#BetterSkiesforAfrica – The African Airlines Association (AFRAA)

Posted on: September 21, 2021

Press Release: AFRAA and UNWTO to Cooperate to Restart of African Tourism and Travel

Madrid, Spain, 21 September 2021 – UNWTO has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) to work more closely together and strengthen the relationship between the aviation and tourism sectors.

The MoU was signed by Abdérahmane Berthé, AFRAA’s Secretary-General and UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvilil. Under the terms of the agreement, both parties will consult each other on matters and activities of mutual interest to develop greater connectivity and advance seamless travel across Africa. The two parties will also work together to encourage greater cooperation and dialogue between the transportation and tourism sectors within the continent.

Coordinated restart of African tourism

Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: “Coordination and cooperation are essential for the safe restart of tourism across Africa. Closer collaboration between our sector and aviation will also help African tourism grow in the years ahead, driving economic development and providing opportunities for millions of people throughout the continent.”

AFRAA Secretary General, Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé stated: “Aviation and tourism are interrelated and interdependent. By signing this MoU, AFRAA and UNWTO will augment the coherence between the two sectors as well as harmonize the respective regulatory frameworks and sectorial policies.”

In the more immediate term, the new MoU is aimed at helping mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on African aviation and restarting international travel. Looking further ahead, the agreement will also help grow the overall benefits of tourism and air transport within both national and regional economies.

About AFRAA

The African Airlines Association, also known by its acronym AFRAA, is a trade association of airlines from the member states of the African Union (AU). Founded in Accra, Ghana, in April 1968, and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, AFRAA’s mission is to promote, serve African Airlines and champion Africa’s aviation industry. The Association envisions a sustainable, interconnected and affordable Air Transport industry in Africa where African Airlines become key players and drivers to African economic development.

AFRAA membership of 46 airlines cuts across the entire continent and includes all the major intercontinental African operators. The Association members represent over 85% of total international traffic carried by African airlines. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

About UNWTO

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Posted on: September 17, 2021

Capacity Building Workshop on the Yamoussoukro Decision Institutional and Regulatory Texts for African Airlines, 29th to 30th September 2021

The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), is organizing a Capacity Building Workshop on dissemination of the Yamoussoukro Decision Regulatory texts dedicated to African Airlines. The Workshop, which will be in virtual format on Zoom platform and hosted by AFRAA Secretariat from 29th to 30th September 2021, is in response to the Decision establishing the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a critical AU Agenda 2063 flagship project [Assembly/AU/Dec.665 (XXX)]. The Decision requests the AUC to undertake Capacity Building of Member States, RECs, and other key aviation stakeholders on the application of Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) institutional and regulatory Texts.

The YD instruments which also constitute the regulatory framework of the SAATM, are: (i) Powers and Functions of the Executing Agency (EA), (ii) Competition Regulations, (iii) Consumer protection Regulations, and (iv) Dispute Settlement Mechanism, which is currently at advanced stage of elaboration. The workshop is open to all African Airlines including those which are not yet members of AFRAA in order to ensure wider dissemination on YD regulatory texts and the benefits of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

In view of the aforesaid, we would like to kindly invite you to nominate two experts involved in the implementation of air transport regulations and confirm their participation in the workshop by registering at your earliest convenience through this link:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LOMwwU0MSMGpKglZiSN8nA

Concept Note
The 30th Ordinary Summit of the African Union Assembly of Heads of States and Government summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2018 adopted the Institutional and Regulatory Instruments of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD). The adopted Texts being the Powers and Functions of the Executing Agency (EA), Competition Rules and Consumer Protection Regulations. The Dispute Settlement Mechanism is under further elaboration.

