Hahn Air welcomes six new partner airlines into its leading network

Ticketing and distribution leader, Hain Air, announced that it has established contracts with six new partner airlines during the past quarter, bringing the total number of new carriers implemented this year to 13. Air Liaison (DU) from Canada, Blue Islands (SI) from the United Kingdom, Corendon Airlines Europe (XR) from Malta, Corendon Airlines (XC) from Turkey, Jet Fly (JFL) from Austria and Tayaran Jet (E8) from Bulgaria can now benefit from an expanded distribution reach and incremental revenue in up to 190 markets.

“Now more than ever, airlines recognise the immense value they can gain from a partnership with Hahn Air,” says Alexander Proschka, Executive Vice President Commercial. “Being the number one expert in indirect distribution, we offer more than 20 years of sales expertise, our unparalleled network of over 350 partner airlines and our reliable and cost-effective solutions which will bring immediate business results. We stand by our airline and travel agency partners to get their businesses back on track.”  

With its ticketing and distribution solutions, the German airline Hahn Air facilitates global business between travel agencies and airlines. Hahn Air partner airlines can choose from different distribution solutions. HR-169 enables airlines that have at least one GDS contract in place to sell tickets in markets where they are not connected to a local settlement system (e.g. BSP, ARC or TCH). H1-Air and X1-Air are the products for airlines wanting to enter the GDS world or looking to expand their ticket sales to additional GDSs and more than 100,000 travel agencies.

Of the new partners, the carriers Air Liaison (DU), Blue Islands (SI), Corendon Airlines Europe (XR), Jet Fly (JFL) and Tayaran Jet (E8) join Hahn Air Technology’s X1-Air network and are now available in Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport under the designator X1. Corendon Airlines (XC) complements the H1-Air network of Hahn Air Systems and can be booked under the code H1 in the following ten major GDSs: Amadeus, Axess, Galileo, Infini, Sabre, Sabre Pacific (formerly Abacus), Sirena, Travelport, Travelsky and Worldspan. 

For more information about Hahn Air, visit www.hahnair.com.

Lufthansa launches direct flights to Mombasa

German based carrier Lufthansa has indicated plans to launch direct flights to Mombasa as the airline seeks to strengthen its footprint in East Africa.

The carrier says it will run two flights a week between Frankfurt-Mombasa and Zanzibar on its sister carrier Eurowings beginning March 31 next year.

The launch of the flights is expected to intensify the competition for carriers operating between Europe and East Africa including Kenya Airways.

“East Africa remains an important part of the Lufthansa Group’s Africa network even throughout this unprecedented crisis.

“The new route will provide leisure passengers an exciting travel experience and offers numerous connections at the Frankfurt hub” said Andre Schulz, Lufthansa’s General Manager for Southern and East Africa.

Flights on the new route are targeting holiday makers who frequent destinations at the Kenyan coast and the tropical island of Zanzibar.

Source: https://citizentv.co.ke/business/lufthansa-launches-direct-flights-mombasa-347219/

Kenya Airways is down but definitely not out

A video clip on Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) has been doing the rounds. Ominously titled, ‘Fall of The Pride’, it has created a frisson of excitement in some and visceral fear in others. Tapping into the anger that is already palpable on account of a tanking economy, the creator of the clip has masterfully channeled it towards KQ as though the airline was a metonym for the entire country and all that is wrong with it.

Unfortunately, stoking emotions clouds the reasoning of many and precludes cogent discussion over the future of the airline. For instance, it cements systemic biases against industry outsiders in top management positions making them look like they do not belong. Yet evidence clearly shows that industry pundits do not always make the best managers. Titus Naikuni, in his early years at KQ, steered it to profitability. He was an outsider. On the other hand, Sebastian Mikosz, with vast experience in the aviation industry, sunk KQ into a deeper hole before his untimely and expensive departure. The Polish aviation consultants, so called “the turn-around experts” were not a good idea.

Then again, it is difficult to convince despondent Kenyans that, contrary to public sentiment, KQ procured its aircraft sans kickbacks to the politically correct people. No one wants to peruse the data in the public domain that reveals the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) used to purchase most of the airline fleet are in fact, owned by international financial institutions. It is easier to believe that these SPVs are run by shadowy politicians with the sole purpose of defrauding the airline. Nothing could be further from the truth!

It is standard practice in the aviation and maritime industries for fleet operators to take syndicated loans for large-scale purchases of equipment. Lenders then incorporate SPVs to reduce their risks as they would rather have an independent legal personality as a borrower, free from any financial distress that may be experienced by an airline company. The borrower (SPV) then enters into a finance lease with the airline until the loan is repaid thereafter which the title to the vessel is handed over to the airline.

