Staff shortages at UK airports could prolong travel recovery

Manchester Airports Group has significantly increased the number of active jobs available on its career pages, with open positions increasing from 65 in December to 110 in February, according to GlobalData. However, the leading data and analytics company notes that only 36 positions were closed in this period – an ominous sign of things to come with international trips set to dramatically increase in April.

The peak season for holidays in the UK is fast approaching. According to GlobalData, total domestic and outbound visits in August from the UK are projected to be more than double the total number of visits in April. If staff shortages are not addressed by the peak of the summer season in airports such as Manchester Airport and London Stansted Airport, the impact could be calamitous for the UK’s airport and airline sectors, and the wider tourism industry.

Ralph Hollister, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Staff shortages could remain a problem for several months as airports scramble to match employment levels with demand. When travel came to a standstill during the pandemic, many airport employees left their positions to work in other industries. Stories of unruly passengers, often long commute times, and job uncertainty, as seen with COVID-19, could be off-putting for many currently seeking work.”

The coming months will be challenging for UK airports and airlines. A lack of staff in key positions could create an array of knock-on impacts, including missed flights, cancelations, and negative traveler sentiment, all of which could prolong recovery.

Hollister adds: “A lack of employees in key roles, such as those involving security, are key contributors to the long queues causing flights to be missed and passenger experiences to turn sour. It’s now up to airport companies to improve their recruitment strategies and make working in an airport an attractive proposition However, lengthy vetting procedures and training processes involved for these positions means the issue with long queues will not vanish overnight.”

Source: Breaking Travel News

Kenya Airways urges consolidation to boost African aviation

Consolidation is the key to driving forward aviation in Africa, according to the chief executive of Kenya Airways.  

“The future of African aviation relies on consolidation to reduce unit costs and connect the continent more,” Kenya Airways Group MD & CEO Allan Kilavuka said at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit in the UK on April 7, 2022.  

“That’s what we’re working on,” he continued in a panel discussion that was streamed online. “We’ve started discussions with some of the major airlines in Africa, especially South African Airways. We want to see how to use assets from both airlines and increase connectivity.” 

Kenya Airways and South African Airways signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the intention of consolidating resources and establishing a Pan-African airline group back in September 2021.   

Joining forces would help bring unit costs down and make African airlines more viable, Kilavuka said, highlighting there were hundreds of small airlines across the continent, many of which were not profitable.  

He said aviation was crucial to the African continent given poor road and rail links. Kenya Airways also has the benefit of a sizeable population in the region, Kilavuka said  

“We need air travel. African carriers should grow, they have to grow,” he said, while also noting a lack of healthy finances is a challenge for the region’s airlines.   

Kilavuka also noted that Kenya Airways was loss-making before the pandemic, and the COVID-19 crisis only made the situation worse. He said the airline was confident it now had the right people in place for a recovery but was still looking for the right business model.   

Talking about current demand and recovery from the pandemic, Kilavuka said he expected demand across Africa to recover by the end of 2023. At Kenya Airways, although Omicron hit bookings in the first quarter of 2022, summer bookings are “very strong”, he said.  

Source: Aerotime Hub

Kenya Airways cuts full-year operating losses by 75%

Kenya Airways slashed full-year operating losses to KSh6.8 billion ($59 million) during 2021, a reduction of 75%.

It generated just over KSh70 billion in revenues over the 12 months to 31 December.

But passenger numbers of 2.2 million were still 57% down on the pre-crisis figure in 2019, and capacity remained nearly two-thirds lower.

Despite the “muted operations”, the carrier says it achieved an improved performance owing to the easing of travel restrictions in some of its more important markets.

Chief executive Allan Kilavuka insists the airline’s management team is “committed to strengthening our business and achieving profitability” by focusing on sustainable operations “anchored around resilience, innovation, and diversification”.

“We are making investments in innovation, technology and other efficiencies that will give our employees the support they need to take care of our customers,” Kilavuka adds.

