AFRAA BULLETIN
AF R I C AN AI R LI N ES A SSO C I AT I O N
A S SO C I AT I O N D ES C O M P AG N I E S A ER I E N N E S AF R I C AI N ES
From the editor
Welcome to the February issue of
the AFRAA Bulletin.
As the year starts off, AFRAA
Secretariat and IATA VP Africa
& Middle East and his Regional
Leadership team for Africa met at
the AFRAA Headquarters to
discuss areas of mutual support to
African airlines. Both Associa-
tions are happy to partner in
growing aviation on the continent
and in addressing some of the
critical challenges confronting
African aviation. AFRAA also
hosted Embraer team for a busi-
ness a familiarization visit where
both teams had productive discus-
sions at the meeting. The issue
covers new aircraft orders, sign-
ing of agreements, plans for new
routes among other stories.
Inside this Issue:
Jambojet to begin
Commercial flights in
April 2014
2
SAA celebrates 80th
Anniversary 2
Former SA President
Mbeki tours ET
Facilities
3
LAM and Boeing
announce Boeing 737
NG order
3
Embraer visits AFRAA 4
New appointments 4
AFRAA Vacancy
Announcement: Fuel
Project Officer
5
Volume 6, Issue 2
February 2014 Issue
I ATA Regional Vice Presi-dent - Africa & Middle East,
Mr. Hussein Dabbas, accom-
panied by the new IATA
Vice President – Africa, Mr. Raphael Kuuchi and his team met
the AFRAA Secretary General,
Dr. Elijah Chingosho, on 19 Feb-
ruary 2014 at the AFRAA Head-quarters to discuss areas of mutual
support to African airlines.
Speaking on behalf of IATA at the opening of the meeting, Mr. Dab-
bas said, “Our intention is to work
hand in hand with governments
and Associations like AFRAA to assure the success of the aviation
industry.” The meeting kicked off
with an introduction of both teams
and an outline of key focus areas for 2014.
AFRAA Secretary General pre-
sented AFRAA’s joint initiatives
Issued by the African Airlines Association
AFRAA - IATA meet to discuss areas of mutual support to African airlines
among its member airlines and underlined the importance of facil-
itating interconnectivity and coop-
eration among airlines. The joint
initiatives being undertaken by the
AFRAA Secretariat include: the Joint Fuel Purchase Project, Joint
Ground Handling Task Force and
Route Network Coordination.
Continued on page 2
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AFRAA Secretariat and IATA Africa Leadership Team at the
AFRAA Headquarters in Nairobi on 19 February 2014
AFRAA NEWSLETTER
Volume 6, Issue 2 Page 2
Issued by the African Airlines Association
Kenya Airways’ Jambojet to begin commercial flights in April this year
Continued from page 1
Among others, AFRAA and IATA dis-
cussed at length the following areas for
cooperation, setting out action plans and
activities to be covered in 2014:
Safety and security
Environment
Liberalization
Infrastructure
Training
Participation in forthcoming events:
IATA AGM, IATA Aviation Day,
Aviation Suppliers and Stakeholders
Convention and AFRAA AGA
Also present from IATA was: Ms. Tanja
Grobotek - Regional Director, Safety and
Flight Operations, Africa, RSFO, Ms.
Adefunke Adeyemi - Regional Head,
Member and External Relations, Africa
and the Middle East, RMER, Mr. Hassim
Pondor - Africa Head – Airport, Passen-
ger, Cargo & Security (APCS) and Ms.
Sally Osure – newly appointed Area
Manager – East Africa. Present from the
AFRAA Secretariat was: Mrs. Juliet
Indetie - Deputy Director, Corporate
Finance and Administration, Ms.
Maureen Kahonge – Business Develop-
ment Manager and Mrs. Pamela Radier,
PA to the Secretary General.
Whilst in Nairobi, IATA held other meet-
ings with Kenya Airways, ICAO, Kenya
Association of Travel Agents and Kenya
Civil Aviation Authority.
ECAIR to take delivery of Boeing aircraft for new African routes
K enya Airways’ Jambojet,
is scheduled to begin
commercial flights in
April 2014. Initial
flights will be within Kenya, linking
Nairobi with Mombasa, Eldoret and
Kisumu. Bookings commenced in
February 2014.
Jambojet will launch with fares as
low as Kshs3,000 (US$35) one way.