Successive airlines like Turkish Airlines have used this option to increase their fleet. Through an SPV called Balthazar, owned by PNB Paribas, they recently bought five Airbus 321 NEO aircraft. KQ, in the 90s, purchased four Boeing 737-300 aircraft with the support of the Export Import Bank of America. The SPV then was Simba Finance Limited. The titles to these aircraft were transferred to KQ after the repayment of the loan. It follows therefore that there is nothing sinister about the acquisition of planes through SPVs like Samburu, Tsavo and Amboseli Limited. Ownership can be traced to international lenders of repute like JP Morgan, City Bank, Standard Chartered, Ned Bank, among others.

KQ has performed rather badly over the past few years due to errors of omission, commission and outright bad luck. Under the ambitious Project Mawingu, it expanded too fast and acquired a huge fleet without capacity. It also failed to anticipate aggression from Middle Eastern carriers. These rolled out a more superior product, taking a significant chunk of the African market that the airline had been reliant on. Among the factors beyond the control of KQ were the Douala crash, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the fire that burnt Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the airline’s hub, and the Westgate massacre.

At the moment, the airline is faced with an existential crisis and must make one of two decisions. One, is to nationalise the airline. This would entail the government buying back shares from others, giving it full control. It would then continue to subsidise the airline as its own asset with bigger objectives than profitability and dividends. The long view would be to use KQ as a strategic national asset, spurring exports like horticultural produce, driving up visitor numbers and facilitating the country as a conference destination. RwandaAir and Qatar Airlines have adopted this model.

The other decision is to wind up the airline. But while this would resolve the intractable demands of powerful unions and unyielding lessors, it would still cost the government Sh76 billion in repayment of debt secured by sovereign guarantees. Restarting afresh would present challenges of creating new routes, traffic, licences and co-bilateral service agreements. One hopes that a sense of proportionality will prevail, and the right decision made. KQ may be down for now but it is certainly not out.

-Khafafa is a public policy analyst Source: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/commentary/article/2001389111/kenya-airways-is-down-but-definitely-not-out

UNWTO and IATA sign agreement to restore confidence in international aviation

From the start of the current crisis, UNWTO has led the way in addressing the key factor needed for the successful restart of tourism. This agreement with the global trade association for the airline sector builds on this and deepens the existing collaboration between both organizations to keep geared towards restoring the confidence of travellers.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Air travel is an essential component of global tourism. This partnership between UNWTO and IATA will see us work closely together to increase confidence in flying and tourism in general. UNWTO will use our expertise in innovation and our status as a connector of public and private sector leaders to help get aviation moving again.”

Closer, more focused collaboration

As well as focusing on building and maintaining confidence in international travel, the new agreement will also see UNWTO and IATA work closely together to foster innovation and promote greater public-private collaboration. As tourism restarts, this MoU will help ensure recovery is sustainable and inclusive.

IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac says: “The safe opening of international borders to tourism is essential. Tourists want to feel safe, and they want to be confident that their travel plans won’t be affected by last-minute changes to rules and regulations. For this to happen, even greater collaboration between the public and private sectors is needed. This enhanced partnership with the World Tourism Organization will help guide aviation’s recovery over the critical months ahead.”

IATA has been an Affiliate Member of UNWTO since 1978, providing a strong voice for the international air transport sector. IATA is also an active member of the Board of the UNWTO’s Affiliate Members and contributed to the UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism, released in May to help guide governments and the private sector in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This collaboration was reflected in the final publication. A set distinct set of recommendations for the air transport sector were included, with a focus on the introduction of enhanced hygiene protocols to guarantee the safety of both passengers and airline workers. The Global Guidelines also emphasized the need for strong partnership and coordination at every level of the airline sector.

UNWTO leads a sector united

This latest partnership comes as UNWTO continues to lead the global tourism sector in its response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. As well as close cooperation with private sector associations and businesses, UNWTO also recently signed an agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), that will see the two UN agencies work together to harness the power of tourism to drive the sustainable social and economic development of rural communities.

Source: https://www.unwto.org/news/unwto-and-iata-sign-agreement-to-restore-confidence-in-international-aviation

No new pilots needed for ‘very long time’: Lufthansa training arm

Lufthansa’s in-house flight academy has advised student pilots to consider other careers as the industry will not require them “for a very long time”.

The message was delivered in a 29 September webcast, Lufthansa Aviation Training has disclosed.

It tells Cirium: “All airlines worldwide will have no requirement for [new] pilots – with or without flight experiences – for a very long time.

“It is a matter of fairness for us to explain the industry outlook to our flight students very clearly so that they can think about alternatives at an early stage.”

LAT says that it advised students to “reorient themselves professionally”.

German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit expects that Lufthansa will continue the training for only a “very small” percentage of students at the airline’s flight academy in Bremen, and complains that the others are being “pressurised” to make alternative career plans.