Kenya Airways chair Michael Joseph acknowledges that last year was “a challenging one” for the industry, with restrictions being lifted and re-imposed as it progressed. The emergence of the ‘Omicron’ variant of Covid-19, he says, “disrupted” the recovery.

“Restructuring and transformation initiatives made during [2020] contributed immensely to the recovery during the second half of [2021],” he adds.

Although direct operating costs for the airline rose by a third last year, as a result of increased operations and higher fuel prices, Kenya Airways says its total operating costs fell by 3.6%.

Source: Flight Global

UAE’s sustainable tourism drive might well be the highpoint of travelling to Dubai

It is well known by now that the international tourism and the livelihoods dependent on it were greatly affected by the global pandemic. However, as the world opens up, the UAE’s travel industry remains resilient. Governments and private sector partners have ensured destinations stay compelling and confidence increases as people begin to travel again.

Things were already looking up last year as Dubai welcomed 7.28 million visitors. Our mission is to strengthen Dubai’s economy by delivering world-class experiences underpinned by sustainable principles. There is tremendous untapped potential in this area – to engage the private and public sectors and garner support from people who are passionate about sustainable tourism.

Since the launch of our Sustainability Requirements, which were implemented to improve and unify environmental practices across hotels and resorts in Dubai, we have ramped up efforts to strengthen the city’s responsible tourism credentials. The requirements also support the hospitality industry and strengthen the ecosystem, as hotels and resorts across the country progress towards achieving their goals. As part of these efforts, Dubai Sustainable Tourism delivered 18,000 hours of training to its stakeholders and partners last year.

A recent Tripadvisor report, Travel in 2022 – A Look Ahead that surveyed more than 10,000 adults aged 18 to 75, found that travellers are seeking destinations where they can immerse themselves in “authentic local experiences”.

Research commissioned by the Centre for Sustainability through Research and Education for Expo 2020 Dubai has also shown that eco-tourism has an increased significance to those travelling to Dubai as 44 per cent of visitors considered sustainability an “important concept influencing their behaviour”.

Catering to this growing demand for eco-tourism, Dubai offers wildlife observation trips, bird watching, stargazing, wetland exploration and visits to local communities. The same study also highlighted that 22 per cent of visitors surveyed identified themselves as responsible, sustainability-minded travellers who use public transport, consume water sensibly, and are willing to pay more for eco-certified products and services.

Like much of the UAE, Dubai offers a multitude of experiences where tourists have the opportunity to engage with local traditions, experience a cultural exchange and visit historical neighbourhoods to understand Emirati heritage.

One example is the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, a vast expanse comprising 10 per cent of Dubai’s total area and the largest unfenced nature reserve in the UAE. Popular with both domestic and international tourists, the reserve is home to the 3,000 year old Saruq Al Hadid archaeological site. It is also a sanctuary for more than 200 species of native birds, 158 species of migratory birds and endangered species. The reserve is the perfect terrain for horse-riders and cyclists to explore the vast expanse comprising desert, wetlands and lakes.

The UAE boasts one of the largest ratios of protected areas per land mass in the world with 15.5 per cent of the country protected, and in Dubai protected areas include Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hatta Nature Reserve. However, the city is constantly expanding its sustainable tourism credentials.

The aim of Dubai 2040 Urban Masterplan is for the city to become one of the world’s most sustainable destinations, while reinforcing Dubai’s reputation as a global hub for business, investment and tourism. The plan also emphasises enhancing the quality of life for Dubai’s residents and visitors and preserving the environment.

By 2040, the length of public beaches across the Emirate will be increased by as much as 400 per cent. The expansion of tourism attractions, meanwhile, will increase by over 100 per cent, adding to the diversity of Dubai’s offerings. A 16km cycling track alongside Jumeirah beach will eventually connect to other coastal areas, building on the city’s 520km bicycle network.

Dubai is committed to supporting ecotourism and environmental protection. And as the UAE looks forward to hosting next year’s climate summit Cop28, which will address opportunities to create a more sustainable and progressive economic future, we believe that responsible tourism principles can help fulfil the country’s sustainability goals.

