air transport regulation, industry affairs, legal, business development, marketing, network planning and operations, etc;

ii) Representatives of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs);

iii) Regional Competition Authorities and Regional Consumer Protection Associations; and

iv) Representatives from key partner Institutions (AUC, ICAO, IATA, AASA, AFCFTA Secretariat)

Programme and Agenda, https://tinyurl.com/download-programme

Hotel Reservation

The following are AFRAA recommended hotels for the event:

Hotel:  Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport
Standard Room BB:    -USD150
Contact person:           Luke Khaemba
Email:  Luke.Khaemba@crowneplazanairobiairport.com

Tel:      +254-710502346

 

Hotel:  Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport
Standard Room BB:    -USD150
Contact person: Martin Kidula
Email:  sales@fourpointsnairobiairport.co.ke

Tel:      +254-740031189

 

Hotel:  Hilton Garden Inn Nairobi
Standard Room BB:    -USD150
Contact person: Brenda Bosire
Email:  Brenda.bosire@hilton.com

Reservations@hginairobi.co.ke

 

For More information, contact;

AFRAA: Raphael Kuchi
Email: rkuuchi@afraa.org

Tel: + (233) 24 482 86 89

or

AFCAC: Mr. Stephen Musa,
Email: SMusa@afcac.org

Tel: + (221) 33 859 88 22.

Network and airport planners, fleet operators, and lessors constantly need to review their business plans and evaluate options to further increase revenue potential. In aviation, more data driven analysis is required to yield results that can be assessed quickly to support timely business decisions. On this backdrop, AFRAA in collaboration with AviaPro Consulting will hold a workshop on data-driven analysis for enhanced decision making for network and fleet. The workshop will take place on 09 November 2023 at 14.00hrs EAT (11.00hrs UTC) in virtual format.

Held under the theme: “Data-driven analysis for enhanced decision making for network and fleet”, The Workshop will illustrate how digitization, agile processes, and modular technologies can deliver high value analysis which is easy to use, affordable available in a timely manner. The workshop will further demonstrate how African airlines can use AviAnalysis online platform to have access to important analysis results in the areas of aircraft performance, aircraft operating economics, and passenger demand analysis.

Who should attend?
AFRAA Secretariat hereby invites representatives of the following functional areas of your airline to participate and kindly requests you to nominate any of them to attend this important Workshop:

• Network Planning
• Network Development
• Strategy
• Commercial
• Corporate Development

How to register
Kindly register your airline’s representatives via the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YjrQnKZGQ62495MN3pmkMQ

Event Agenda
The event agenda can be accessed through this link: Workshop Agenda

For any enquiries on registration and logistics, please contact Ms. Dicie Okaya (dokaya@afraa.org).

We look forward to your airline’s participation.

Cooperation, collaboration, and commitment of stakeholders, including CANSO, AFRAA, IATA, ICAO, and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), made free routing flights a reality for the first time in Africa on 2 November 2023. In the Free Routing Airspace (FRA) Trial kick-off workshop, participants coordinated with all relevant operational services and secured approvals for the two trial flights. Shortening the flight time, flights ET935 and KQ 508 operated safely outside the existing routes directly from Addis Ababa to Abidjan and Nairobi to Accra, respectively.

Implementing the Free Routing Airspace will annually bring significant cost savings to the participating airlines and will support a sustainable future for the African Industry. Cumulating over a year, the shortened flight time on one of these one-way flights avoids burning 292 metric tonnes of fuel, prevents the emission of 340 metric tonnes of CO₂, and reduces the operator’s fuel bill by an estimated USD310,000. Assuming similar savings on the return leg, extending free routing flights to 20 daily flights, the operators’ CO₂ footprint will be reduced by 5 million metric tonnes, and the airlines will cut more than USD 1.2 million from their fuel bill.

The project kick-off workshop was graciously sponsored by AFREXIMBANK. Various ANSPs provided navigation services to the historic flights, including: Ethiopia CAA, Kenya CAA, CAA Uganda, RVA (DRC), ASECNA, NAMA (Nigeria), and Ghana CAA.  The FRA project is one of the five LAB Projects of the African Aviation Industry Group African Aviation Sustainability Laboratory to revamp Air Transport in Africa that was held from 27 June to 1 July 2022 at AFRAA Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The next trials in the first quarter will contribute to making the FRA a reality in 2024.