Students recruited to pursue a Lufthansa-specific multi-crew pilot licence – rather than a traditional, universal training programme toward an airline transport pilot licence – will be required to switch to “external” flight schools and accept a change to their programme, and will not be “entitled” to fly for Lufthansa later on, according to the union.

It says Lufthansa was able to select “the best” candidates for its own pilot-training programme based on the “radiance” of its brand and the job prospects within the group. Now, the union fears, student pilots completing their training outside LAT’s programme will have to undergo an assessment prior to potential future employment and carry the full financial burden of their training.

Lufthansa Group has hitherto pre-financed a majority of its pilot recruits’ training costs, which would be repaid over the course of several years in employment.

The union asserts that the prospect of candidates’ having to undergo recruitment assessment after training has never before existed at Lufthansa.

LAT says students affected by the cuts have a “fair offer to terminate the training contracts prematurely free of charge [and] are free to decide whether to accept the offer or receive further training”.

Operations at LAT’s flight schools are meanwhile on hold until “at least” year-end amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s website indicates.

Bremen is one of several locations for LAT, an organisation the airline group established in 2016 to merge its training facilities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the USA.

Established in 1956 – a year after Lufthansa’s post-war operations began – the Bremen flight academy is used to provide ground school training for group pilots before they transfer to the company’s US locations for part of their practical training.

The Bremen school has additionally trained transport pilots for the German air force since the 1960s, as well as other airlines’ staff.

Vereinigung Cockpit believes the school’s existence is under threat. In August, the union said that the German ministry of defence was considering termination of military training in Bremen and its potential transfer to LAT’s Rostock facility.

If income from military training were to be lost, “large” parts of school activities in Bremen would be in jeopardy, the union suggests.

Unlike the school in Bremen, the Rostock one is not covered by a collective labour agreement.

In 2018, LAT recruited 500 student pilots for the parent group, the training company’s website indicates. Full-time ab initio training takes around two years until a pilot is qualified to enter an airline cockpit.

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/no-new-pilots-needed-for-very-long-time-lufthansa-training-arm/140484.article

KATA – Public Participation in the National Aviation Management Bill

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents represented by their CEO, Agnes Mucuha submitted recommendations on behalf of its members in the public participation process in the review of the National Aviation Management Bill at Parliament on Monday 28th October,2020. KATA sought for a standing board position at the Kenya Aviation Corporation being a major stakeholder for the aviation sector in its contributions of over 75% of the passenger number bookings made on Kenya Airways. KATA has extensive technical knowledge in commercial aviation and IATA matters that would be of rich value to the board of the aviation body.

Read more:- https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/kenya/2020-10-02-private-interest-claims-rock-kq-nationalisation-plan 

Uganda Airlines relaunch

Agnes Muchua CEO of KATA, during her opening remarks in the re-launch ceremony for Uganda Airlines flight operations into Kenya said that it was an exciting day and that the relaunch is a time for joy, new hope and high expectations. “We are happy to once again hear the roaring sound of the Aircraft engines, and to see vibrance at the runway”. She said that according to a recent data insights webinar with Amadeus, Uganda emerged as the top regional destination for travel from Kenya. This is a clear demonstration of the passenger confidence in Uganda for business and leisure travellers. She further remarked that the resumption of Uganda Airlines will propel movement and trade and a way to discover the continent. Finally, she pledged KATA’s 100% support and congratulated Uganda Airlines for becoming an IATA member. Read more: – https://www.goplacesdigital.com

International flights land in South Africa as borders reopen

A first batch of regional and international flights landed in South Africa early on Thursday, as borders reopened after a more than six-month shutdown to limit the spread of coronavirus.

German carrier Lufthansa was the first European airline to resume operations into the country, with a flight from Frankfurt landing at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo international airport at 8.30 a.m. (0630 GMT).

Planes also flew in from Kenya, Zambia and neighbouring Zimbabwe.

“Lufthansa is delighted to be at the forefront of the resumption of commercial travel into South Africa and proud to reconnect South Africa to Germany… on the day the travel ban is lifted,” the airline’s southern and East Africa manager, Andre Schulz, said in a statement.

“We look forward to bringing visitors back to South Africa and helping to boost the very important tourism sector.”

Africa’s most industrialised economy sealed its borders at the start of a strict anti-coronavirus lockdown on March 27.

Restrictions on movement and business have been gradually eased since May, but international borders stayed shut to avoid importing the virus from abroad.

The travel ban dealt a heavy blow to the tourist industry, which usually employs around 1.5 million people and contributes over 8.5 percent GDP, according to the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA).

The group estimated in July that each day the industry was restrained represented a loss of 748 million rand ($45 million) in tourist expenditure.

More than 600,000 direct jobs have been axed as a result.

TBCSA welcomed what it said was the timely resumption of international travel, hoping this would trigger a “resuscitation” for the tourism sector during the peak December season.