We cannot, however, do it alone. It is imperative for the public and private sectors to continue to collaborate to accelerate moves towards a green economy, to achieve sustainable tourism goals and make the cities of UAE forward-thinking, world-class destinations for sustainable tourism.

Source: The National News

Business Traveler Anxieties Ripple Across Eastern Europe 

As the number of refugees escaping the war in Ukraine tops four million, surpassing even the United Nations’ worst-case prediction, many businesses operating in the region are working out their next set of contingency plans.

The number of “what if” questions is on the rise, partly because of the uncertainty surrounding ongoing peace talks.

“Over the last 48 hours, there has been a marked change of tone from Russian state-affiliated media outlets, indicating that the Kremlin may actually be serious about changing its objectives,” noted international security company Global Guardian on Wednesday. However, it said Russia will use this time to regroup, reorganize and resupply.

Now one crisis specialist is advising corporate clients on a range of issues, ultimately designed to alleviate stress levels in the face of an expanded geopolitical crisis.

“From our sources, there’s no let-up. It’s more a repositioning, not a withdrawal,” said Julian Moro, senior vice president of security solutions, at risk management company International SOS, which has had a team in Ukraine since January 26.

“While many organizations reduced their exposure to Ukraine, they are thinking about their other populations. What do we tell our employees in other locations to show we are thinking about it, that we have done some contingency planning.”

Perception Versus Reality

That planning has become more difficult for many companies after their crisis teams battled the pandemic for long periods. “There are two things about Covid. One positive is that a lot of companies now have crisis teams, whereas they didn’t pre-Covid,” Moro said. “On the flip side, many crisis teams are exhausted after two years of the pandemic.”

International SOS is now advising company bosses and crisis management teams, where perceptions and emotions rather than the reality are coming into play. It’s talking about Russia’s weapon systems, the distances involved, and what’s the doctrine of the Russians when they are in conflict.

“I feel like we’re helping them manage their anxiety in adjacent countries, about the likeness of an escalation, what would that look like, what are the different scenarios,” Moro said.

Meanwhile, more work around mental health support is emerging, with many of International SOS’s clients requesting multi-lingual crisis hotlines for emotional support, for evacuees, their families and staff members.

Global Guardian, meanwhile, continues to operate in Ukraine evacuating employees of American companies and their families. It has so far helped almost 10,000 people to safety, more recently focusing on retrieving valuable physical assets left behind by U.S. companies.

Source: Skift

CDC drops its COVID-19 risk advisory for cruise ship travel

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has lifted its risk advisory for cruise ship travel Wednesday following two years of issuing warnings to travelers about the possibility of contracting COVID-19 onboard a cruise.

In an update posted online, the agency removed its “Cruise Ship Travel Health Notice,” a notice that recommended individuals against traveling onboard cruise ships. Three months ago, the CDC increased its travel warnings for cruises to Level 4 — the highest level — following investigations of ships that had COVID outbreaks.

While the CDC has lifted its travel health notice, officials say it’s up to the passengers to determine their own health risks before going onboard a cruise ship.

“While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers will make their own risk assessment when choosing to travel on a cruise ship, much like they do in all other travel settings,” the agency said in a statement to NPR.

The agency says it will continue to provide guidance to the cruise ship industry in order for cruise lines to operate in a way that will provide “safer and healthier” environments for crews, passengers and communities.

News of the CDC’s decision to remove its travel health notice was praised by the Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s largest trade organization.

“Today’s decision by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to altogether remove the Travel Health Notice for cruising recognizes the effective public health measures in place on cruise ships and begins to level the playing field, between cruise and similarly situated venues on land, for the first time since March 2020.

From the onset of the pandemic, CLIA’s cruise line members have prioritized the health and safety of their guests, crew, and the communities they visit and are sailing today with health measures in place that are unmatched by virtually any other commercial setting.”

The CDC emphasizes that travelers should make sure they’re up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before taking a cruise, in addition to following their ship’s requirements and recommendations against the virus.

Travelers are urged to check their cruise ship’s COVID case levels and vaccination requirements online before traveling, the agency says.

