The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) > #BetterSkiesforAfrica
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International Pilot Academy and Air Djibouti Announce a New Partnership

Ottawa – Canada, July 27, 2021 – During a virtual ceremony held today, Air Djibouti and International Pilot Academy announced a partnership to launch a new Pilot Training Center in Djibouti, starting in January 2022.

The training center will allow students from all over the world to register in the Integrated Airline Transport Pilot License offered by International Pilot Academy and obtain the corresponding certification from Transport Canada.

Abdourahman Ali Abdillahi, CEO of Air Djibouti stated that “The project will be novel of its kind in Horn of Africa. We are glad to welcome students from around the globe to Djibouti, which is one of the most peaceful countries in the world.” He further said that “the suitable economic standards for students and favourable climate with little seasonal variation translates to good flying weather all year round thus saving cost and money on training.” Mr. Abdillahi added that “the project will help increase the level of activity in Djibouti and demonstrate that our investment has a positive economic impact for the region.”

Jules Selwan, President and CEO of International Pilot Academy confirmed that “International Pilot Academy already has more than a decade of experience in professional pilot training. This training hub in Djibouti gives students the opportunity for higher training standards within a Canadian Flight Training Organization.”

For more information, please contact;

 Air Djibouti                                        +253 21 34 37 37        communications@air-djibouti.com

International Pilot Academy            +1 819-800-9918         admissions@intlpilotacademy.com

Source: Air Djibouti

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Coastal Travels Limited Completes IATA Standard Safety Assessment

Coastal Travels Limited is pleased to announce that‚ it has successfully completed the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) designed for commercial passenger and/or cargo operators and the airline is now on the ISSA registry. The ISSA program is a global safety standard for commercial operators not covered by existing programs.

The IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) Program is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

This achievement is a reflection of Coastal Travels Limited’s commitment to safety and compliance. With the dynamic aviation market today, particularly with regards to how it affects traveling passengers globally, it is critical that airline operators raise their standards with regards to safety and compliance. This is what Coastal Travels Limited has achieved with this certification from IATA.

Coastal Travels Limited, being the pioneer safari operator in Tanzania, has been awarded this prestigious ISSA certification by IATA to validate its compliance to globally accepted safety standards and recommended practices.

Coastal is currently the only operator in Africa in the ISSA Registry.

To achieve this, the following operational management and control systems of Coastal Travels Limited was rigorously assessed by IATA to determine its level of conformity to all the ISSA Standards and Recommended Practices:

  • Organization & Management (ORG)
  • Flight Operations (FLT)
  • Maintenance & Engineering (MNT)
  • Operational Control & Dispatch (DSP)
  • Ground Handling (GRH)
  • Cargo (CGO)
  • Security (SEC)

Following the assessment and various quality control processes, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) came to a conclusion on 18th June, 2021 that Coastal Travels Limited is worthy of being listed among accredited safe airlines globally.

The benefits and opportunities this prestigious ISSA certification brings to Coastal, its clients, business partners and customers are:

  1. Reduction of redundant audits
  2. Marketing and commercial advantages such as codeshares and interline agreements
  3. Reduction of insurance premiums
  4. Preliminary step to IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit)
  5. Objective measurement of Coastal Travels Limited conformity
  6. Implementation of Safety Management System (SMS)

This is most certainly an achievement we are honored to have earned!! The coastal team wishes to reaffirm its commitment to providing reliable, safe and a most pleasurable safari experience to all our guest.

“We have remained focused on safety being the top of our agenda. Having completed 2 years of vigorous training and assessments of our pilots and introducing 2-crew MCC (Multi-Crew Coordinated) cockpit, we are now delving deeper. Our team go through regular re-evaluation – there is a constant eye on our day-to-day operations and ensuring that we are following our Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). It is an everlasting journey with an elusive destination, but contributes to passenger reassurance and comfort. That chronic sense of unease is what will keep us alert and ready to respond.

 The continual training and assessment of our pilots has further evolved, as we have established a standards department responsible for ensuring that all of our pilots and all of our flights follow the Coastal standard. We take feedback from multiple sources, including our own internal reporting, feedback from customers and other operators, to bring our teams to task.” – Capt. Maynard Mkumbwa, Managing Director & Accountable Manager.

The journey to promote ever increasing standards of safety and operations is continuous and needs focus and determination. Coastal Travels Limited, is fortunate to have a new Managing Director & Accountable Executive, Capt. Maynard Mkumbwa who has worked for Coastal Travels Limited for more than 20 years and has more than 30 years of working experience in the aviation industry.