But tourists from around 50 nations with high infection rates remain banned for the time being, including major sources of foreign visitors such as Britain, Russia and the US.

Those travel restrictions will be reviewed every two weeks.

All other visitors will meanwhile be required to present a negative coronavirus test taken less than 72 hours prior to departure.

They will be screened upon arrival and asked to install a coronavirus tracing app on their mobile phone.

Travellers from all African countries are being admitted for now.

Infections and deaths south of the Sahara have remained low compared to the rest of the world.

South Africa has been relatively hard-hit, with 674,339 infections and 16,734 deaths recorded to date — just under half the total number of cases detected on the continent.

Source: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/africa/article/2001388453/international-flights-land-in-south-africa-as-borders-reopen

India has air bubble agreements with Kenya, Bhutan; international flights now to 15 countries

India on Wednesday said it signed air bubble agreements with two more countries taking the total number of nations, with which these temporary arrangements are formed, to 15. Indians will soon be able to take special international passenger flights to and from Kenya and Bhutan to destinations in India along with 13 other nations with which such pacts are already in place.

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, the Maldives, Nigeria, Qatar, the UAE, the UK and the USA are the other countries with whom India has already formed bilateral air bubble agreements until September 17.

India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation describes air bubbles as “Transport Bubbles” or “Air Travel Arrangements” which are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are reciprocal in nature, meaning airlines from both countries enjoy similar benefits”.

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=TIMESNOW&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1311264368026296327&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesnownews.com%2Fbusiness-economy%2Findia-revival-mission%2Farticle%2Findia-has-air-bubble-agreements-with-kenya-bhutan-international-flights-now-to-15-countries%2F660479&siteScreenName=TIMESNOW&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px India’s Minister of Civil Aviation (I/C) Hardeep Singh Puri announced the new bilateral agreements signed with Kenya and Bhutan alerting stranded Indians in the regions to take note.

“In order to further boost bilateral international air connectivity, Air Bubble arrangements are now in place with Kenya & Bhutan. Indian carriers will be able to operate to these countries. Carriers of these countries will be able to fly to India,” Civil Aviation Minister Puri announced on his Twitter account.

The development comes at a day after Lufthansa cancelled all its flights to and from India between September 30 and October 20 following the breakdown of talks between India and Germany over the number of flights operated by the airlines from each country.

“India formalised an air bubble with Germany in July 2020. An air bubble arrangement allows nationals of both countries to travel in either direction. However, there are restrictions in place for Indian nationals desiring to travel to Germany which was putting Indian carriers at a significant disadvantage resulting in inequitable distribution of traffic in favour of Lufthansa. As against Indian carriers operating 3-4 flights a week, Lufthansa operated 20 flights a week. In spite of this disparity, we offered to clear 7 flights a week for Lufthansa which was not accepted by them. Negotiations continue,” said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation regulator.

Normal international flights remain suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating under the government’s Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) repatriation scheme to bring stranded Indians back.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/india-revival-mission/article/india-has-air-bubble-agreements-with-kenya-bhutan-international-flights-now-to-15-countries/660479

Ethiopian Unveils COVID-19 Global Insurance Cover

Ethiopian Airlines Group, the Largest Aviation Group in Africa has today announced that it will cover the medical insurance including repatriation, evacuation and quarantine costs related to COVID-19 as of 01st of October 2020 until 31st of March 2021. The coverage is applicable on all Ethiopian’s international flights booked with the airline’s tickets.

The global cover dubbed Sheba Comfort is part of the airline’s extra security measures to protect passengers and ensure that they travel with peace of mind.

Passengers will have their medical expenses up to EUR 100,000 covered if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel in addition to quarantine costs up to EUR 150 per day for a maximum of 14 days. Sheba Comfort also includes repatriation and evacuation services whenever needed besides 24/7 assistance through the airline’s hotline.

Remarking on the global cover, Ethiopian Group CEO, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said, “We are glad to be among the pioneer global airlines to introduce this extra security measure and provide global cover for COVID-19 with a view to boost passengers’ confidence. Our Sheba Comfort insurance scheme is part of the measures we have been taking to ensure the health and wellbeing of passengers on the ground and onboard. As the travel safety continues to evolve by the day, we will always be at the forefront of adopting all necessary changes to ensure the safety of our passengers as our top priority.”

The Sheba Comfort insurance scheme, introduced in collaboration with AXA Partners and Awash Insurance Company, is valid for 92 days for round trip and 31 days for one-way trip.

It is to be recalled that Ethiopian recently unveiled an ultra-modern, spacious passenger terminal which is completed with emphasis on biosecurity and biosafety measures.

Source: https://voyagesafriq.com/2020/10/01/ethiopian-unveils-covid-19-global-insurance-cover/