Source: NPR

RwandAir: Pandemic offers new chance to gain market share

Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, says that the company, now 49% owned by Qatar Airways, is looking beyond the pandemic to exploiting Africa’s huge aviation potential.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your expansion plans and your medium- to long-term strategy?

We had a lot of momentum in the lead-up to the pandemic. We were expanding and had 29 routes running and more planned, both within and beyond Africa, but when Rwanda went into lockdown, we had to shelve most of these plans.

Rwanda closed off its airspace to commercial flights between March and August 2020, so we had to ground our fleet and re-evaluate our business model. The government of Rwanda has taken the pandemic very seriously, but has been very supportive of affected businesses, including those in aviation. Our staff were considered front-line workers, so we were able to get everyone vaccinated quickly.

We were able to operate cargo-only flights to support the export sector, as well as bringing in medical supplies like PPE. We converted our cabins to allow us to transport high-value exports like avocados, chillis, French beans, and flowers to lucrative markets in Europe and the Gulf.

We also carried out several repatriation flights, mainly to and from Europe, North America, and China, not just for Rwandans but also for citizens of other Central African counties.

By the time we resumed commercial flights in August 2020 we had shrunk our network to remove less profitable routes, including to Senegal, Juba, and Tel Aviv, which have still not been restarted.

Unfortunately, we were also forced to lay off some staff, though we have started rehiring them now. We had to cut back on in-flight services to focus more on safety and security procedures, which was obviously our priority.

We were on the road to recovery when the Omicron variant was recognised in December 2021, which was peak travel season. That knocked us back again as we had to stop all our Southern African routes, as well as major long-haul flights, to London and Dubai for example.

Now that the Omicron outbreak is being managed things are once again picking up and we are seeing increased passenger numbers. We hope to see consistent improvements between now and the 2022 summer season.

Covid has created challenges, but also opportunities, with SAA’s privatisation and Kenya Airways restructuring its network. How is RwandAir planning to fill new gaps in the market?

We had to pull out of some of our own routes, which other airlines are now eyeing, while we are looking at moving into new routes that have become available and which fit with our location and model.

Africa was already underserved and less connected than it should be, so there are lots of opportunities for airlines to gain market share at the moment. Even during the pandemic, we opened a few new routes.

These included Bangui (CAR), and Goma and Lubumbashi (DRC), which have been doing extremely well since we opened them in 2021. So, we are still working towards our objective of connecting Africans with each other and with the world.

In 2020 it was announced that Qatar Airways was purchasing a 49% stake in RwandAir. What is the state of negotiations, and how will they help RwandAir establish itself as a global airline?

Commercial initiatives, such as codeshares, between RwandAir and Qatar Airways were agreed upon in September 2021 and have been operation since December 2021. These have linked Kigali’s air transport hub with that of Doha, which allows us to expand our network significantly.

We can now reach most of Eurasia, while Qatar can reach most of Africa. Travellers can earn and exchange air miles between loyalty schemes, while we have access to Qatar Airways’ training facilities for pilots and cabin crew.

Qatar Airways has also purchased a 60% stake in Rwanda’s Bugesera International Airport. How does this arrangement benefit both Qatar and Rwanda?

The joint venture is still being worked out but is probably a few months away from being finalised. This will give Rwanda a large, modern airport, which is central to our plans to make Rwanda a transport hub, as well as Qatar’s plans to service the African continent. This will allow Rwand­Air to expand and allow the economy to benefit from ripple effects such as tourism and job creation.

It’s a massive project, around 25km outside Kigali, that is set to grow into an “airport city”, with housing, hotels, and entertainment centres, which presents a world of opportunity to local businesses. The first phase is set to be completed in 2024-25, which will give the airport a capacity of 7m passengers.

The second phase will expand on that, but details are yet to be finalised. The whole project is a good example of the government’s preferred private-public partnership (PPP) model, and there will be opportunities for further PPPs in everything from construction to service provision as the project advances.

How is RwandAir embracing innovation to attract customers and establish itself in the international market?