Download the full concept note here: Concept Note

Agenda
The proposed agenda can be downloaded from think link: Proposed Agenda

For more information or further assistance, please contact Mr. Blaise Muyanda (bmuyanda@afraa.org)

Posted on: September 16, 2021

AIRLINK CONFIRMS SELECTION OF ROLLS-ROYCE TOTALCARE® FOR ENGINE SERVICING

TotalCare® chosen for maintenance of AE3007-powered aircraft

10 September 2021 Rolls-Royce and Airlink have signed a TotalCare® service agreement for the AE3007 engines that power the South African airline’s fleet of Embraer ERJ135 aircraft. The agreement, which covers 28 aircraft, is an extension of service for a further 10 years, continuing the airline’s drive to maximise aircraft availability.

Airlink CEO, Rodger Foster, said; “Airlink and Rolls-Royce have worked hand in hand since the introduction of the ERJ135 to our fleet in May 2001. We operate 28 ERJs with a pool of 64 AE3007-A1/3 engines. We are proud of the phenomenal reliability we have achieved from these engines which have underpinned Airlink’s industry leading on-time performance, which has consistently been above 97%. Our TotalCare service agreement has been key to the management of engine maintenance costs and to ensuring the economic sustainability of the ERJ135 type for the foreseeable future. We are delighted at the dependability of the Rolls-Royce team and their engines.”

In 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Airlink carried more than 2 million customers on more than 63,000 flights. Airlink currently operates a reduced route network to more than 45 destinations in 12 African countries, whilst remaining agile to the effects of Covid-19 and associated travel restrictions. Airlink was proudly the most punctual South African airline for 2020; its year-to-date performance up to August 2021 has been 98.1% on-time.

“Our partnership with Airlink goes back to 2001 and this TotalCare extension is a testament to our strong working relationship and mutual trust of one another,” said Stewart Evans, Rolls-Royce, Vice President, Customers Europe Middle East & Africa, “I’m especially proud of the way both teams have worked closely together during the pandemic to manage maintenance costs effectively for both parties whilst enhancing our service offering at the same time. The entire team at Rolls-Royce is honoured to be able to serve Airlink and their customers for many more years to come.”

TotalCare is the flagship integrated engine service cover provided by Rolls-Royce. It is designed for predictive maintenance planning, as well as off-wing repair and overhaul activities for operators of Rolls-Royce aero engines. TotalCare transfers both time-on-wing and maintenance cost risks back to Rolls-Royce, as well as offering advanced engine health monitoring and future product enhancements.

Aircraft covered by TotalCare achieve higher availability, increased long-term residual values, and benefit from the global Rolls-Royce Care Network; a large, capable and competitive engine service network that caters for the needs of engines at every point in their life cycle.

END

Posted on: September 15, 2021

Beyond the crisis: Leveraging Airline Consolidation for Air Transport Industry Sustainability

15 September 2021

Air transport plays a fundamental role in Africa’s socio-economic development. The sector is a catalyst for promoting tourism and fostering trade and regional development. However, Africa represents less than 3% of global air traffic and over the past 15 years, the continent has had the lowest level of market consolidation compared to the other regions in the globe.

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Lufthansa Consulting and Kenya Airways staged a high level workshop on 14^th September 2021 on African airlines consolidation to discuss the reasons for few partnerships and limited airline consolidation, the challenges and benefits of consolidation and measures for action by industry stakeholders to address the situation.

Mr Abdérahmane Berthé – AFRAA Secretary General, in his remarks stated: “The aviation sector is reeling from the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic. We need to devise new approaches of doing business in the face of increasing concerns on the sustainability of African Airlines. A crucial element in the success of the African airlines is consolidation and collaboration. The engagement of States, airlines and all the relevant stakeholders is necessary to effectively achieve the required outcomes on airline consolidation in Africa.”

Speaking during the workshop, Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka said: ”It is crucial to retrace and learn from the footprints of consolidation from different parts of the world as we reset Africa’s aviation towards our collective dream for flying to a better future. Consolidation and collaboration are essential ingredients for resilience and sustainable business operations of airlines. The ripple effect of strengthened collaboration amongst airlines will be an increase in the industry’s contribution to the sustainable development of Africa and therefore we must elevate the tenor of discourse and make the airline industry matter in and for Africa”.

