AFRAA estimates that the loss of revenues by African airlines for the year 2020 due to the pandemic stands at US$10.21 billion. The safe re-opening of borders by governments and relaxation of travel restrictions is necessary to stimulate the much needed demand for the resumption of air travel.

The infographic can be downloaded from this link: https://afraa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Actions-for-Safe-and-Efficient-re-Opening-of-Borders.pdf 

The following actions are key for the safe and efficient re-opening of Borders:

1. Harmonisation of health security protocols

Systematic testing, harmonization of health security protocols, mutual recognition across countries and streamlining of health screening processes is necessary to enhance passenger experience.

• The harmonization should include the validity period of the negative certificate.
• The validity period selected should be reasonable.

States should remain vigilant to all applicable regulations, laws, guidelines, and standards issued by national and international authorities aiming at minimizing infection and maintaining a safe public health corridor during travel.

2. Reduction of high PCR test costs in Africa

The PCR test costs are very high in some African states. 11 African States charge between US$ 50-100 while 7 others charge above US$ 100. AFRAA’s call to governments is for the reduction of the high cost of testing fees. 

 AFRAA commends the harmonised ECOWAS Protocol for cross border movement of persons and goods during the pandemic and capping of the cost of PCR test for ECOWAS nationals at a maximum of US$50. We call upon the ECOWAS States to implement this reduction. We further call for the extension of the cost reduction to non-ECOWAS travellers.

Ghana for instance, has reduced the fees from USD$150 to USD$50 for ECOWAS nationals but the fee for non-ECOWAS nationals remains at USD$150.

3. Vaccination

Vaccination will mitigate the greatest risks. However, until when there is satisfactory access to the vaccine, reasonable vaccination coverage and sufficient evidence and guidance on the use of the vaccine is available, AFRAA and industry stakeholders is calling for States not to impose the vaccination as a mandatory pre-entry and exit criteria for travel.

On the shipment of vaccines to and within Africa, AFRAA appeals for the prioritization of African carriers with capacity for transportation, storage and distribution of the vaccine.

More information on AFRAA actions and initiatives is available on AFRAA website: https://afraa.org/corona_news/

This episode is the sixth in our “Audience with” series of live audience interviews recorded live on 12th February 2021.

Mr. Berthé is the Secretary General of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the leading trade association for African airlines. He is also an air transport industry expert.

In the session, we discuss the following:

• AFRAA’s current priorities
• Access to financing for all African airlines
• Member sentiment towards SAATM and AfCFTA
• Collaboration between member airlines through harnessing new technologies

http://https://youtu.be/pLqWM-VM25c

The interview can also be accessed through the following social media sites:

Linkedin | Facebook| Twitter

Cape Town, South Africa – Hi-Fly Marketing has launched Africa’s first dedicated aviation industry personnel agency, Hi-Fly Talent & Resourcing, to match airlines, aircraft maintenance providers and other aviation businesses across the continent and beyond with qualified and competent African executives and specialist talent.

 The new agency is a natural extension of Hi-Fly Marketing’s successful business which has been providing Africa’s aviation industry with IT and technical services over the past 12 years.

 “Africa’s aviation industry boasts a wealth of experienced talent.  According to a recent IATA study, the sector employed over 500,000 people in 2018.  About half of them were employed by airlines or handling agents with airports, air navigation services, aerospace manufacturing and other service providers accounting for the other 50 percent.  COVID-19 has shaken up the industry and the job market.  It requires a fresh and innovative approach to talent spotting and recruiting,” explained Hi-Fly Founder, Alexandra Guillot.

The new agency takes advantage of Hi-Fly Marketing’s extensive African aviation industry knowledge and contact network to provide consultative, research-based and solution-oriented sourcing services.  This fills the void left by other more general or geographically limited temporary and permanent placement agencies.

“As the industry starts to rebuild, there is an opportunity to establish effective teams using regional expertise.  We know how crucial and challenging it can be to find the right candidates in Africa, but we are opening the door to those new recruitment possibilities by matching aviation businesses with the best professionals right across the continent,” added Ms Guillot.