Source: Coastal Travels

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RwandAir is the first African airline to achieve Diamond status in the APEX Health Safety audit powered by SimpliFlying

RwandAir has become the first African airline to be awarded the top Diamond status rating for COVID-19 prevention measures – the highest attainable level.

The award comes from APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying, for the airline’s sustained work to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitisation for its customers and crew.

The Diamond rating positions RwandAir as the safest airline in Africa and comes after RwandAir was recently announced as the first African airline to vaccinate all staff.

APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying, sets the industry benchmark for customer-centric COVID-19 certification. It provides a scientifically-based validation system to encourage airlines to reach the highest possible standards for health and hygiene, and help restore customer confidence to fly, following the devastating impact of travel restrictions on aviation.

Each participating airline has to complete a 58-point checklist, which covers submission, verification, validation, and a quarterly review certification process.

Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, said: “The health and safety of our customers and staff is the top priority for RwandAir, so we are delighted to be awarded Diamond status from APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying, for our COVID-19 prevention measures.

“Reaching the highest attainable level for hygiene standards is a powerful clean bill of health for the airline, and validation for all the hard work we have put in to ensure the safest possible traveller experience for our customers and staff.

“We know that restoring customer confidence to fly is critical to resume safe international travel, which is why we have undertaken a 360-degree approach to ensuring that every aspect of our operations meet the highest standards.

“From the deep cleaning and disinfection of aircraft, to automatic hand sanitiser dispensers available throughout Kigali International Airport, our hub, we have looked at every aspect of the customer journey to ensure we keep COVID-19 at bay and protect those who fly with us.

“Passengers are required to wear face masks throughout the flight, while our aircraft are equipped with HEPA filters to remove 99.9% of germs.

“With all of these protective measures in place, we are confident that customers will begin to fly once again, and travel safely both within Africa and internationally with RwandAir. As Rwanda’s doors are now open for tourism, we look forward to welcoming passengers from around the world to experience the country’s natural wonders, while staying safe and healthy.

Joe Leader, APEX CEO, said: “RwandAir has demonstrated the highest possible level of care for its customers becoming the first African airline to reach the hospital-grade Diamond level of APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying’s comprehensive review.

“RwandAir proves that reaching this level of health safety does not depend upon the size of the airline, but rather the incredibly proactive steps taken for customer and staff wellbeing. We are deeply proud of RwandAir as a rising star for our entire airline industry in Africa.”

“RwandAir has made a great breakthrough in implementing their health safety strategy along the whole customer journey since the beginning of the pandemic. Successful vaccination of all staff, implementation of the robots throughout the terminal in Kigali airport that are able to tell passengers temperature and confirm whether they are wearing a mask — these measures bring RwandAir to the forefront of the aviation industry in terms of safety” said SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam. “Taking such measures in ensuring health safety will help bolster trust among travellers,” he added.

The award from APEX Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying, gives airlines a proactive role in helping resume international travel, creates a common standard for airlines for the health and safety of passengers and highlights successful aviation industry practices.

For more information about RwandAir, please visit www.rwandair.com.
ENDS
For further information, please contact: communications@rwandair.com

Source: Rwandair

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RwandAir Dream miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club launch loyalty partnership for frequent fliers

KIGALI, 12 July, 2021 – RwandAir has become the first – and only – Sub-Saharan African airline to launch a loyalty partnership with Qatar Airways.

The two carriers have joined forces to offer 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.

Under the new deal, RwandAir Dream Miles members will be able to fly to more than 140 Qatar Airways destinations using miles earned by flights bought through RwandAir.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club members will have the ability to earn miles on RwandAir’s flights, both within Africa and on long-haul routes, to destinations such as New York and London.

Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, said: “RwandAir is incredibly proud to be the first Sub-Saharan African airline to enter into partnership with Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

“Customer loyalty is of huge importance to both RwandAir and Qatar Airways. We both strive to put the customer experience first and give recognition to our most frequent fliers.

“Now RwandAir Dream Miles customers will be able to earn and burn points to give them access to flights across Qatar Airways’ extensive route network, with the same reciprocal benefits to Qatar Airways Privilege Club members.
“We believe this initiative is a major step forward to greater cooperation between Africa’s most ambitious airline and one of the world’s most prestigious international carriers, and we look forward to further enhancing the benefits of our Dream Miles members.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H.E. Mr Akbar Al Baker said: “Our partnership with RwandAir opens up a world of possibilities for the customers of both airlines, allowing them to discover exciting destinations. Members of Privilege Club and Dream Miles can enjoy significant benefits including world class travel experiences on our strong complementary networks.