The Kshs3,000 fare compares favour-
ably with road transport options which
cost as much as Kshs1,500 for an eight-
hour journey from Nairobi to Momba-
sa. A flight on the same route lasts
approximately 45 minutes with a jet-
powered aircraft. However, the low
price of Jambojet air tickets may only
apply for those booking well in ad-
vance. Jambojet will utilize 2 Boeing
737-300 aircraft.. Source: Kenya Avia-
tion
South African Airways Celebrates 80th Anniversary
S outh African Airways cele-
brated its 80th in February
2014. SAA has faced many
changes over its history and
has experienced many highlights and
some turbulent times. Through the
years, SAA, and its employees have
shown extraordinary resilience and
capacity for change.
In another development, SAA an-
nounced a new code share agreement
with Virgin Australia. “Through the
code share agreement with Virgin Aus-
tralia, our valued customers will gain
new travel choices to primary markets
across Australia via Virgins’ extensive
network and hubs in Perth and Mel-
bourne, providing seamless travel, and
earning of miles through the Voyager
frequent flyer programme,” said Kendy
Phohleli, SAA General Manager Com-
mercial (Acting). Source: SAA Photo: SAA
Photo: EcAir
EgyptAir’s security efforts for N.Y Flights applauded
T he American Transport
Security Administration
praised EgyptAir’s secu-
rity efforts in general and
the teamwork responsible for New
York flights in specific during the
inspection visit performed at Cairo
Airport. In this visit, the delegation
has inspected all the security proce-
dures applied at Cairo Airport and on
EgyptAir flights departing to the
USA.
The delegation had no comments on
the applied security procedures as
they are according to the American
standards especially in the inspection of
luggage and aircraft.
In another development, the Egyptian
Minister of Civil Aviation Abdul Aziz
Fadel revealed that the ministry is
preparing a plan to increase the
EgyptAir fleet by $10m US dollars
during the coming few years. This
amount will include an increase in the
number of EgyptAir airplanes to reach
127 aircrafts by 2025 as opposed to the
current 81 aircraft.
AFRAA and IATA meet
in Nairobi
Photo: Kenya Airways
Air Seychelles signs agree-
ment with Viking Air
A ir Seychelles has signed a
firm order with Viking Air
for three additional DHC-6
Twin Otter Series 400s, due
for delivery from 2015 onwards. The new
aircraft, scheduled for delivery from 2015,
will be configured as standard 19-
passenger commercial turboprops and will
be used in expanding services between
Mahé, Praslin Island, Bird Island, Denis
Island and Frégate Island. The airline
currently operates one Viking Air DHC-6
Twin Otter Series 400 and three Series
300 aircraft. Source: ch-aviation
Photo: Air Seychelles
E CAir is set to develop
Brazzaville as a regional
Central African hub with
the imminent launch of
routes to Libreville, along with Lomé,
Malabo and Luanda later this year.
According to ECAir Chairman, Jean
Louis Osso, flights to Beirut, Dakar
and Bamako are also on the cards. To
aid the expansion, ECAir will take
delivery of two new B737-700s in
May to be followed by a B767. Mr
Osso also disclosed that the airline is
in talks with Ethiopian Airlines, Ken-
ya Airways and considering opening
dialogue with Etihad Airways over
possible partnership plans.
In another development, ECAir is seek-
ing to launch its first commercial flight
from Congo-Brazzaville to Dubai by
March 2014. The flight will be opera-
tional three times a week, between
Dubai International Airport and Maya-
Maya Airport.
"This is a historic event for ECAir
because this will strengthen our Middle
East network through one of the most
important hubs in the world. This flight
is the first direct connection from Con-
go-Brazzaville to the UAE," said
ECAir chairman Jean Louis Osso.
Source: African Review
Source: EgyptAir
Photo: EgyptAir
AFRAA NEWSLETTER
Volume 6, Issue 2 Page 3
Issued by the African Airlines Association
L AM Mozambique and
Boeing announced an
order for three Next-
Generation 737-700
airplanes. "LAM has developed an
in-depth Strategic Business Plan
which resulted in the restructuring of
its network to facilitate its growth
and expansion," said Dra. Marlene
Mendes Manave, CEO of LAM
“This investment in the Next-
Generation 737-700s will help
Mozambique to remain at the fore-
E thiopian Airlines re-
ceived a courtesy visit
from former South Afri-
can President, H.E Mr.
Thabo Mbeki, a loyal and esteemed
customer of the airline, in February
2014 at its headquarters in Addis
Ababa.
"We are highly honored to welcome
H.E. President Mbeki, a very good
customer of Ethiopian, at our head-
quarters in Addis Ababa. We share
his great Pan-Africanist vision, and
A ir Namibia announced that for
the past six months it has rec-
orded a very good On-Time
Performance (OTP), reaching
over 93% OTP in some months.
