AIRLINES should focus
on what customers want
– lower fares and greater
connectivity – in finding a
business model that works,
says Comair’s Wrenelle
Stander.
She was speaking during
a panel discussion among
airline chief executives,
which pondered how
Southern African airlines
could overcome constraints
and move forward.
“At Comair we embrace
liberalisation. We are lucky
enough to compete in
the full-service and lowcost markets. Comair is a
diversified company beyond
the airline business. A
big focus will be on future
technology and making
sure that we continue to
be cost effective. We have
to think outside of the box
and we mustn’t constrain
ourselves.”
TAAG Angola Airlines
ceo, Rui Carreira, felt
governments should make
access to the aviation
industry less expensive,
lighten taxes to reduce
airlines’ operating costs and
improve infrastructure so
that airlines could be more
competitive. “Airlines must
produce solid and realistic
business plans and have
the right fleet.”
FlySafair ceo, Elmar
Conradie, felt the ultimate
enabler was to grow middleclass economies in Africa.
“Because low-cost carriers
fly larger-gauge aircraft, we
depend on markets with
a growing middle class. In
Africa, there are only two
or three such markets, so
the first thing we need to
do is to stimulate economic
growth.”
Overcoming constraints
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