Executive Industry News You Need To Know Today
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Further job losses announced and possible consolidation talk
As predicted, the ending of furlough schemes in many of the advanced economies makes it inevitable to retain the same staff base in the absence of material revenue for many industry operators. Mass layoffs in the US will be echoed, albeit to smaller degrees across the globe with Europe and Asia already adding to the unemployment numbers. Sadly, this will get worse before it gets better. The African response is muted so far and any attempts at layoffs have been counteracted with political intervention, as seen with Air Peace in the last few weeks in Nigeria.
In the meantime, there is talk about further consolidation in the industry - another desperate set of corporate manoeuvres by businesses trying to stay afloat, businesses which Pre-Covid19 were flourishing - the latest noise coming out of Asia regarding MAS and Air Asia has hit our radar and we believe that there is mileage in this - although talks are at a preliminary stage, we believe that there will be consolidation in some shape or form in Asia - purely due to overcapacity in the region.
African players need to follow suit, but as noted many times before, the barriers to consolidation and cross border co-operation will cost the industry heavily in the long run. The world has changed and so have the industry dynamics, African participants need to understand this and adapt or face even more losses and eventual extinction. The moves made now will be critical for the outcomes of the sector on the continent for atleast a generation.
In today's update we are covering the following topics:
Algeria: Algerian president calls for “additional national airline”
France: Air France to resume Paris CDG services to Guadeloupe and Martinique from late Dec-2020
Ghana: No quarantine, PCR tests on arrival… here’s Ghana’s plan for international passengers
India: First look: Vistara B787-9 London to New Delhi
Indonesia: Indonesia’s biggest airport operator looks to cargo amid slump
Kuwait: Kuwait Ministry of Finance announces reorganisation of Kuwait Airways board of directors
Latin America: Lack of public support leads to restructuring of the two largest airlines in Latin America
Latin America: Avianca Resumes Operations in Colombia
Malaysia: No discussions on potential Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia merger
Namibia: Lufthansa wants to fly to Namibia
Nigeria: Helicopter Crash - Quorum Aviation says company’s certificates, insurance valid, genuine
Nigeria: Helicopter crash - Minister assures investigation will be fast tracked, as third victim dies
Nigeria: Nigeria to resume international flights following five-month halt
Russian Federation: Russia’s Azur Air Plans Twice-Weekly Miami Flights From December
Russian Federation: Aeroflot’s Low-Cost Arm Pobeda Saw July Traffic Similar To 2019’s
South Africa: Lufthansa ready to restart SA commercial flights, keeps lockdown lifeline going
South Korea: Korean airline industry in collective scare of massive layoffs amid virus lengthening
Tanzania: 3 More Kenyan Airlines Locked Out by Tanzania
Tanzania: TCAA Kenya Airways Notification
The Netherlands: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to resume passenger flights to Taiwan Sept. 1
United Arab Emirates: Coronavirus Adds To Troubles For Etihad’s Portfolio Of Airline Investments
United Kingdom: Gatwick Airport is planning to axe up to 600 jobs in ‘significant restructure’
United Kingdom: Twenty second Covid test: Heathrow Airport trials could spare Britons from quarantine after holidays if ministers back the scheme
United Kingdom: Gatwick Airport posts 321 million pound loss as passenger numbers collapse
United States: Surf Air Says It Secured $200 Million As It Plans To Go Public
United States: United Airlines warns it needs to axe 2,850 pilot jobs
United States: American Airlines cuts 19,000 jobs amid travel slump
Zambia: Emirates relaunches Zambia flights
Algeria
Algerian president calls for “additional national airline” - Headline Only
France
Air France to resume Paris CDG services to Guadeloupe and Martinique from late December 2020 - Headline Only
Ghana
No quarantine, PCR tests on arrival… here’s Ghana’s plan for international passengers...
Passengers arriving Ghana on international flights will be required to take an antigen test upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport.
Business 24 quotes Joseph Kofi Adda, the Ghanian minister of aviation, as saying 70 sample collection booths have been set up at the upper level of the arrival hall for passengers.
The minister said a laboratory has been set up at the airport to process the samples and transmit results electronically to the port health stations within 12 and 15 minutes of sample collection.
