AFRAA develops Covid-19 recovery plan for the African airlines

April 21, 2020: In support to its members during the exceptional circumstances of Covid-19 pandemic, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has staged a webinar as part of urgent, immediate and consistent actions for the survival of the industry. The webinar which was held under the theme ‘Navigating Covid-19 pandemic and preparing for recovery post-crisis’ provided a platform for AFRAA to document valuable inputs from airlines that forms part of AFRAA’s recovery plan for the rebound of the Airline industry.

AFRAA’s secretary general Abderahmane Berthe stated, “The world is experiencing the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the aviation industry is amongst the worst impacted. The African Airlines Association is in solidarity with the rest of the world in collaborative efforts to support the airline industry during these difficult times.”

He added that for African economies to recover, a vibrant aviation industry will be critical given the sector’s significant role in economic and social development.

A number of subject matter experts made presentations on how African airlines can create and implement their recovery plans on areas such as: fleet and network repositioning, finance and cash flow issues, fuel trends and fuel efficiency measures among others. A recovery plan that outlines a framework of actions to be taken by AFRAA and other stakeholders was one of the key outcomes of the session.

Since the onset of the crisis, AFRAA has taken various initiatives to date and is working closely with key air transport institutions and partners to find workable solutions to ensure the sector’s resilience to the pandemic and for post recovery efforts.

In collaboration with the United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA), AFRAA is currently conducting a survey to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on African Airlines, the results will be part of the inputs for AFRAA’s lobbying efforts for financial support from governments to airlines.

Airlines and stakeholders at the webinar stressed the need for coordinated efforts and a collaborative approach to ensure the sustainability of the airline industry whose operations has been greatly affected by the pandemic. The webinar concluded with a recovery plan that outlined a framework of actions to be taken by AFRAA in collaboration with various stakeholders.