New hubs and airline alliances spark optimism
REGIONAL travel in Africa
has long been plagued
by poor air connectivity,
especially to West Africa.
Protectionist state policies
have made it difficult for
African airlines to grow their
networks, so much so that
many countries in West and
North Africa are connected
to Southern Africa via hubs
off the continent, resulting in
much longer travel times.
Marco Ciocchetti, ceo
of XL Travel, highlights the
reliability of air travel on the
continent as a key challenge,
especially when it
comes to onward
connections.
“You never know
whether the flights
are going to be
on time or if they
are going to be
cancelled.”
The
underdeveloped
network and the
fact that many
countries protect
their national carriers at the
expense of a competitive air
market, result in travelling
costs in Africa
being significantly
higher than travel
in other regions.
The situation
is compounded
by comparatively
higher taxation
and aeronautical
fees on the
continent.
The Single
African Air
Transport Market
(SAATM) seeks to advance the
liberalisation of civil aviation
on the continent and while 25
African states, including South
Africa, have signed up to the
programme, only a handful are
carrying out their commitment.
Airlines Association of
Southern Africa ceo, Chris
Zweigenthal, says when
it comes to fifth freedom
rights (which allow airlines
to carry, pick up and drop
off passengers between two
destinations outside of their
hub), some African countries
have granted these, but these
are not necessarily being
reciprocated. “If we are going
to have an implementation
of open skies in Africa, and
liberalisation, it must be on an
equal basis and there must be
full reciprocity.” But progress,
if slow, is being made. (See
report on page 4.)
Oz Desai, gm of Corporate
Traveller SA, says intra-Africa
airline connectivity has
increased by 5% year-on-year
in 2018. “Seventy new routes
launched in the same period.
Thirty more intra-continental
routes are in the pipeline. This
is excellent news, but we must
keep striving for visa openness
and affordable airfares.”
Accommodation is a challenge
AGENTS
canvassed by
TNW on OpenJaw
highlighted
payments with
hotels as a key
challenge when
arranging travel
into Africa.
One agent
reported making
bookings through
sites like Expedia
instead of dealing
directly with hotels.
Monique Swart, founder of
the African Business Travel
Association, says hotel
payments can be a challenge
everywhere, not just in African
destinations, especially where
bill backs are concerned.
“Many hotels still keep credit
card records on file, which
is not in line with protection
of personal information
regulations locally, and prepayment in different currencies
can also be problematic,”
she says. “The culture of
hospitality will also mean that
it will be rare for front office
staff to stand their ground
with travellers not sticking
to voucher allowances etc,
and so there is always the
possibility of invoicing being
delayed.”
Monique
says finding
accommodation is
another challenge.
“Often the top
‘name brand’
hotels are very
expensive, but
this is seen as
a better option
than choosing an
independent hotel
where they worry
that it will
not be suitable,
clean, or safe. B&Bs in many
of the developing countries are
not as trusted as they are in
South Africa.”
However, Monique adds that
more corporates are looking
at independent brands and
corporate housing options
because of pricing, as there
are many good ones.
Monique says safety is
also a concern. “Domestic
airlines in Africa, especially
those servicing more remote
regions, don’t always have
the best safety records, so
companies can be put in the
difficult position of choosing
a direct or well-timed flight
that might not be on the
best airline, versus having
to wait for a flight on a more
reputable airline.”
More flights to the DRC
SA EXPRESS has added a
frequency to its service to
Lubumbashi, and RwandAir
has initiated services to
Kinshasa.
The additional frequency
takes SAX’s previous
six-times-weekly service
to daily. This comes
after the International Air
Services Council awarded
the airline a licence for
eight additional frequencies,
which paves the way for a
double-daily service.
An SA Express spokesman
told TNW that additional
frequencies on the route
would be introduced at a
later date.
Effective April 17,
RwandAir started operating
services to Kinshasa on
Wednesdays, Fridays and
Sundays. Flights depart
Kigali at 09h20 and arrive in
Kinshasa at 11h10. Return
flights depart Kinshasa at
17h30 and arrive in Kigali at
21h20.
ET still dominates
IN DECEMBER last
year, Ethiopian Airlines
established a foothold in
Mozambique with the launch
of Mozambique Airlines, of
which it owns a 99% stake.
Toward the end of last
year, Ethiopian Airlines also
entered into an agreement
with the government of Chad
to launch a new national
carrier, Tchadia.