We are always looking for ways to make travel easier, add value and differentiate ourselves from the competition. We have invested in digitising and automating a lot of things, such as online sales and online check-ins, which has actually been helped by the pandemic and the emphasis that was put on getting things done remotely.

Qatar Airways has always been on the front line of innovation, and Rwanda is a very IT-focused country, so the deal between the two will let us complement each other’s innovative spirit perfectly.

How important is the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to Rwand­Air, and what is your role in the promotion of African trade?

The finalisation of AfCFTA will be a game-changer as it will force change across the continental economy, including in aviation. It will become impractical to operate a free trade area without broad “open skies” agreements, inclusive visa policies, and other provisions that will make it easier for people to use our services.

At the moment many barriers still exist across Africa, including complicated visa procedures, inconsistent infrastructure, a lack of ground handling facilities, prohibitively high airport taxes, and unmaintained or unlit runways, all of which have to be addressed before Africa can develop a sustainable and affordable aviation industry.

For AfCFTA’s benefits to be felt in full, governments need to look at the continent holistically and address some of these bottlenecks so that aviation isn’t a limiting factor.

As Rwanda becomes a regional centre for sport, tourism, and the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) segment, while promoting travel-friendly policies at home and abroad, AfCFTA presents Rwandans, RwandAir, and our partnership with Qatar with the opportunity to play a crucial role in Africa’s future.

Source: African Business

Ethiopia: Legendary Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam quits after 37 years

The long serving CEO of Africa’s largest airline Ethiopia Airlines has stepped down, citing ill health. Starting at the firm in 1985, he become CEO in 2011. He leaves behind a strong legacy, the envy of other African airlines who struggle to match Ethiopian’s operational efficiency.

Less than 24 hours after the announcement of the resignation of Tewolde GebreMariam, the CEO of Asky Airlines in Togo, Mesfin Tasew, has been appointed to take over as head of Ethiopian Airlines.

His appointment on 24 March, follows the resignation of Tewolde GebreMariam, who took early retirement on March 23 for health reasons.

Tasew will be responsible for the continent’s leading airline, with 130 aircraft covering 120 destinations worldwide.

Tewolde GebreMariam is a towering figure of African aviation, dragging Ethiopian Airlines through a profound modernisation process, and running the state-backed company profitably, in comparison to many continental peers.

“I pay tribute to the work of a man who has led Africa’s largest airline for over 11 years”, says Abdérahmane Berte, head of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

“Under his leadership Ethiopian Airlines became the largest African airline. A position maintained for many years”, he says. “For the sake of history I also note the important role of Ethiopian Airlines as one of the founding companies of AFRAA.”

Ethiopian Airlines tripled its fleet under Tewolde GebreMariam’s watch, from around 40 when he took over as CEO in 2011, to 120 today.

Turnover also grew from $1.3bn in 2011 to $3.9bn in 2019-2020. And Ethiopian’s Addis Ababa hub now flies to 120 destinations, compared to 80 in 2010.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact, kicking a billion-dollar hole in the budget, Ethiopian Airlines has managed to be operationally flexible, refitting several passenger planes into cargo carriers, the fruit of a long-started diversification exercise.

Ethiopian Airlines was the continent’s fifth largest carrier, after South African Airways, Egyptair, Royal Air Maroc and Kenya Airways. But post pandemic, thanks to this agility — and the decline of other carriers — it finds itself Africa’s biggest as measured by turnover in our exclusive ranking of Africa’s Top 500 Companies.

“Ato Tewolde was a game changer in African aviation. He bumped Ethiopian Airlines into the new century with a solid and steady hand, expanding the airline in terms of scope and profits beyond what was thought possible in Africa”, says one African aviation expert who asks not to be named. “His agility was apparent in Ethiopian’s stunning quick turn once the pandemic decimated passenger traffic by quickly converting passenger aircraft to freighters, earning the awe and admiration of business leaders worldwide. Honestly his handling of ET during Covid was spectacular.”

“I have already retired due to ill-health & the resignation I submitted to the gov’t was accepted”, Tewolde told Ethiopia Check.