The newly-appointed Chief Operation Of-
ficer (COO) of Air Namibia, Rene Gsponer
said: “Air Namibia is serious about signifi-
cant improvement on its operational perfor-
mance and financial sustainability. \feed-
back shows our On-Time Performance for
the past 9 months has been above our target
of 90% this is a commendable achievement
for Air Namibia and we have seen an equal-
ly positive response from the market in
terms of ticket sales and positive feedback.”
Source: Air Namibia
Air Namibia records excel-
lent on-time performance Former South African President Mbeki tours Ethiopian facilities
are doing our part in the realization
of the African Union’s vision of a
peaceful, integrated and prosperous
Africa", said CEO Tewolde Ge-
bremariam.
In another development, Ethiopian
Airlines announced that it has re-
ceived the 2013 "GOLD Level Boe-
ing Performance Excellence Award"
for its outstanding performance at
the Wire Kits Harness Manufactur-
ing Plant. This is the second Gold
award the plant has received from
Boeing. The Boeing Company issues
Photo: Boeing
front of the growing demand for air
travel in our region and enable expan-
sion into several new markets."
Van Rex Gallard, vice president of
Sales for Africa, Latin America and
the Caribbean, Boeing Commercial
Airplanes said. "This order for Next-
Generation 737-700s will enable
LAM to realize greater efficiencies,
improved performance and enhanced
passenger comfort, as the airline
continues to move forward with its
A friqiyah Airways and
Libyan Airlines could
resume flying to the
European Union by
March this year, Captain Nasereddin
Shaebelain Director General of the
Libyan Civil Aviation Authority
(LYCAA) recently said at an avia-
tion conference in Tripoli.
Shaebelain revealed that a verifica-
tion team arrived in Tripoli from the
EU to be updated on the progress
achieved by LYCAA.
The Director General of LYCAA
confirmed that his organization had
been receiving help in raising stand-
ards from an international partner. He
was optimistic that the ban could be
lifted on either of the two largest
passenger carriers, Libyan Airlines or
Afriqiyah by March 2014. Source:
the award annually to recognize suppli-
ers who have achieved superior perfor-
mance. Source: Ethiopian
LAM and Boeing announce Boeing 737 Next-Generation order
Libyan planes to fly to EU by March 2014
B oeing has started assembly of
the first Next-Generation 737 to
be built at the increased rate of
42 airplanes per month. Since
2010, production of the 737 has increased
about 33 percent, from 31.5 to 42 airplanes a
month, its highest rate ever.
"This rate increase once again reflects our
commitment to put the world's best-selling
airplane into the hands of our customers as
quickly as possible," said Beverly Wyse,
vice president and General Manager, 737
Program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
"Efficiency improvements in the factory,
many of them developed by our employees,
are a big part of why we are able to
successfully increase the number of
airplanes we build." Source: Boeing
Boeing to start building
First Next-Generation 737
at increased production
rate
ambitious growth." Source: Boeing
libyaherald
m ercator scooped
the 'Stat Times
International
Award for Ex-
cellence in Air Cargo' in the catego-
ry of IT System Provider of the
Year. The award was presented
during the gala event organized as
part of Air Cargo India 2014 in
Mumbai.
SkyChain, mercator's cargo solu-
tion, received the highest number of
nominations from Stat Times' readers
worldwide. Stat Times, the interna-
tional multimodal transport media,
has been promoting and recognising
excellence in the air cargo industry
since 1986.
"We are very proud of this award as it
demonstrates how our SkyChain
continues to meet the business needs
of our customers by replacing legacy
mercator Scoops “IT System Provider of the Year” Award for Air Cargo
platforms with modern, flexible and modu-
lar solutions. We systematically aim to
incorporate our customer's voice into
product development, so it is great to be
recognised by our customers and industry
partners." said Fayyaz Alam, Vice Presi-
dent mercator. Source: mercator
EgyptAir renews contract for Lufthansa Systems’ SchedConnect solution
E gyptAir renewed the
contract for the
codeshare management
solution SchedConnect
from Lufthansa Systems on a long-
term basis. With SchedConnect
EgyptAir can optimize their
codeshare management, which leads
to cost savings and higher revenues.