Ms. Catrin Drawer – Head of Market Africa, Lufthansa Consulting stated: “We require to meet the challenges of the “New Normal”, a reset in our thinking and approach. We require new business models, meaningful innovations in operations, adaptive management open to change, a growing true synergistic relationship between airlines and other relevant stakeholders. New challenges need new solutions now and in future to bring both resilience, and sustained success. Thus, synergy and meaningful partnering, whether through existing contracts and alliances or new agreements, will be essential. We cannot bring back yesterday but we may together shape the future.“

Lufthansa consulting experts provided an in-depth analysis and background of consolidation of airlines from a global to an African perspective. The impacts of consolidation for African airlines, passengers, cargo, air transport growth and connectivity were discussed. Case studies were presented at C-level by Kenya Airways, Air Afrique and Ethiopian Airlines to enrich the discussions with first-hand experiences on the challenges, benefits of consolidation as well as the lessons learnt.

Industry recommendations

The forum articulated the following recommendations for action by the industry:

Consideration of various models of consolidation including equity partnerships between two airlines or across a group of investments, cooperation between two or more well-matched airlines, or the formation of a new common airline. The concept of “Air Afrique” remains a valid consideration for Africa.
Implementation of appropriate corporate governance structure is necessary for consolidation. Political interference in the airline management is to be avoided.

Call to Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to finance the feasibility study of consolidation models.

Call for uniform implementation of harmonized regulations and the establishment of an enabling working relationship between regulators, airlines and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Enhancement of cooperation among African airlines (alliance of airlines, pooling resources, code sharing and interlining).
Call for support and commitment from Governments for airline consolidation in Africa.

Urge airlines to carry out careful evaluation of potential consolidation/partnerships based on factual data.
Exploration of cargo opportunities for air cargo consolidation.

Call for government and private sector collaboration to achieve concrete steps in airline consolidation.
“Walk the Talk” – translate ongoing discussions into action in the interest of delivering accelerated benefits to the aviation ecosystem

The important workshop brought together over 200 participants comprising airline CEOs, C-level representatives from airports, CAAs and other African air transport decision makers as well as the media.

The full recording of the Workshop can be viewed here below:

http://https://youtu.be/FMuFvGiIemo

To download the PowerPoint presentation, please do so through this link: Final Presentation

About AFRAA

AFRAA membership of 46 airlines cuts across the entire continent and includes all the major intercontinental African operators. The Association members represent over 85% of total international traffic carried by African airlines. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

About Lufthansa Consulting

Comprehensive advisory services – Aviation is our business

Lufthansa Consulting is an aviation and management consulting company, which is dedicated to assist international clients from the aviation sector and related industries to meet the challenges of the future successfully. Since 1988 the company has provided services and solutions to the air transportation industry in more than 3500 projects worldwide and is an independent subsidiary of the Lufthansa Aviation Group (Deutsche Lufthansa AG).

Lufthansa Consulting is in the unique position of offering comprehensive consultancy and expertise to aviation specific client groups: air carriers, airport authorities, civil aviation authorities, governments, investors, financial institutions, manufacturers, other industries and service related entities. We know the aviation business and we take pride in implementing our solutions.

Visit our website, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter and listen to our podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast and Amazon Music

About Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways, a member of the Sky Team Alliance, is a leading African airline flying to 41 destinations worldwide, 34 of which are in Africa and carries over four million passengers annually. In 2020 KQ was named Africa’s Leading Airline by the World Travel Awards. It continues to modernize its fleet with its 32 aircraft being some of the youngest in Africa. This includes its flagship B787 Dreamliner aircraft. Kenya Airways services cargo flights including London, Amsterdam, Guangzhou, Sharjah, Mumbai and over 25 intra-Africa routes in addition to its passenger network. The on-board service is renowned and the lie-flat business class seat on the wide-body aircraft is consistently voted among the world’s top 10. Kenya Airways takes pride in being at the forefront of connecting Africa to the World and the World to Africa through its hub at the new ultra-modern Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

