African airlines meet over safety, others

AFRICAN airlines, under the aegis of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), will today in Nairobi, Kenya, begin deliberation on how the continent’s carriers can tackle air safety, security, cut industry costs and human capital development.

A statement by Secretary General, AFRAA, Elijah Chingosho, stated that the body has identified the need for a one-stop forum where “we bring together suppliers of services such as aircraft, engines, equipment, components, spares, ICT services, training solutions, among others”.

This, he noted, would facilitate interaction, net-working and sharing of ideas and views on how the continent can move aviation forward since air transport is critical to Africa’s socio-economic development, promotion of international trade, tourism and regional integration, among others.

Chingosho stated that aviation growth was delivering benefits to Africa, saying that directly and indirectly, air transport creates about half a million jobs across various sectors and generates several billions of dollars for Africa.

His words: “An example of the growth of aviation in Africa is that in 2010, African airlines’ passenger traffic grew by 12.90 per cent while cargo went up by 23.80 per cent compared to 2009”.

Chingosho added that strong growth of African economies, a widening middle -income class, plus the influx of foreign investments, are expected to continue to spur air transport growth in Africa.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) traffic forecast indicates that the top three highest traffic growth regions of the world over the next decade are the Middle-East, Asia and Africa.

“Africa’s tourism is also growing. Both domestic and international tourism is projected to continue the positive growth trend in the years ahead. These tourists will largely rely on reliable and efficient air transport services. We need to share ideas on how we can further improve the African air transport system for the benefit of our valuable customers”, Chingosho added.

The three-day convention would help expose the carriers to significant growth opportunities.