With theobjective accelerating the implementation of Free Routing Airspace in Africa, AFRAA kicked off the Free Routing Airspace (FRA) trials workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this week.

The FRA project is one of the five LAB Projects of the African Aviation Industry Group African Aviation Sustainability Laboratory to revamp Air Transport in Africa that was held from 27 June to 1 July 2022 at AFRAA Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The FRA implementation aligns with the common strategy of providing efficiency in operations, lowering air navigation fees while reducing flight operating costs and C0₂ emissions. A total of eight (8) routes will be on trial – five from Ethiopian Airlines and three from Kenya Airways.

In his opening remarks, AFRAA Secretary General, Mr. Abderahmane Berthe stated: “Implementing these trial routes will annually bring significant cost savings to the participating airlines and will support a sustainable future for the African Industry.”

The FRA workshop provides the opportunity to conduct trials along the paths linking various city pairs across different FIRs. The results of the trials will be shared with the AFI FRA Project Management Team and APIRG, which is meeting in the second week of November 2023 in Cotonou, Benin.

Present at the workshop included:

• Daniel Abebe – Ethiopioan Airlines Group VP Strategic Planning & Alliances – representing Mr. Mesfin Bekele, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines,
• Yohannes Abera, Director representing Mr. Getachew Mengiste, Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority,
• Nene Addo and Ms. Chisom Ozoemena, representatives of the Afreximbank,
• Thabani Myeza, Director Africa Affairs CANSO,
• Eric Ntagengerwa, Representative of the African Union Commission,
• Robert Lisinge, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Representative,
• Experts from ASECNA, Civil Aviation Authorities and Air navigation Service Providers, ICAO, IATA, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways.

Hosted by Ethiopian Airlines, the FRA trial kickoff workshop preparation was spearheaded by CANSO and AFRAA under the kind sponsorship of Afreximbank.

AFRAA Secretary General, Mr Abdérahmane Berthé, made a keynote speech at the African Aviation & Travel Innovation Summit in Cape Town on 18^th October 2023.

The African Aviation Innovation Summit which is now in its second edition was staged by Kenya Airways in collaboration by AFRAA under the theme: theme “Customer Obsession in Aviation”

In his remarks, Mr Berthé highlighted the importance of innovation to transform and revolutionize the aviation industry. “Air Traffic will double by 2040, and digitization will facilitate handling this growth to keep and improve customers’ experience.” He stated.

Mr Berthé articulated on some of the innovative features that drive the progress of passengers’ experience, including:

1. Passengers’ facilitation: Processing at airports is the most challenging part of passengers’ experience. Improving passengers’ identification, check-in, security check, easy gate access, and internet availability is essential to customer satisfaction.
2. Biometrics: Biometrics is a game changer in aviation: fingerprints, iris recognition, and facial recognition. Using unique physical characteristics to identify passengers is revolutionizing processes: ticketing, baggage dropping, security checks, and boarding.
3. Baggage handling: New solutions are being developed in view to facilitate baggage tracing.
4. Artificial Intelligence: AI can transform the aviation industry. AI applications in aviation include Customer Service. Distribution, Analytics, Safety Enhancement, Predictive Maintenance, Flight Planning and Optimization, Air Traffic Management, Crew Resource Management, and Security.
5. Connectivity: In-flight connectivity and entertainment have come a long way over the past few years and are used for various systems, including: internet access, aircraft position tracking, aircraft performance status and streaming movies and TV.

Noting that digitalization and Innovation are opportunities for airlines, Mr Berthé called upon airlines to transform and embrace these opportunities, rethink their strategies to capture the new opportunities relevant to operations and customers, integrate the new tools into the existing business and organization to measure and monitor customer satisfaction.

“At AFRAA, the sustainability of our member airlines is a priority. In this regard, in collaboration with AFRAA partners, we bring practical, innovative solutions to our members. Collaboration is essential to improve passengers’ experience. All Aviation stakeholders, including service providers, should work hand in hand to make the transformation effective for customers. For example, the One-Stop-Security concept can only be implemented by collaborating with regulators, airports, and airlines.” He concluded.

