ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΗ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΗΣ ΥΛΗΣ - ΕΔΡΑ: ΑΘΗΝΑ

Ει βούλει καλώς ακούειν, μάθε καλώς λέγειν, μαθών δε καλώς λέγειν, πειρώ καλώς πράττειν, και ούτω καρπώση το καλώς ακούειν. (Επίκτητος)

(Αν θέλεις να σε επαινούν, μάθε πρώτα να λες καλά λόγια, και αφού μάθεις να λες καλά λόγια, να κάνεις καλές πράξεις, και τότε θα ακούς καλά λόγια για εσένα).

Τετάρτη 24 Οκτωβρίου 2012

21st ACI Africa Assembly


The three-day  21st ACI Africa Regional Conference, Assembly and Exhibition was held in Livingstone, Zambia and this year’s theme was “Overcoming the Challenges of Airport development in Africa”. It brought together several high level delegates and industry stakeholders comprising senior government officials, civil aviation executives and experts, representatives from international aviation related agencies as well as airport managers and partners to discuss key topics such as funding airport infrastructure and air traffic development, public private partnerships and investments. The conference also dealt with the drivers of airports development such as airlines strategies and hub creation, regulations and air transport agreements, safety, security and human resources.
Robinson Misitala, CEO NACL, Zambia, in his speech stressed the importance of finding the right solutions to the problems that airports are facing. He stressed that for years Africa was abandoned. There is now a development of infrastructure in the majority of airports all over  Africa.
Pascal Komla, Acting President, ACI Africa said that Africa air travel experienced some decrease as a result of the North Africa uprising but now it has returned  to the levels of 2010.
Hon Christopher Yaluma, Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, noted that the outlook of aviation in Africa is looking very good but the infrastructure of airports in Zambia still remain behind in modernization as they are over 40 years old and for that reason the government has embarked on a massive rehabilitation program of airports such as the building of new terminals in Livingstone and in Lusaka.   
Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World, stated that ACI has by now 59 African airport members. She underscored that the most descriptive phrase for the time we are in right now is: Uncertainty. And uncertainty leads to low business confidence. The economic situation in Europe is not necessarily getting better. However, the right fundamentals for medium to long-term growth are still in place for large parts of Africa and passenger growth in the region is broadly positive too. After a good 2010, when passenger traffic rebounded with an 11% increase from the doldrums of 2009, in 2011 the North of the continent suffered severe losses in traffic, with a 17.6% decrease in passenger numbers mainly because of the sharp declines in North Africa following the Arab Spring. This was translated into a -3% year-on-year in 2011 for the overall African passenger volumes. However, African countries south of the Sahara showed a substantial passenger traffic growth of 8%. Cargo traffic showed a similar pattern in 2011, with a 6.4% decline in the North compared to a 5.4% increase in the South. Sub-Saharan Africa had the second highest growing passenger market in the world in 2011.  
She continued by saying that five out of the world’s top ten fastest-growing economies were African nations, led by Angola and aviation is a great growth driver. Aviation generated 275,000 direct jobs in Africa, 21,000 of these were employees of airport operators, mainly in airport management, maintenance, security and operations, 113,000 worked for airlines or handling agents and 104,000 worked on-site at airports for other employers, such as government agencies and retail outlets. Ms Gittens pointed out too that the fulfillment of ACI require policy makers to overcome challenges.
While many regions are experiencing challenging economic conditions, Africa - with a population in excess of one billion and rich in natural resources - is one of the few areas to record growth and the long-term outlook is very positive. Africa’s rapid growth averaging six to seven per cent in GDP portends well for future growth. This growth is the result of political stability across Africa,  the government policies to promote air business, the increasing trade with Asia, influx in foreign direct investment, trade liberalization and the growing middle class with the ensuing growing  consumer demand for household.
The ATAG report forecasts that aviation’s direct contribution to GDP in Africa will increase by 5% per annum in real terms over the next 20 years helping to create an additional 66,000 jobs across the region by 2030. Passenger volume is expected grow from 155 million in 2010 to 397 million in 2029, for a compound annual growth rate of 5%  while cargo volume will rise at a rate of 4% per year on average.
Therefore, it was stressed that this is the right time to seek the support and collaboration to achieve the right airport components of those targets.