Through its partnership
with Asky Airlines, Ethiopian
Airlines services 22
destinations in West and
Central Africa and another
seven destinations through
its partnership with
Malawian Airlines.
SAA deal to expand West African network
OVER the
last couple of
years, SAA has
stepped out of
a number of
markets in West
Africa, leaving
a significant
network gap to
the region.
A new deal
between SAA
and Africa World
Airlines (AWA), a privately
owned Ghanaian airline,
is expected to enhance
connectivity to the region.
Earlier in the year, the two
airlines signed an
MoU that is set to
see SAA establish
a West African
hub in Accra. AWA
operates fights
from Accra to
Lagos and Abuja
(Nigeria), Freetown
(Sierra Leone) and
Monrovia (Liberia)
and plans to
launch a route to
Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire later
this year.
“We battle with connectivity
into West Africa and that has
been the case for quite some
time,” says Mladen Lukic, gm
of Travel Counsellors SA.
“It is at a premium and
the network has not been
growing for a number
of years.”
SAA spokesperson, Tlali
Tlali, says the two airlines
initiated the codeshare
process in August 2018.
He says SAA is focused on
enhancing its footprint on
the continent and he expects
an announcement about the
codeshare to be made as
soon as both airlines have
completed the requisite
process.
Did you Know?
Kenya Airways operates 21 weekly flights out of Johannesburg and
10 weekly flights out of Cape Town.
Tourism to Ethiopia swells
WHILE coming off a low base,
Ethiopia’s travel and tourism
economy grew by nearly 50%
last year, registering the
largest growth of any country
in the world.
This is according to the
World Travel & Tourism
Council’s (WTTC) annual review
of the economic impact and
social importance of the
sector.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC
president and ceo, said the
boom had been driven by the
very strong performance of
aviation in the country and the
development of Addis Ababa
as a growing regional hub.
Following the release of
the WTTC’s review, Ethiopian
Airlines also attributed the
country’s tourism growth to its
unique attractions.
“The timeless charm of
Ethiopia’s natural, cultural and
historic attractions has been
driving an influx of tourists
from far and wide. As the land
where mankind, coffee and
the Blue Nile trace their roots,
Ethiopia has always been a
fascinating destination for
holidaymakers,” the airline
said in a statement.
It also highlighted the
country’s Unesco-registered
Heritage Sites, which include
the obelisks of Axum, the
rock-hewn churches of Lalibela
and the fortified historic town
of Harar.
Leisure add-ons for bustling Nairobi
Karen Blixen Museum
The Karen Blixen Museum
is 10km from Nairobi’s city
centre in what was once the
home of Karen Blixen.
She and her husband,
Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke,
purchased the property with
the intention of operating
a coffee plantation. When
the two separated, Karen
continued living in the house
and running the plantation
until she returned to Denmark
in 1931.
Today, the museum is open
to the public every day from
09h30 to 18h00. It features
rooms in keeping with the
original decor as well as props
from the 1985 film, Out of
Africa.
Nairobi National Museum
Built in 1929, Nairobi National
Museum offers travellers a
glimpse into Kenya’s heritage
and culture. It is open every
day from 08h30 to 17h30.
The museum’s permanent
collection houses a Birds
of East Africa exhibit with
more than 900 stuffed
specimens, and an exhibition
of the region’s mammals.
The Cradle of Humankind
exhibition displays a collection
of skulls and early human
fossils. There is also a
display of Kenyan and East
African history and one of
ethnological artefacts from
Kenya’s various tribes and
ethnic groups.
Nairobi National Park
Located less that 10km
south of Nairobi, the Nairobi
National Park is unique
because of its closeness to
a city.
Nairobi National Park is over
100 square kilometres and
home to Black rhinos, plains
game, predators including
lions, leopards, cheetahs and
hyenas, as well as over 400
species of birds. Its habitats
include rocky valleys and
gorges, open grassy plains
with scattered acacia and
highland dry forest..
Did you know?
Ethiopian Airlines’ passengers transiting through Addis Ababa
can take advantage of stopover offerings from Ethiopian Holidays,
including sightseeing in Addis, visits to the pre-Christian era obelisks
of Axum, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the 9th century mosques
of Harar, and the coffee farms of Kaffa. Ethiopian Holidays offers 10%
commission to Iata agents for packages booked through the operator
and 7% commission to non-Iata agents.
Ethiopian Airlines operates services to 120 destinations, about half of
which are on the continent.