SchedConnect offers a high degree of
automation, calculating the optimum
codeshare assignments based on the
Photo: Ethiopian Airlines
Photo: Afriqiyah
Photo: Air Namibia
current flight schedules every day. Each
month, the system processes up to 35 mil-
lion schedule changes made by SchedCon-
nect customers worldwide. Source:
Lufthansa Systems
T he African Airlines Association
(AFRAA) and the former AFRAA
Secretary General, Mr. Nick Fadug-
ba, are pleased to announce that they
have reaffirmed their commitment to continue
working closely to promote the African aviation
industry. AFRAA wishes to place on record its
appreciation to Mr. Fadugba for his commitment
and contribution to the Association during his
tenure as Secretary General of the Association.
Working together to pro-
mote African Aviation
AFRAA NEWSLETTER
Volume 6, Issue 2 Page 4
Issued by the African Airlines Association
T esting continues on the
high pressure compressor
(HPC) module for the
GE9X engine that will
power Boeing's 777X aircraft. The
tests began in September at a GE Oil
& Gas testing facility in Massa, Italy,
and the module has accumulated
close to 300 hours of testing today.
Bill Millhaem, General Manager of
the GE90/GE9X Program at GE
Aviation said: "The testing has vali-
M s. Ana Carolina do
Lago-Barber, Em-
braer Marketing
Director – EMEA,
CIS & Central Asia, accompanied
by Mr. Raul Villaron, Manager,
Market Analysis, Commercial Avia-
tion – Middle East and Africa made
business a familiarization visit to the
AFRAA Secretariat in Nairobi on
Friday 20 February 2014.
During the visit, they met with the
Secretary General of AFRAA, Dr.
Elijah Chingosho and his team to
discuss threats and opportunities for
African Airlines, Embraer’s interest
to invest in education in Africa,
support and maintenance of Em-
braer aircraft in Africa and areas of
mutual partnership with AFRAA.
Following fruitful discussions at the
meeting, Dr. Elijah Chingosho,
AFRAA Secretary General said, “It
was a pleasure meeting and discuss-
ing with Embraer various issues
pertaining to the African airline
f astjet announced the appointment
of Jimmy Kibati as fastjet General
Manager, East Africa. Jimmy
joins from Kenya Airways where
he held the position of Acting Commercial
Director.
Working alongside the fastjet management
team, Jimmy will be responsible for lead-
ing the airline's expansion in East Africa.
He will take up his new position in March
2014 and will be initially based in Dar-es-
Salaam, overseeing fastjet Tanzania.
Jimmy Kibati has over 20 years' experi-
ence in the commercial airline business,
having joined Kenya Airways in 1992
immediately following the completion of
his studies at Kenyatta University, Nairobi,
Kenya. Source: fastjet
Jimmy Kibati appointed
fastjet General Manager
East Africa
Embraer visits AFRAA
industry and exploring areas for
cooperation. AFRAA appreciates the
willingness of Embraer to be a criti-
cal partner in the development of
African aviation.” Ms. Ana Carolina
added, “Embraer is very keen in
working closer with AFRAA and
making our relationship even strong-
er.” AFRAA and Embraer’s partner-
ship dates from 2006.
dated the efficiency and operability
of the HPC module design well ahead
of the entry into service and supports
our plan to deliver a 10 percent fuel
burn improvement over today's GE90
engines."
GE will spend a total of $300 million
in 2014 on maturation testing of
technologies for the new GE9X en-
gine. Testing will include the Univer-
sal Propulsion Simulator (UPS) fan
performance tests that is underway at
A WAS announced that it
has delivered one new
737-800 aircraft on
long-term lease to
Travel Service. This aircraft comes
from AWAS’ existing new order
pipeline. Michal Tomis, Managing
Director Travel Service commented,
“We are very pleased to accept deliv-
ery of this new 737-800 to expand
and modernise our growing fleet.
AWAS’ team listened to our needs
and worked quickly to secure an
aircraft that was right for our busi-
ness.” “AWAS is proud to add Travel
During the meeting Embraer disclosed
their intention to locate their Senior Air-
line Analyst for Africa Commercial Avia-
tion in Nairobi, Kenya. The move was
much welcomed as it would bring Em-
braer closer to its customers in Africa.
The meeting concluded with a tour of the
AFRAA offices.
Strong Results for GE's High Pressure Compressor Rig Testing
Boeing's Seattle, Washington facility.
This test will provide key data on the
GE9X fan design. Source: GE Aviation
AWAS delivers one new 737-800 aircraft to Travel Service
Manoj Papa appointed
CEO of Air Seychelles
A ir Seychelles recently an-
nounced the appointment of
Mr. Manoj Papa as its new
Chief Executive Officer. He
succeeds Cramer Ball. Mr. Papa joins from
South African Airways, where he held the
position of Acting General Manager: Com-
mercial, overseeing the entire commercial
portfolio for the airline. As part of this, he
was also instrumental in developing the
Long Term Turnaround Strategy for SAA.