Since RwandAir launched its Dream Miles loyalty programme in 2011 it has grown in popularity and become a favourite of the airline’s frequent fliers.

The Dream Miles programme has four tiers of membership, with Emerald forming the entry level, entitling members to a free ticket using award miles, eligibility for a flight upgrade, as well as last minute cabin upgrades and up to 40kgs excess baggage using award miles.

In addition, Silver tier members, who have earned 25,000 ‘Tier Miles’ or taken 20 flights in a year, are entitled to an additional 10kg of checked-in baggage, can earn 25% bonus miles on all RwandAir flights and be given priority on the waitlist. Gold tier members, who have earned 50,000 miles or taken 40 flights a year, enjoy a wide range of benefits, including 50% bonus miles on all RwandAir flights and 15kg extra checked baggage allowance. They can also receive a free ticket and complimentary upgrade to the higher cabin using miles, as well as priority check-in, baggage tagging, Business Class lounge access and high priority on the waitlist. RwandAir’s most highly-valued frequent flyers can benefit from Diamond tier status in reward for earning 100,000 miles or taking 60 flights a year. Benefits include 100% bonus miles on all RwandAir flights, an additional 23kg of checked baggage and one free upgrade to Business Class per year when travelling in the Economy cabin. Following two years of consecutive Diamond status, their tier will be automatically extended for a further two years.

Source: Rwandair

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Royal Air Maroc renforce son programme de vols pour la saison d’été  

Casablanca, le 1er Juillet 2021 – Dans la continuité de l’opération exceptionnelle lancée depuis le 13 juin 2021 par Royal Air Maroc en application des Hautes Instructions de SM Le Roi, et afin de répondre à la forte demande des Marocains du Monde, la Compagnie Nationale renforce son offre en mobilisant des avions affrétés pendant la saison d’été 2021.

Les avions affrétés viendront appuyer l’offre déjà déployée par les moyens propres de Royal Air Maroc. La Compagnie Nationale programmera, dès le début de juillet, près de 1.400 vols supplémentaires d’une capacité totale de plus de 220.000 sièges. Outre le renforcement des routes aériennes traditionnelles reliant Casablanca et les grands aéroports du Royaume à l’Europe, Royal Air Maroc lancera 11 nouvelles lignes directes reliant les villes marocaines aux grandes métropoles européennes qui connaissent une forte concentration de la communauté des Marocains du Monde.

Casablanca

Parallèlement au renforcement des lignes aériennes qui connaissent un trafic dense, la Compagnie Nationale lancera, à partir du 06 juillet, la ligne Casablanca-Naples à raison de 2 fréquences (tous les mardis et samedis).

Fès

Renforcement de la ligne Fès-Paris et lancement de 7 nouvelles lignes : Amsterdam, Bruxelles, Lyon, Toulouse, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Marseille.

 Oujda

  • Paris : Renforcement du programme de vols sur la capitale française en injectant un troisième vol quotidien. Désormais, Oujda sera reliée à Paris par 3 vols quotidiens, soit 21 fréquences par semaine.
  • Bruxelles : 6 fréquences par semaine au lieu de trois.
  • Marseille : 4 fréquences par semaine au lieu de deux.

 Tanger

Lancement de la ligne Tanger-Lyon et renforcement des lignes Tanger-Paris, Tanger-Amsterdam et Tanger Bruxelles.

 Nador

Lancement de la ligne Nador-Eindhoven (Pays-Bas) et renforcement des lignes Nador-Amsterdam, Nador-Bruxelles, Nador-Düsseldorf et Nador-Frankfurt.

Il est à signaler par ailleurs que, dans le cadre du renforcement de son programme de vols, Royal Air Maroc affrètera plusieurs avions auprès d’une compagnie internationale de référence. Ces appareils de dernière génération sont sélectionnés selon un processus rigoureux qui respecte toutes les réglementations et normes de sûreté et de sécurité, et qu’ils ont été approuvés par les autorités d’aviation civile des pays où ils opèrent.

Exigences des pays de départ et d’arrivée

Royal Air Maroc rappelle aux passagers qui embarquent sur ses vols la nécessité de se conformer aux exigences édictées par les pays de départ et d’arrivée. A défaut, Royal Air Maroc se verra obligée de refuser l’embarquement aux passagers ne remplissant pas ces exigences.

Royal Air Maroc rappelle en particulier que certains pays exigent le renseignement préalable de formulaires en ligne.