For more information visit www.kenya-airways.com

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram

Posted on: September 13, 2021

Rwandair adds Two New Routes in DRC to its Network

Kigali, 13 September, 2021 RwandAir continues its recovery from the pandemic by adding additional routes to the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( from September. As of September 29, the Rwandan flag carrier is to launch new twice weekly services to both Lubumbashi, the DRC’s mining capital, and Goma capital of North Kivu province, on the shore of Lake Kivu on 15 October 2021.

Customers will be able to book directly through rwandair.com and fly on the airline’s regional Bombardier CRJ Series aircraft, which offers seating in both Economy and Business Class, with a De Havilland Dash 8 also operating to Goma.

Yvonne Manzi Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said “RwandAir ’s new twice weekly services to Lubumbashi and Goma will add more choice and flexibility for customers flying to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“We believe these new routes will be extremely popular with RwandAir customers and increase
both diplomatic and commercial links between the DRC and Rwanda.

“RwandAir is always looking for new markets to propel the airline’s network and enhance the
choice o f destinations and routes, not only across sub Saharan Africa, but also to longer haul
destinations.

“We hope to announce further new routes in due course to ensure we meet the demands of our
customers and continue to provide top flight destinations.”

RwandAir ’s first destination in DRC was Kinshasa in April 2019, with these two new services
tripling available capacity to the country.

Services to Lubumbashi will depart Kigali every Monday and Wednesday, as WB264 at 10:10 am arrives at 12:10 pm. The returning WB265, departs Lubumbashi at 5:00 pm, arriving back into Kigali at 7:00 pm.

Flights to Goma will also depart Kigali every Monday and Wednesday, as WB266 at 12:40 pm arrives at 1:20 pm. The returning WB267, departs Goma at 1:50 pm, arriving back into Kigali at 2:30 pm.

Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and represents the main industrial center for the mining district of southeastern Congo.

It acts as a hub for high volumes of the country’s largest mining companies, making it a hot spot for business travelers and is also home of the famous Simba Brewery, where the world renowned Tembo beer is produced.

Goma lies a few miles south of the active Nyiragongo Volcano, close to the border with Rwanda, on the shore of Lake Kivu, the largest lava in the world. The city is a great gateway to nearby wildlife, including Virunga National Park.

Book your flight now via rwandair.com

END

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Media Release: African airlines’ performance updates by AFRAA – August 2021

In the month of August 2021, air passenger traffic reached 46.8% compared to same month in 2019 while capacity was at 54.6%.

Domestic markets across Africa recorded a slight reduction in passenger demand although still outperforming intra-Africa and intercontinental traffic. Domestic traffic for the month under review was 58.9% compared to 22.7% for intra-Africa and 18.4% for intercontinental. On passenger capacity (seats offered), domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental accounted for 46.5%, 26.8% and 26.7% respectively.

Globally, the COVID 19 cases continue to rise despite the fact that 24.6% of the world’s population has been vaccinated. In Africa, just about 1.85% of the population has been fully vaccinated according to data available on the Africa CDC website. The Delta variant which is the source of recent infections is not sparing younger people either. The result is an increase in the number of younger people and children infected by the COV2 virus. In Africa, the number of deaths continues to rise while vaccination is progressing at a snail pace, thus causing concerns among the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors on recovery. Worldwide, the numbers of infected cases reached 200 million of which 7 million are in Africa. The global recovery rate stands at 97.7% compared to 97.3% in Africa.

Re-start of operations on intercontinental routes by African airlines reached 77.8% in August 2021, though frequency and capacity remained constrained. This represents a month-on-month increase in intercontinental operations of 3.1%. Airlines which added new intercontinental routes to their operations in August include: Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and Kenya Airways. It is worth noting that, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Royal air Maroc and RwandAir now operate to about 90% of their pre-COVID intercontinental destinations.

