By Isaac Meso
Nairobi, Kenya: The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has partnered with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to establish programs aimed at improving airline services in the country.
The association which is an amalgamation of airlines from various nations within the African Union will be assisting the Kenyan Government to scale up her competitiveness in the global aviation arena in view of growing the airline travel capacity.
The 16 member team in the association that comprises 13 airlines will be assisting the country couriers to among other things, come up with projects that will increase their revenues and at the same time cut the cost of operations.
Cited as the major project by this association, jet fuel project that had been tendered by two Kenyan companies (Kenya Airways and Astral Aviation) has so far seen the Airlines successfully form a joint tender committee and also forge for a common pricing for jet fuel in the market.
The team that has won three consecutive tenders is steered by Kenyan Engineer Chris Aonda who is the head of supply chain at Kenya Airways. He will ensure that the stake holders remain committed in the project despite of their diverse interests.
“The current harsh economic climate has made the airlines to make sacrifices that will float them in the ever changing air transport dynamics, “There is no airline that is too big to collaborate and no one that is too small to partner with,” notes Aonda.
Others in the team include Bithian Munjidi, Bosibori Fianora both of Kenya Airways, Mustwafa Muradi of Astral Aviation, Musenge Shebele of air Namibia, Deogratias Higiro of Rwanda Air, Ivo Nhamaze from Mozambique.
The group is also represented by Deusdedit Mussa , Roselyn Mbugua, Brian Mbuti, Terence Naicker, Saba Deressa, Raphael Kuuchi and Abderahmane Berthe who are drawn from the association’s members.
Aonda noted that the project will continue and that they will also focus on the issue of safety and security at the airports.
According to Dr Elijah Chingosho, AFRAA secretary general, the Association would be hosting the 3rd Aviation Suppliers and Stakeholders Convention in Nairobi which would see the issues of airline safety and security discussed in details.
This comes with the current issue of attacks from terror groups that have increasingly reduced the numbers of tourists travelling in the country.
East Africa, Commerce and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie two weeks ago said that the number of international visitors to Kenya had declined by seven per cent since the Westgate Shopping Mall terrorist attack last September.
Of the 1.2 million tourists that visited the country last year, 171,000 were Britons, 116,000 Americans and 81,000 Italians.
Kandie said that her aims to broaden the tourist source market to Asia and targets to bring 100,000 visitors from China by 2016 compared to the 40,000 who visited Kenya last year.
All this will only be possible if the issue of security is tackled.
“Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world and with a great potential in the aviation sector. African Airlines need to ensure that they are prepared not only to reap from the growth but withstand the competition from other regions,” said Chingosho.
The African Airlines Association is a trade association of airlines which hail from nations of the African Union. Founded in Ghana, the organization has its headquarters in Nairobi and its main focus is to foster commercial and technical co-operation amongst African airlines and ensuring that it promotes and protects their common interests.