Les exigences des pays évoluant de façon continue, Royal Air Maroc met à la disposition de ses clients un lien constamment mis à jour à l’adresse suivante :https://conditionsdevoyage.royalairmaroc.com/

Source: Royal Air Maroc

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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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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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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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African airlines’ performance updates by AFRAA – May 2021

Release Date: 07th June 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic continues its devastating effects on the aviation, travel and tourism industry. The number of Covid-19 infection cases globally continues to increase in absolute terms though the rate of infection is on the decline in all world regions in April compared to prior months. The number of infection cases worldwide exceeded 165m as at 20 May 2021. In Africa, the number of infections stood at 4.7m, representing 2.8% of the global total. The countries with the highest infection in Africa are: South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt. The recovery rate in May is 97.5% and 97.1% for global and Africa respectively.

Traffic recovery for Jan-May was 37% of 2019 level. In May alone, traffic declined by 62.2% compared to same month in 2019. Similarly, capacity declined 53.1% compared to May 2021. Mauritius remains the most impacted hub, with a reduction of 98% of possible connections to/from African airports compared to March 2020. Connectivity at Nairobi JKIA reduced mainly due to schedule adjustments and frequency reduction of national carrier, KQ.

Demand for domestic passenger travel continues to out-perform intra-Africa and intercontinental at 61.5% compared to 23.1% for intra-Africa and 15.1% for intercontinental. In terms of capacity seats offered, domestic, intra-Africa and intercontinental account for 47.7%, 27.2% and 25.1% respectively.

After 3 consecutive months of increase in the number of international routes operated by African airlines (February-April), May saw a dip following border closure announcements by the governments of Algeria and Morocco resulting in airlines in the 2 countries suspending some routes. Ethiopian, RwandAir and SA Airlink however re-opened more routes in May. But the general constrained passenger demand is due to continued increase in Covid-19 cases globally, constantly evolving travel health advisories as well as restrictive access to many tourist sites around the world.

With the low volume of traffic, airlines continue to suffer major losses month after month. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, airlines loss $2.6b and the estimate for Q2 is $2.5b. In 2020, African airlines cumulatively loss $10.21b.

In related Covid-19 developments

  • The government of Tanzania introduced more restrictive Covid-19 travel advisory effective 04 May 2021 to align with similar restrictions in the region.
  • The Nigeria announced it will deny entry to all passengers originating from Brazil, India and Turkey. Airlines that land passengers from any of these countries will be subjected to a fine of not less than $3,500 per passenger.
  • Good news from South Africa is that, the business rescue practitioners filed a notice on 30 April, which ended the rescue and restructuring process of South African Airways, saying the airline was now solvent and liquid.

 

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Press Release – AFRAA releases the 2020 Africa Air transport report

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has released the 2020 Africa air transport report. The report gives an in-depth analysis of Africa’s air transport industry performance for 2020 covering: financial performance, passenger and cargo traffic evolution, airport ranking, intra Africa connectivity and openness.

 AFRAA 2020 Africa Air transport report Highlights

 1. Financial performance

2020 was an exceptionally difficult year in history. The travel industry was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimated Passenger Revenue loss for Africa airlines in 2020 is US$ 10.21 billion.

 2. Passenger Traffic Evolution

The number of scheduled Passengers carried by African airlines dropped from 95 million in 2019 to 34.7 million in 2020, representing a year-on-year decline of 63.7%. The reduction in traffic continued until June, before reversing with the gradual opening of borders.

Northern Africa was the leading region in terms of passenger volumes, representing 36.6% of the total continental traffic. This was followed by Eastern Africa with a share of 22.2%.

3. Airport Ranking

Johannesburg and Cairo were the busiest airports in Africa in 2020. The only West & Central African airport in the top 10 ranking is Lagos.

In terms of cargo volumes, Nairobi Jomo Kenya airport was top, handling more than 330 thousand tons of freight during the year 2020. Cairo was second with 280 thousand tons.

In terms of airport charges, Lusaka had the highest level of airport charges while Mahe Island had the lowest. Some of the busiest airports in Africa like Johannesburg, Addis, Algiers are among the least expensive. This indicates that lowering the airport charges can have a positive effect on traffic.

4. Intra Africa connectivity and openness

Among the 54 countries in the African continent, 13 have direct flights to more than 20 African countries. Ethiopia and Kenya lead with 30 direct flights and more to other countries within Africa.

However, intra-African connectivity remains low. African airlines should take the opportunity to develop their Intra-African Network, especially in this period where the EU has limited travels to Europe.

The report can be accessed via the link:  https://afraa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AFRAA-AIR-TRANSPORT-REPORT-Q1_-2021.pdf

 

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