As previously reported, Mauritius remains the most impacted intra-Africa air travel destination in spite of the resumption of international flights in July. Abidjan and Dakar airports slightly exceeded their pre-COVID level of flights connectivity with other cities. Passenger arrivals and departures however remain depressed for both airports.

General passenger traffic continues to be low across Africa due to the ravaging impact of COVID-19, inconsistencies in the messaging regarding border closures and failure to align health protocols in some countries and across regions.

Full year revenue loss for African airlines in 2021 according to AFRAA is forecast at US$8.2b, approximately 47.2% of the full year 2019 airlines’ revenue. In 2020, African airlines made a cumulative loss of $10.21b, representing 58.8% of 2019 revenues. The poor revenue performance coupled with slow response to calls for support to African aviation and tourism sectors by governments and DFIs is a major threat to the survival of the African aviation industry. Governments should heed the calls by the African Union, AFCAC, AFRAA and other organizations to provide financial relief and support to the industry players most impacted by Covid-19 to avoid the collapse of the aviation industry.

Other related industry developments:

Victoria Falls and Kazungula (linking Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and to a lesser extent Namibia) border posts were opened for fully vaccinated tourists in a move aimed at reviving the tourism sector.
The United Arab Emirates National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) announced lifting of the transit flight ban imposed by UAE in some countries including India, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Uganda, effective 05 August 2021.
On 28 July, the UK Government announced latest policy review of its “traffic light” system stating that effective 02 August 2021, arrivals to the UK with a DCC (EU digital COVID certificate) or a US Vaccine Certificate (paper) can enter the United Kingdom without quarantine.

About AFRAA

Posted on: August 23, 2021

Airlines Consolidation Workshop, 14th September

African Airlines Association (AFRAA), in partnership with Lufthansa Consulting and Kenya Airways will hold a high level virtual workshop on Airlines Consolidation on 14 September 2021 from 13:00 – 16:30hrs (East Africa Time) in virtual format.

Objectives and Target Audience

This important workshop for airline CEOs, C-level representatives and African air transport decision makers at policy level will provide an in-depth background of consolidation of airlines and an awareness of the challenges as well as the benefits of consolidation. Case studies will be made by selected airline CEOs during the workshop to enrich the discussions with first-hand experiences. The workshop will:

Analyze the current market situation in Africa, overcapacities and its consequences;
Analyze the impacts of consolidation for African airlines, passengers, cargo, air transport growth and connectivity;
Share consolidation experiences among African airlines to provide stakeholders an understanding of the attributes and challenges of consolidation.
Discuss possible consolidation strategies for African Airlines
Sensitize stakeholders on the regulatory framework governing airlines consolidation
Sensitize States, Regional Economic Communities, financial institutions, multilateral agencies and African airlines on the benefits and challenges of consolidation.

Please click here to see the event agenda: Event Agenda

Registration

To register for this workshop, please click here

Concept Note:

The 30th Ordinary Summit of the African Union Assembly of Heads of States and Government summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2018 adopted the Institutional and Regulatory Instruments of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) to launch the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

The aviation industry has unquestionably remained one of the most ultra-competitive sectors within the world of business.

Hence Airlines are struggling over squeezing margins. The African airlines sector is fragmented and less profitable, and shows insufficient capacity discipline. Everyone wants a slice of the pie. The SAATM implementation will enhance competition among Airlines.

The history of consolidation within the aviation industry is mostly associated with the 1978 Deregulation Act in the United States. The free market did not work with a fragmentation of the sector, as evidenced by the United States market evolution. In 2018, the top four carriers controlled 74% of the market: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines or Southwest Airlines.