Hi-Fly Talent & Resourcing uses a unique and personalised assessment process to maintain a focus on identifying the best quality – not quantity – candidates for temporary and permanent placements.

The agency is specifically aimed at qualified professionals, who are specialists in their various fields, such as aeronautical engineers, safety managers, technical sales and marketeers, airport and operations managers, network schedulers, fleet managers, etc.

About Hi-Fly Marketing:

The company was established in 2008 and is based in Cape Town, South Africa from where it provides consultancy services throughout Africa’s aviation industry.  It represents various global service providers in the region and has supported more than 50 airlines and other commercial aircraft and helicopters operators at each step of their development, mainly through dedicated IT and engineering solutions.  Hi-Fly Marketing’s success is built on its unique set of strong client and industry partnerships.

Further information: 

Alexandra Guillot
alex@hiflymarketing.com
Tel: +27 (0)21 813 6980 | Cell: +27 (0)82 5749694

Source: Hi-Fly Marketing

Hahn Air announced that its IATA certified NDC platform now accepts BSP Cash as an additional form of payment for connected travel agencies in more than 190 markets worldwide. At the same time, the company introduces new connections to three air content aggregators, an OTA and an award-winning travel app.

The aggregators Duffel, Thomalex and AirGateway now enable travel agencies to access content from Hahn Air’s NDC platform featuring Hahn Air’s over 350 partner airlines. This includes the ability to shop for, price, pay, book and ticket their customers’ chosen itineraries. Innovative UK-based software start-up Duffel provides the connection to Hahn Air’s NDC platform to its international customer base, among others, the fast-growing French OTA Ulysse and the Chilean travel management start-up Milla. US-based Thomalex is an online booking platform for small and mid-sized travel agencies, OTAs and TMCs. AirGateway from Germany can be used by any travel agency worldwide, whether IATA accredited or not. Also joining the portfolio of Hahn Air’s NDC partners with a direct connection are German online travel agency Flyla.com and the innovative personal travel assistant, App in the Air.

“We are very proud to see our NDC platform developing rapidly and we are very pleased to be working with such innovative partners as Duffel, Thomalex, AirGateway, Flyla.com and App in the Air”, says Christopher Allison, Head of NDC at Hahn Air. “In the coming months, we will continue to connect more agencies, aggregators and partner airlines to our platform and introduce new features such as enhanced processes for itinerary changes and schedule changes as well as additional support for ancillary services. We believe that NDC will play an important role in overcoming the current industry crisis caused by COVID-19.”

Hahn Air’s NDC platform gives Hahn Air partner airlines access to an additional distribution channel as well as the word of NDC without having to develop their own solution. Travel agents benefit from access to Hahn Air’s partner airlines and can use their preferred forms of payment in more than 190 markets, including credit card and the recently launched BSP Cash.

For more details about Hahn Air and its solutions for partner airlines and travel agents, visit www.hahnair.com

Source: Hahn Air

Air Seychelles has added Tel Aviv back to its route network following the successful restart of commercial passenger services between Israel and the Seychelles.

The national carrier operated its first flight from Ben Gurion Airport in the late evening on Tuesday, 17 November arriving at the Seychelles International Airport at 7.45am.

Commanded by Captain Vincent Carlier together with First Officer Bertrand Mein, the excited guests flying to paradise were tended to by Cabin Manager Joanne Auguste, Cabin Senior Christinne Henriette as well as Flight Attendant Herve Bonne and Elaine Marie. The flight was also supported by Engineer Denys Hassan.

During the month of November, Air Seychelles will operate four-weekly flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Tel Aviv to the Seychelles. Carefully timed with late evening departures from Tel Aviv, the flight will allow guests to fall asleep throughout their journey and wake up completely refreshed, ready to discover the many treasures of the Seychelles Island upon arrival in the morning.

The returning flight set on Mondays and Wednesdays will depart Seychelles at 1730hrs to arrive in Tel Aviv at 2150hrs.