Upon arrival at the port health stations, passengers with negative antigen tests will be cleared to proceed to the immigration counter and admitted into the country.
However, passengers with positive antigen tests will be handed to health authorities at the airport for transfer to isolation centres.
Thus the minister said arriving passengers with negative antigen results will not have to be isolated for 14 days.
The tests will cost passengers between GH¢200-400.
After a tour of the airport facility, the minister said: “We have done our best, the service providers of GACL have worked throughout the night and we are hopeful that after the simulation exercise on Friday and Saturday, we will be able to open by September 1”.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (pictured), the Ghanian president, was reported to have tied the airport reopening to the country’s ability to test each passenger upon arrival.
To achieve this, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana has been testing a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection kit that is to be used to test passengers at the airport.
In Nigeria, arriving passengers are required to take a PCR test within 14 days before travelling.
According to Sanni Aliyu, coordinator of the presidential task force on COVID-19, passengers who present negative PCR tests are expected to self-isolate for seven days and submit COVID-19 test results before getting unrestricted access.
By: Oluseyi Awoulugbe
Source: www.thecable.ng
India
First look: Vistara B787-9 London to New Delhi - Business Traveller
Indonesia
Indonesia’s biggest airport operator looks to cargo amid slump - The Malaysian Reserve
Kuwait
Kuwait Ministry of Finance announces reorganisation of Kuwait Airways board of directors - Headline Only
Latin America
Lack of public support leads to restructuring of the two largest airlines in Latin America - Pledge Times
Avianca Resumes Operations in Colombia - Airline Geeks
Malaysia
No discussions on potential Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia merger - Borneo Post
Namibia
Lufthansa wants to fly to Namibia - Informante
Nigeria
Helicopter Crash - Quorum Aviation says company’s certificates, insurance valid, genuine - Vanguard
Helicopter crash - Minister assures investigation will be fast tracked, as third victim dies
The chopper was bound for Lagos from Port-Harcourt.
The third crew member in the helicopter, Bell 206 with registration number 5N-BQW belonging to Quorum Aviation, that crashed into a building at Opebi, Lagos State, has died.
This was disclosed by the spokesperson for the Accident Investigation Bureau, Mr Tunji Oketunmbi, on Friday. He said, “I confirm to you that the third person has died.”
With this, all three crew members in the helicopter are dead.
Also, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, assured Nigerians that investigations were on-going and that findings will be made public shortly.
The incident, which occurred at about 12.30pm, at 16A Salvation Road, Opebi, Lagos, claimed the lives of two of the three crew members on board instantly.
Quorum Aviation identified the three victims in the accident. It noted that those aboard the crashed helicopter were its crew members. This was contained in a statement issued by the company after the crash on Friday.
The statement read, “As soon as we received news of the accident, we promptly informed the aviation authorities, Accident Investigation Bureau and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Preliminary reports indicate that of the three souls on board – all crew, two of the crew members lost their lives whilst the third one is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
“We have been made to understand that nobody in the building, nor in the vicinity was injured for which we are grateful. In accordance with aviation regulations, the AIB has taken over the investigation process. We hereby ask members of the public to await the outcome of the investigation.
“We hereby express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew who lost their loved ones in this tragic accident.”
Destination of the helicopter
According to a press statement from the Accident Investigation Bureau, the chopper was bound for Lagos from Port-Harcourt.
AIB, in its press statement, also promised to commence an investigation into the accident, which had three passengers aboard.
About Quorum Aviation
Quorum Aviation Limited (QAL) is an Aviation and Logistics air transportation company. The company operates both Rotary (Helicopters) and Fixed Wing aircraft.
By: Abiola Odutola
Source: https://nairametrics.com/
Nigeria to resume international flights following five-month halt - AS News
Russian Federation
Russia’s Azur Air Plans Twice-Weekly Miami Flights From December - Simple Flying
Aeroflot’s Low-Cost Arm Pobeda Saw July Traffic Similar To 2019’s - Simple Flying
South Africa
Lufthansa ready to restart SA commercial flights, keeps lockdown lifeline going - Fin24
South Korea
Korean airline industry in collective scare of massive layoffs amid virus lengthening - Pulse News
Tanzania
3 More Kenyan Airlines Locked Out by Tanzania
Three more Kenyan airlines locked out in Tanzania as the two countries’ apparent standoff over management of COVID-19 deteriorates.