Read more of the concept note here: Concept Note

Posted on: August 9, 2021

Media Release: African airlines’ performance updates by AFRAA – July 2021

Release Date: 9th August

The African continent continues to witness a significant increase in number of Covid 19 cases. The situation seems to be getting out of control especially in South Africa where daily infection has now exceeded 15,000 cases. Some African governments are resorting to lockdowns again as a way to curb the surging COV2 infections and deaths. Europe is also not out of the woods yet, despite the fact that 50% of the adult population has been vaccinated.

The Delta variant is indeed a threat to the safe and smooth reopening of borders. Globally the number of infected cases reached 190 million out of which 6 million are in Africa. The global recovery rate stands at 97.6% as against 97.1% for Africa.

In the month of July 2021, air passenger traffic is estimated to have reached 42.9% compared to same month in 2019. Similarly, capacity reached 53.7% as of July 2021. Domestic markets across Africa continue to post better performance with demand for passenger travel outperforming intra-Africa and intercontinental at 64% compared to 22.9% for intra-Africa and 13.1% for intercontinental in May. As regards passenger seats offered, domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental account for 50.2%, 27.3% and 22.5% respectively.

African airlines restart of operations on international routes continued the positive trend observed in the last three months. May 2021 saw a resumption of 62.5% of international routes compared to the pre-Covid period, recovery further improved to 72.7% in June 2021 and 74.7% in the month under review. Some countries have been easing travel restrictions to facilitate the movement of people and tourists across borders. There is however concern that this positive trend may be reversed in subsequent months if the rate of Covid-19 infections continues to soar.

As regards intra – African connectivity, Mauritius remains the most impacted air travel destination, with a reduction of 98% of possible connections to/from African airports compared to February 2020. Connectivity however improved for the North and West African airports.

Generally across Africa, passenger traffic volumes remain low due to the inconsistencies in the messaging regarding border closures, health protocols and continued surge in Covid-19 infections in some countries. The result is significant low in airlines revenues. In the first 6 months of this year, AFRAA estimates cumulative revenue losses of US$5.0b by African airlines. Full year revenue loss for African airlines for 2021 is forecast at US$8.4b.

In 2020, African airlines made a cumulatively revenue loss of $10.21b due to the impacts of Covid-19. This poor performance is a direct threat to the survival of the African aviation industry if the trend continues’ to the end of the year. There is a need for governments to heed the call by the African Union, AFCAC, AFRAA and other organisations to provide financial reliefs and support to airlines to avoid their collapse.

Other regulatory Developments related to covid19 situation:

Moroccan authorities to resume flights to and from the Kingdom under exceptional authorizations.
Rwanda back into lockdown to curb surging coronavirus cases and deaths. International flights and tourism movements will however continue.
Elsewhere, the Italian Government published ”Technical Regulation” that will compel airlines to allocate seats for minors, disabled persons and passengers with disabilities close to their parents and/or care givers. The regulations came into force on 27 July 2021.
The EU has recommended the lifting of European travel restrictions for some third-countries. No African country is on the list published.

Posted on: August 3, 2021

Air Seychelles to resume Scheduled Flights to Mauritius in October

Air Seychelles will be resuming scheduled passenger flights to the neighbouring island of Mauritius this October, after an absence of more than 18 months on the route.

The return of the Seychelles flag carrier to the Indian Ocean Island, follows the announcement of the full reopening of the Mauritius borders starting from 1, October 2021, leading to further ease in movement for fully vaccinated travellers looking to explore the many treasures the tropical destination has to offer.

The flights between Seychelles and Mauritius set to start from 3 October, 2021 will be operated twice per week on Wednesdays and Sundays. The route will be serviced by the airline’s environmentally-friendly single-aisle aircraft of 168 seats.

Already on sale, the flights can be booked via airseychelles.com, the airline’s call centre via email at callcentre@airseychelles.com, by phoning 4391000 or through travel agents.

Travellers to Mauritius are requested to visit www.mauritiusnow.com to remain up to date with the latest entry requirements whilst for those bound to Seychelles please visit www.advisory.seychelles.travel. Note quarantine measures may be applicable for unvaccinated travellers in Mauritius.