He further participated in a panel discussion on the theme: “Tailwinds of Transformation: Creating an Enabling Environment for End-to-End Customer-Centric Aviation”. The panel comprised of the following executives:

• Allan Kilavuka, CEO & GMD – Kenya Airways
• Abderahmane Berthe, Secretary General – AFRAA
• Patrick Roux, Chief Executive Officer – SkyTeam
• Mr. Shaheed Regal, Ag. General Manager – Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA)

AFRAA, in partnership with SITA will hold a three-tiered workshop for African airlines on call collection/call center, enhancing airline profitability through effective direct operating cost management and the automation and digitalization of baggage processes. The workshop will take place on 24 October 2023 at 13.00hrs EAT (10.00hrs UTC) in virtual format.

Held under the theme: “enhancing airline profitability, call collection and baggage processes”, the Workshop will deliver a set of tools to allow African airlines address the changing passenger expectations through flexible cloud-based platforms, elevate their cost management processes to bolstered profitability and get insights on breakthroughs in the world of baggage to increase operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction.

Who should attend?

AFRAA Secretariat hereby invites representatives of the following functional areas of your airline to participate and kindly requests you to nominate any of them to attend this important Workshop:

• Operations
• Finance (Cost/invoice Control Team)
• Commercial
• Ground Handling

How to register

Kindly register your airline’s representatives via the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Doas2Fi4QKG2D_UAX6UaAA

For any enquiries on registration and logistics, please contact Ms. Dicie Okaya (dokaya@afraa.org).

We look forward to your airline’s participation.

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and Ethiopian Airlines are pleased to inform all esteemed members, partners and air transport industry stakeholders that the 12^th Aviation Stakeholders Convention and Africa’s 1^st Safety and Operations Summit will be held from 12-15 May 2024 in Addis Ababa – Ethiopia. 

We look forward to hosting you in Ethiopia for the two events which will be held back-to-back at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in 2024.

Mark your diaries and save the dates!

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé AFRAA Secretary General

                         

Mr. Mesfin Tasew Bekele Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer

                                               

Happening at the Headquarters of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa – Ethiopia: The African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) have organized the 9th meeting of the YD/SAATM Monitoring Body, from 28th to 30th August 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

AFRAA, as a member of the YD Monitoring Body, is represented by the Secretary General – Mr Abdérahmane Berthé and Manager Government Legal & industry Affairs – Mr Denis Kimani.

The main objective of the meeting is to develop an implementation roadmap for the YD/SAATM Annex 3 relating to the Regulations on Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) under the Yamoussoukro Decision, approved by the Extraordinary Session AU Sectoral Technical Committee for Transport, Transcontinental and Interregional Infrastructure, Energy and Tourism (STC TTIIET) dated 14th June 2022, and, adopted by the AU Executive Council on 14th July 2022.

The event is being held under the theme: “Accelerating Infrastructure to Deliver on Agenda 2063 Aspirations African Union Commission”.

AFRAA member airlines representatives have the opportunity to take up a VIP invitation in their capacity as an AFRAA airline member to attend GHI’s 6^th African Ground Handling International Stakeholders’ Conference, taking place in Cape Town from 12 – 13 September 2023.

This conference provides an essential live forum for bringing the region’s aviation community together to share best practice and cooperation on the big topics facing African aviation in 2023 whilst enjoying the high-quality networking, content, and personalisation that GHI prides itself on. Find out more: https://african.groundhandling.com/

The VIP free of charge full package includes personally scheduled virtual One-to-One Meetings and content sessions. Featuring more than 150 key decision makers from airlines, ground handlers, airports and equipment suppliers – GHI’s African Stakeholders’ Conference is a prestigious and supportive forum, which strives to advance Africa’s aviation growth.

To confirm your complimentary free-of-charge airline pass, please email alice@groundhandling.com today

For enquiries, please contact the undersigned.

Kind regards,
Alice Clarke
Delegate Services and Partnerships Director
Tel: +44 1322 626964
Email: alice@groundhandling.com