In the session focusing on Funding Airport development, it was stressed that a great challenge in the region is the fact that fewer than 20% of Africa’s 150-plus commercial airports have more than 1 million passengers per year, making the retail opportunity a limited one in most places. Within the continent, two countries and six airports contribute 40% of traffic, while 80% of the traffic is handled by eight countries. As there is severe incapacity resulting from obsolete infrastructure, understaffing and inadequate investment.
Dr. Rafael Echevarne, Director of Economics and Programme Development, ACI World, mentioned that Airports are highly regulated and the framework does not allow for  alternative use. 70% of airports make financial losses and it is very difficult for airlines with less than 1 million passengers to make a profit. Annual airport investment needs in Sub-Saharan Africa to 2015 rise to 800million/year  according to World Bank. He emphasized the often under-valued role of commercial aviation, which is  was an area that the industry in Africa had yet to tap into since the potential of non-aeronautical revenues is huge, even at smaller airports. In his presentation he pointed that the issues to be addressed are:
-To prioritize investments (Invest in existing infrastructure, no real need for new airports)
-To channel airport revenues towards infrastructure improvement
-The fact that revenues tend to end up in national treasury
-To develop non-aeronautical sources of income
-To take advantage of the Huge potential, even at the smaller airports
-To proceed to clear separation of functions between oversight functions and operations
-To support and stimulate growth
-The protection of non-profitable national carriers
-The implementation of the Yamoussourko decision on the liberalization of access to air transport markets in Africa as full implementation of the Decision has not been achieved
-To improve data collection
Prince Chintimbwe, Director Airport Services, NACL said that the funding for the infrastructure development of airports in Zambia is coming from self-financing, commercial loans and GRZ grants.
Dr. Elijah Chingosho Secretary General, AFRAA, emphasized that air transport holds potential for growth and role for the economic development of the continent by fostering trade and foreign investments. The YD remains the single most important air transport reform policy initiative by African Governments to date. African carriers should find ways of cooperating more amongst themselves to overcome limitations of market access.
He presented certain conditions critical in accelerating implementation of the YD namely:
-Integrated African air transport policy
-Avoidance of Non Competitive and Predatory Practices
-Elimination or Reduction og non-physical Barriers
Dr Kostas Iatrou in his opening remarks at the panel Airline Strategies and Airport Growth , hub and cargo said that there is a symbiotic interaction between airlines and airports and dispute the differences that exist they need to seat down together to find solutions to the different issues that  affect both.
Aaron Munetsi, Regional GM, Africa & Middle East, South African Airways said the current environment is for the thoughtful and valiant and of they do well the future is the ideal. Airlines changed their business model and now they are more flexible, proactive and they operate in a deregulated environment. In the same time airports now are open to all.
Mike Higgins Regional Vice President Africa, IATA stressed that air transport support over 32 million jobs worldwide including tourism. In Africa it  supports 6.7 million jobs,  and produces 67.8 billion $ of GDP. It is projected that the annual growth of air transport in Africa between the years 2010-2015 will be 6.1 versus 5.8 in the rest of the world.
Muhammed Riza, Regional Manager, Commercial Operations, Emirates said that Emirates serves 21 destinations in Africa with 300 weekly flights. Their priority is more on frequency and on nonstop flights and daily flights than on adding a new destination. The strengths of the continent are cargo and tourism. However, there exist serious challenges such as visa issues (f.ex. the requirement for transit visas and visa requirements are cumbersome and often take long) and poor infrastructure (f.ex. most airports not designed to handle transit passengers) of the airports for both cargo and passengers. He added that there is a need to build up strong regional partnerships to expand in Africa. He conclude by saying that  “the opportunities we bring in the country we begin to fly are enormous as with EK expanded network it is possible to feed aircrafts”.
Source:Air transport news