As entry requirements at each destination may change due to the unprecedented environment, it is the responsibility of each traveller to verify and follow all COVID-19 pre-departure guidelines, in addition to ensuring all related travel documents are available upon check-in as requested by the country of destination.

The flight schedule between Seychelles and Mauritius starting 3 October, 2021 are as follows: The schedule shared is in the local time at each destination.

Media inquiries
Sheryl Barra, Air Seychelles Corporate Affairs
Tel: +248 2576398,
Email: sbarra@airseychelles.com

Source: Air Seychelles

Posted on: August 3, 2021

RwandAir and Qatar Airways join forces to give customers greater choice over combined networks

KIGALI, 2 August, 2021 – RwandAir customers will be able to explore even more of the world following its new partnership with Qatar Airways via their hubs at Kigali and Doha.

As part of the strategic partnership, the extensive interline agreement will give customers access to the networks of both airlines, providing a seamless travel experience and enhanced customer service the frequent flyers programmes.

Customers can pick and choose from over 160 destinations in the combined networks of both airlines, which are perfectly connected via their home main hubs.

This latest cooperation comes hot on the heels of the airlines’ recent loyalty partnerships announcement, giving RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members access to each other’s destinations with the opportunity to ‘earn and burn’ points across their reciprocal route networks.

Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We’re really excited to be opening up more of the world to our customers through the new interline agreement with Qatar Airways. “Delivering excellent customer experience is key for us and we know that any traveler flying with Qatar Airways or RwandAir, as part of the agreement, will continue to receive the same unrivalled level of service they’re used to from both airlines.”

His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al-Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said: “This partnership cements our commitment to giving travellers the widest choice of destinations, while providing a seamless, high quality travel experience, which is the goal of both Qatar Airways and RwandAir. “Africa is a hugely important market for us and this latest partnership will help support the recovery of international air travel and offer unrivalled connectivity to and from a number of new African destinations.”

RwandAir operates services throughout Africa and to long-haul destinations including London Heathrow, from its Kigali based hub. It was also the first African airline to be awarded the top Diamond status rating for COVID-prevention measures – the highest attainable level from APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying.

The airline’s customers will also be able to connect through Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha, the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating, to access Qatar Airways’ destinations on every continent, from Paris to Washington, Delhi to Hong Kong and many more.

With more frequencies being added to key hubs, Qatar Airways offers unrivalled connectivity to passengers, making it easy for them to change their travel dates or destination if required. Qatar Airways serves Kigali from Doha five times per week via Entebbe, utilizing its sustainable and fuel efficient Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

The airline’s customers can transit via Kigali to a diverse range of African destinations including Bujumbura, Brazzaville and Libreville.

Qatar Airways was recently named Airline of the Year 2021 by Airline Ratings, also clinching Best Middle East Airline, Best Catering, and Best Business Class awards and became the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organization, Skytrax.

For full details of all the safety measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety. This follows the success of Hamad International Airport (HIA) as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

For further information, please contact: communications@rwandair.com

Source: Rwandair

Press Release: AFRAA and UNWTO to Cooperate to Restart of African Tourism and Travel

Capacity Building Workshop on the Yamoussoukro Decision Institutional and Regulatory Texts for African Airlines, 29th to 30th September 2021

AIRLINK CONFIRMS SELECTION OF ROLLS-ROYCE TOTALCARE® FOR ENGINE SERVICING

Beyond the crisis: Leveraging Airline Consolidation for Air Transport Industry Sustainability

Rwandair adds Two New Routes in DRC to its Network

Media Release: African airlines’ performance updates by AFRAA – August 2021

Airlines Consolidation Workshop, 14th September

Media Release: African airlines’ performance updates by AFRAA – July 2021

Air Seychelles to resume Scheduled Flights to Mauritius in October

RwandAir and Qatar Airways join forces to give customers greater choice over combined networks

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afraa@afraa.org

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