Page 10 - LUA July - August 2023 Magterz and Online

INDUSTRY REPORT

collaborative approach, promote intra- On the routes of automation and
African market liberalisation through digitalisation, airlines operating in Africa
the Single African Air Transport Market have started partnering with companies for
(SAATM), accelerate the acceptance faster and smoother processes with the help
of current retailing standards and the of digitalisation.
deployment of secure, effective, and Etihad Cargo has joined the AI space
cost-effective financial services, assist with the debut of an innovative AI-powered
Africa's aviation sector in meeting the solution to change airfreight operations
"Net Zero by 2050" emissions objectives and increase cargo capacity on flights. The
and promote aviation as a career path to As growth happens, deployment of AI capabilities will allow
ensure a steady supply of diverse talent the carrier to increase cargo volumes
ready to meet future industry needs. the ground handling by optimizing capacity on every flight
“The tasks for Focus Africa are not new. industry must be throughout its network.
Work is already underway as part of the prepared to handle Ethiopian Cargo and cargo.one formed
work of IATA and other stakeholders in a partnership in May this year to provide
Africa. But after the financial trauma that the emerging trends from the Ethiopian national carrier's capabilities
pandemic brought to African aviation, we are airlines that want lower for fast booking on the air cargo booking
at a unique time of rebuilding. By launching handling costs, self- marketplace. cargo.one will revolutionise
Focus Africa now, we can ensure that the freight forwarders' access to Ethiopian
recovery from Covid-19 moves aviation to an handling, and going Cargo services and acquire cargo.one's
even better place than we were in 2019,” said green initiatives that extensive digital sales skills to enhance and
Al Awadhi, IATA Regional Vice President for require GSE that use accelerate its digitalisation journey.
Africa and the Middle East.
“Africa accounts for 18% of the global solar or fossil fuels. BALANCE BETWEEN HIGH
population, but just 2.1% of air transport JOHN NALIANYA QUALITY AND LOW PRICE
activities (combined cargo and passenger). KENYA AIRWAYS According to AFRAA, ground handling
Closing that gap, so that Africa can benefit standards at African airports vary widely,
from the connectivity, jobs and growth that owing in part to a lack of or poor inspection
aviation enables, is what Focus Africa is all Apart from the recovery, the continent by competent authorities. Similarly, many
about,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director is moving forward with new alliances and airports' infrastructure and facilities for
General in an IATA report. increased cargo capacity in many different processing passengers/cargo are poor,
parts of Africa. antiquated, or restricted. As a result, many
RECOVERING FROM Qatar Airways Cargo began twice- airports have inadequate quality standards
COVID-19 weekly flights from Doha to Kigali in while charging exorbitant handling costs.
According to IATA, Africa is in the March, with each aircraft carrying up to African airports have some of the
process of recovering from the Covid-19 100 tonnes of freight. The first route was highest handling charges and taxes in the
pandemic. Air cargo is up by 31.4% from inaugurated between Kigali and Lagos (four world. We asked industry experts how
last year, while air travel is up 93% from times per week). to balance great handling quality with a
last year. The full recovery of air travel is dnata began ground handling services low price.
projected in 2024. The African ground at ZNZ's new international terminal (T3) “Clearly defining airport standards
handling market has improved in the with partners Emirates Leisure Retail and that need to be adhered to by ground
previous year and appears to be on the SEGAP (a joint venture between Egis and handlers. Frequent inspections and audits
mend, with a full recovery projected in the AIIM) in 2022. Over $10 million has been by the airport operator and other industry
next months. But there are a few challenges invested by dnata, Emirates Leisure Retail, players. ISAGO is one such platform that
that the continent is still facing! and SEGAP, which has resulted in the can be adopted as a uniform standard of
“Unlike other parts of the world where creation of 500 local employees. accreditation that authorities need to use
manpower loss is the biggest challenge, Airports Company South Africa as a benchmark. Avoiding government
Africa’s challenges are different. Some (ACSA) has granted Menzies Aviation a interference on pricing. The unfortunate
equipment was parked for a long time five-year contract to offer ground handling part is that the most priced monopolistic
and required major overhauls for it to services at nine South African airports. ground handlers have the worst quality
be at peak performance. Covid-19 had a O.R. Tambo International Airport, Cape of service. Investing in manpower to
positive opportunity in increased cargo Town International Airport, King Shaka provide quality customer service,”
services to transport essential medical International Airport, Dawid Stuurman said Nalianya.
supplies and food across the globe; this International Airport, Bram Fischer The high cost of ground services and
was a temporary reprieve to the ground International Airport, George Airport, taxes arises due to a lack of competition as
handling agencies (GHAs) who had to Kimberley Airport, King Phalo Airport, the facilities are managed by the national
handle cargo or freighter aircraft at the and Upington International Airport have all carrier or a state-owned organisation. A
time,” said Nalianya. granted Menzies operating licenses. combination of ‘smart’ infrastructure is

8 LUA JULY - AUGUST 2023