The news was broken by local news outlet the Addis Standard.

Source: The African Report

KQ to start daily flights to India on easing of curbs

Kenya Airways will now fly daily to India after the Asian country lifted the restrictions that had limited the national carrier to three flights a week, coming as a major boost to the airline that is struggling financially.

KQ, as the carrier is known by its international code, has been operating flights to India under a special arrangement normally referred to as ‘air bubble’ in aviation and which also limited the number of passengers to 400 a week.

The carrier, which resumed flights to India in September last year after it had stopped flying to the Asian country on April 2021, will also be making ten weekly flights to India starting April, coming as a major relief to passengers seeking to travel to the country.

“We are excited and ready for take-off to Mumbai with daily flights from March 28, 2022, and ten weekly flights from April, 17,” said KQ in a notice to its customers.

India has now opened its airspace to the national carrier as cases of Covid-19 in the country continue to decline.

The additional frequencies to Mumbai come just days after KQ cut frequencies to some of its destinations and stopped the launch of new routes citing declining demand for passengers.

A large number of patients from Kenya travel to India every year for specialised medical treatment, especially cancer care, helping to drive medical tourism in the densely populated country that boasts relatively more affordable healthcare.

Kenya Airways has postponed the launch of flights to Italy even as it suspended its operations to Cameroon due to low demand for passengers.

The national carrier was to start flying to Rome and Milan in June but it says the plans have been put on hold due to lower demand than it had earlier projected.

According to the initial schedule, KQ was to operate two weekly flights on Wednesday and Sunday using a large capacity aircraft Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

KQ re-introduced flights to Rome in 2019 after a seven-year hiatus, banking on increased traffic between the two continents and a new link in Geneva to boost its earnings.

Source: The East African

US downgrades Kenya Covid travel alert on vaccines, low infections

The US has eased travel restrictions on Kenya in the wake of declining cases of Covid-19, offering a boost to the East African nation’s recovering tourism sector.

Kenya has been moved to level one from level three, which requires US citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to a destination and reconsider any planned travel.

The downgrade to level one is set to boost summer bookings from a country that accounted for the largest share of foreign visitors to Kenya last year at 136,981.

Kenya’s tourism industry has started to pull out of its deep Covid-19-induced slump as local travellers take advantage of lower prices, but foreign visitor numbers are still well below pre-pandemic levels.

The US’s latest advisory follows a sharp decline in infections and hospital admissions in recent weeks, which made the Kenyan government to relax coronavirus restrictions, lifting requirements for compulsory wearing of face masks in open places and ending quarantine measures.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice for Kenya, indicating a low level of Covid-19 in the country,” says the US embassy in Nairobi. “Your risk of contracting Covid-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorised vaccine.”

Kenya’s positivity rate — the proportion of tests coming back positive — stood at 0.3 percent on Monday compared to a peak of 37.6 percent on December 27.

The lower infection rates come on the back of increased inoculation against Covid-19, with 7.93 million Kenyans fully vaccinated, up from 3.93 million on December 27.

Kenya’s tourism is expected to record increased numbers in the next two months as visitors from western countries troop in for summer holidays. Kenya expects tourism, typically one of its top sources of foreign exchange, to earn Sh173 billion this year, up 18.5 percent from last year, the government said.

Earnings slumped to Sh88.6 billion in 2020 as governments around the world restricted the movement of people, including through the closure of airspaces, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

They bounced back to Sh146 billion last year, with the number of hotel nights occupied by Kenyan travellers doubling during the period.

Local resorts, which normally concentrate their marketing efforts on foreign tourists, were forced to turn to the domestic market by the pandemic, offering cut rates to entice holidaymakers.

Foreign visitor numbers were still sharply lower than pre-pandemic levels, at just under 870,500 last year against two million in 2019. They are forecast to reach 1.03 million this year.

The drop in earnings in the sector from foreign tourists has contributed to a sharp fall in the local currency, which is trading at all-time lows against the dollar.

Source: Daily Nation