Source: Air Seychelles

Ticketing and distribution leader, Hain Air, announced that it has established contracts with six new partner airlines during the past quarter, bringing the total number of new carriers implemented this year to 13. Air Liaison (DU) from Canada, Blue Islands (SI) from the United Kingdom, Corendon Airlines Europe (XR) from Malta, Corendon Airlines (XC) from Turkey, Jet Fly (JFL) from Austria and Tayaran Jet (E8) from Bulgaria can now benefit from an expanded distribution reach and incremental revenue in up to 190 markets.

“Now more than ever, airlines recognise the immense value they can gain from a partnership with Hahn Air,” says Alexander Proschka, Executive Vice President Commercial. “Being the number one expert in indirect distribution, we offer more than 20 years of sales expertise, our unparalleled network of over 350 partner airlines and our reliable and cost-effective solutions which will bring immediate business results. We stand by our airline and travel agency partners to get their businesses back on track.”

With its ticketing and distribution solutions, the German airline Hahn Air facilitates global business between travel agencies and airlines. Hahn Air partner airlines can choose from different distribution solutions. HR-169 enables airlines that have at least one GDS contract in place to sell tickets in markets where they are not connected to a local settlement system (e.g. BSP, ARC or TCH). H1-Air and X1-Air are the products for airlines wanting to enter the GDS world or looking to expand their ticket sales to additional GDSs and more than 100,000 travel agencies.

Of the new partners, the carriers Air Liaison (DU), Blue Islands (SI), Corendon Airlines Europe (XR), Jet Fly (JFL) and Tayaran Jet (E8) join Hahn Air Technology’s X1-Air network and are now available in Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport under the designator X1. Corendon Airlines (XC) complements the H1-Air network of Hahn Air Systems and can be booked under the code H1 in the following ten major GDSs: Amadeus, Axess, Galileo, Infini, Sabre, Sabre Pacific (formerly Abacus), Sirena, Travelport, Travelsky and Worldspan.

Source: Hahn Air

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has the pleasure to congratulate Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé, the Secretary General of the Association, on the award recognition at the 2020 Air Transport Awards, which took place on 28 August 2020, in Athens, Greece. The ATN Individual Award has been presented to Mr. Berthé in recognition of his efforts at the helm of AFRAA which have culminated to being ranked as a pioneer in the African aviation industry. This further emphasizes AFRAA’s leadership to represent and serve African airlines as we work closely with our members, partners, industry organizations, governments and stakeholders.

On the occasion of the award, Mr. Berthé stated: “I am honored to receive this award from ATN. I will not relent in continuous innovative efforts, with the support of the AFRAA Secretariat, members and partners, to achieve significant transformation that will develop and sustain the airlines industry while positively impacting the economic progress across the African continent.”

L’Association des compagnies aériennes africaines (AFRAA) a le plaisir de féliciter M. Abdérahmane Berthé, le Secrétaire général de l’Association, pour le prix de reconnaissance obtenu lors des Prix du transport aérien 2020, qui ont eu lieu le 28 août 2020 à Athènes en Grèce. Le Prix individuel ATN a été remis à M. Berthé en reconnaissance de ses efforts à la tête de l’AFRAA qui ont abouti à être classé comme un pionnier de l’industrie aéronautique africaine. Cela souligne davantage le leadership de l’AFRAA pour représenter et servir les compagnies aériennes africaines pendant que nous travaillons en étroite collaboration avec nos membres, partenaires, organisations de l’industrie, gouvernements et parties prenantes.

A l’occasion de la remise du prix, M. Berthé a déclaré: “Je suis honoré de recevoir ce prix de ATN. Je ne baisserai pas dans les efforts d’innovation continus, avec le soutien du Secrétariat de l’AFRAA, des membres et des partenaires, pour réaliser une transformation significative qui va développer et soutenir l’industrie aérienne tout en ayant un impact positif sur le progrès économique à travers le continent africain. ”

Source: Air Transport News (ATN)