Mr. Ball will stay on to ensure a seamless
transition until Mr. Papa officially assumes
the position of CEO in March 2014.
Source: Air Seychelles
Service as a customer today,” said Marlin
Dailey, Chief Commercial Officer
AWAS. “We look forward to years of
future growth together.” Source: AWAS
From L-R: Mr. Raul Villaron, Dr. Elijah Chingosho, Ms. Ana
Carolina do Lago-Barber and Ms. Maureen Kahonge
B OC Aviation has select-
ed Pratt & Whitney
PurePower PW1100G-
JM engines for 15 firm
A320neo aircraft. Deliveries are
scheduled to commence in 2017.
"BOC Aviation's prominence in the
aircraft leasing industry continues to
increase, and Pratt & Whitney is
proud to have its PurePower engines
play a part in their future growth,"
said Dave Brantner, president, Pratt &
BOC Aviation Selects Pratt & Whitney Engines for New Airbus Aircraft
Mr. Manoj Papa
CEO of Air Seychelles
Mr. Jimmy Kibati
fastjet General Manager, East
Africa
Whitney Commercial Engines.
Source: Pratt & Whitney
Issued by the African Airlines Association
About AFRAA
AFRAA, is a trade organization of Airlines from the member states of the African Union (AU) whose aim is to foster commercial and technical cooperation for
airlines and represent their common interest. Founded in Accra, Ghana in April, 1968, and currently headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the Association members
represent 83% of total intercontinental traffic carried by African Airlines. For more information, visit: www.afraa.org
The AFRAA Bulletin is monthly publication by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA). Send articles or enquiries to: [email protected]
AFRAA NEWSLETTER
Volume 6, Issue 2 Page 5
Capacity Data
NB: Data is for all Passenger flights, both non-stop and flights with stops
February 2014
Source: AFRAA/OAG Source: AFRAA/OAG
February 2013
T he African Airlines Association
(AFRAA) invites applications from
suitably qualified candidates for the
position of Fuel Project Officer in
its Nairobi head-office, Kenya.
Details of the job description and qualifications
are available on the AFRAA website: http://
afraa.org/index.php/about-us/careers. Interest-
ed applicants for the above position to send
their motivation letters and resumes to:
[email protected] on or before 07 March
2014
AFRAA Vacancy Announce-
ment: Fuel Project Officer
SITA holds its 2014 Aviation ICT Forum
shape their business.
With the number of global business travelers set to
double by 2030, aviation IT will play a major role in
shaping the passenger experience. The aim of the Avia-
tion ICT Forum is to demonstrate the importance of
business transformation and stakeholders’ collabora-
tion, while placing the passenger at the forefront of the
aviation strategy.
S ITA held its 2014 Aviation ICT Forum
from 11-12 February 2014 at the Intercon-
tinental Hotel, Festival City, Dubai. The
forum was hosted in conjunction with
AACO, ACI AFRICA, AFRAA and IATA.
The conference program addressed business-critical
issues and solutions, providing innovative thinking
for future developments, exploring the potential of
collaboration, making aviation more efficient, profit-
able and still exceeding travelers’ expectations. The
forum provided a unique opportunity for executive
managers and business professionals to identify and
understand the latest aviation trends, which will
African Airlines Other Carriers
February 2014
flights seats %
African
Carriers flights seats
%
Other
Carriers
Intra Africa 67,418 6,840,051 95.26% 3,352 610,673 4.74%
Africa Europe 4,663 748,147 37.13% 7,896 1,562,468 62.87%
Africa - N. America 238 65,510 58.05% 172 38,970 41.95%
Africa - M. East 2714 518151 43.84% 3,477 741,098 56.16%
Africa - Asia 584 151,394 80.66% 140 36,251 19.34%
TOTAL 75,617 8,323,253 15,037 2,989,460
February 2013
Intra Africa 67,082 6,581,568 95.03% 3,508 630,478 4.97%
Africa Europe 4,616 748,380 37.58% 7,667 1,588,606 62.42%
Africa - N. America 205 55,645 58.74% 144 33,700 41.26%
Africa - M. East 2,267 420,943 38.87% 3,566 750,258 61.13%
Africa - Asia 579 153,589 78.88% 155 40,348 21.12%
TOTAL 74,749 7,960,125 15,040 3,043,390