Aviation authorities in Tanzania on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, issued the ban against AirKenya Express, Fly540, and Safarilink Aviation, all from Nairobi.
Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) Director General Hamza Johari confirmed to have banned the Kenyan airlines at the ending of this week.
“The basis of the decision to nullify our approval for the three Kenyan airlines is the ongoing dispute between the two countries,” said Mr. Johari.
On August 1, 2020, TCAA banned Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ), from flying into Tanzania, a decision which the regulator said was on a reciprocal basis after Kenya omitted Tanzania from a list of countries that would see arriving passengers face less health restrictions for fear of COVID-19 infections.
Kenya has since expanded the list to 100 countries whose arriving passengers are allowed to enter Kenya without the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Tanzania was still missing from the list.
Before Tuesday’s ban, AirKenya Express and Fly540 each flew to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar seven times a week. Safarilink Aviation had most of the trips, operating seven frequencies on each of its Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar routes per week.
The companies had not reacted to the ban as of August 26, 2020. Kenya Airways on its part said recently that the matter was being handled between the two countries before it would know when to resume flights.
Kenya Airways, which operates its regional hub from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, had a permit to fly 14 times to Dar es Salaam every week, three times to Kilimanjaro, and two times to Zanzibar, mostly ferrying tourists and business travelers between the two destinations.
Mr. Johari said the Kenyan airlines locked out with a ban on four airlines will not be lifted unless air travelers from Tanzania are included in the list of the countries whose passengers are exempted from quarantine. “Some countries are allowed to enter Kenya without the same condition despite having a very high rate of COVID-19 infections,” Johari said.
Mr. Johari said it was surprising that Tanzania, which he said is safe from the pandemic, did not make the cut in Kenya’s clear list.
According to Johari, the ban on Kenya’s four airlines would not be lifted unless air travelers from Tanzania are given the same treatment as those on the list.
The banned Kenyan airlines were providing services to tourists visiting Northern Tanzania, mostly those connecting their travel itineraries from Nairobi.
By: Apolinari Tairo
TCAA Kenya Airways Notification
We were passed a copy of the formal KQ notification advising them that they cannot fly to Tanzania currently (based upon a reciprocity basis) - dre aviation :
The Netherlands
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to resume passenger flights to Taiwan Sept. 1 - Taiwan News
United Arab Emirates
Coronavirus Adds To Troubles For Etihad’s Portfolio Of Airline Investments - Forbes
United Kingdom
Gatwick Airport is planning to axe up to 600 jobs in ‘significant restructure’ - Brinkwire
Twenty second Covid test: Heathrow Airport trials could spare Britons from quarantine after holidays if ministers back the scheme - Daily Mail
Gatwick Airport posts 321 million pound loss as passenger numbers collapse - Reuters
United States
Surf Air Says It Secured $200 Million As It Plans To Go Public - Forbes
United Airlines warns it needs to axe 2,850 pilot jobs - Proactive Investors
American Airlines cuts 19,000 jobs amid travel slump - BBC
Zambia
Emirates relaunches Zambia flights
Emirates airline will resume passenger services to Lusaka, Zambia with two weekly flights to and from Dubai starting from September 4.
This boosts the airline’s global network to 79 cities, with 9 destinations in Africa.
The flights, which will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER, will fly to the Zambian capital on Fridays and Sundays. Emirates’ flight EK 713 will depart from Dubai at 0820hrs, arriving in Lusaka at 1330hrs. The return flight, EK 714 departs Lusaka at 1530hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0025hrs the next day.Customers can book flights on emirates.com or via travel agents.
The restart of services to Lusaka will offer Emirates customers in Zambia the opportunity to travel to Dubai, as well as an array of onward connections to Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas through the airline’s Dubai hub, the airline said in a statement.
This week, Emirates is also expected to resume flights to Guinea’s capital Conakry and Dakar, Senegal.
Source: https://gulfnews.com/
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