Rwanda gains Category 1 FAA rating, opening up direct routes with the US

The Republic of Rwanda has achieved an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, according to a recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announcement.  

The Category 1 rating recognizes Rwanda’s civil aviation authority as compliant with ICAO standards and allows Rwandan air carriers to operate services to the United States, according to a statement released by the FAA.  

“Under a Category 1 rating, properly authorized Rwandan air carriers are permitted to serve the United States and enter into code-share agreements with U.S. carriers without limitation,” the FAA noted.  

The FAA explained that its IASA program “focuses on a country’s ability to adhere to international aviation safety standards and recommended practices.”   

“The standards are set by ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation,” the FAA continued.  

Direct flights to and from the US for Rwandan airlines  

The FAA announcement is favorable for Rwanda-based airlines, such as RwandAir, should the Rwandan national carrier seek to expand its international network or add codeshare partnerships with US airlines. RwandAir currently serves the US market through a codeshare partnership with Qatar Airways.   

According to a statement issued by the airline on December 2, 2021, RwandAir According to a statement, RwandAir commenced direct flights to Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Qatar on December 2, 2021, facilitated by the codeshare deal signed with Qatar Airways on October 5, 2021.  

The codeshare deal enabled customers to fly to different cities like New York, Washington D.C., Dallas and Los Angeles, London, Zurich and Madrid, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.  

This also follows Qatar Airways’ announcement that it had a 49% stake in RwandAir.   

However, the Kigali based airline may take a similar approach to its service of the US market following the launch of its direct non-stop between London Heathrow and Kigali from November 6, 2022.  

RwandAir operated flights to London via Brussels for five years before launching direct non-stop flights to London Heathrow Airport.  

Source: Aerotime Hub

Why you should travel like a local

Traveling is one of way of escaping the hustle and bustles of life.  However, there are two ways to travel; either be an original tourist who loves to enjoy all the luxuries, do all the touristy stuff and leave or travel like a local who really wants to understand the environment and immerse yourself in their culture.

While one shouldn’t feel any guilt opting to travel like a tourist, it’s always a satisfying experience to travel like a local and get to know your environment more. From my experience of travel, I have noted that traveling like a local always saves money, makes you meet more people and above all, one gets to support the local economy.

Find out how the locals do things

But to be able to do so, one must first ask themselves and research on how locals in the destination of where they desire to travel to behave and do things. Unless you ask yourself such questions, you will behave like a tourist while desiring to immerse yourself in experiences.

Ask yourself what kind of experiences you like? What kind of people would you like to meet? Where would you like to go? or What food would you like to eat? Researching your destination will not only help you know what to expect and look for in a destination, but it will also enable you strike conversations with strangers and know the kind of questions to ask for to find the right experiences.

Only pack what you need

Once you find the right destination, don’t overschedule your days while packing. Add a little bit of spontaneity to it by just packing what you need and leaving the rest to chance. Over packing is acting like a tourist. You should pack in the same manner that you would when visiting your friend or family, with less of the pricey clothes and more of your regular ones so long as they respect the weather and the customs of the destination that you are heading to.

I’ve realized that over packing sometimes induces anxiety and makes one not enjoy the moment or their vacation in a place.

Learn the local language

The first thing to learn is the local language and customs. Learn how to say hello, sorry and often say this whenever you go to the shops, travel by bus, or meet someone in the streets. This will assist you in case you are stranded and have no means of communication. It will also build your image before the locals and make you look in tune with your surroundings.

If you go to Rome do as they do. One of the things that has assisted me in hacking this is having an open mind and knowing that traveling is all about learning. If you travel to a place with a strong coffee culture like Ethiopia where you will find people seated outside taking local coffee or outside on a patio, try get some even if you are not a fan. If you want to experience the city as a local, you must act like one by accepting to embrace the cultures unless.

Learn the dos and don’ts

One must learn the dos and don’ts of being in that place. For instance, if you find yourself on a vacation in a Muslim country, drink, and dress modestly. Also, don’t approach member of the opposite gender as there are stricter rules that govern social interaction in most of these countries. Learn what the law says about traffic or which side to drive, and it will save you from going to jail in a foreign land. Learn what to do when going to sacred places and respect people regardless of what you think of their culture. Have an open mind to learn instead of judging and criticizing their way of life.

Take Public transport

Take Public Transit instead of an Uber or taxi as it is not only cheap, but one can interact with the locals directly. I’ve realized that striking a conversation with a local in a bus will make you learn a lot about the current issues and what to avoid during your visit. However, only try this in places where people are friendly and where public transport is available.

Homestays

Another way of traveling like a local is staying at someone’s just instead. Inventions like Airbnb and coach surfing have really been key in not just offering affordable accommodation but also making travelers feel like locals whenever they visit a place. You can stay with a friend as you explore the destination as well. However, should you opt for this, always ensure that you carry shopping and assist in the expenses of the house for the period that you will be with your host.

Once you find a great accommodation, the next thing you need to do is throw away all your list of to do things and ask the locals to recommend a place for you. Having a list makes your travel all about sight-seeing like a tourist and never about absorbing what is happening around you. Get lost in the destination, get your map, and try out new places because sometimes in doing this, you’ll be able to bump into a beautiful place.

Visit the local market

Visit the local market and not the supermarket whenever you are trying to buy food stuff. You will find fresh produce, local crafts and get to meet the locals and learn about them through observation and conversing with them. One thing to add though, if you can travel to the market with a local, then do. They can help when it comes to bargaining prices and avoiding exploitation.

In a nutshell

An important thing to note is that you should not travel during the tourist season. Traveling during seasons like Christmas and Easter make you look like a tourist and pay like a tourist. While at it always ensure that you seek recommendations from locals on where to travel.

Wherever you are from, you probably have an idea of some special places you would recommend to visitors. You will discover that some of their experiences are unique, and they have better ways of enjoying it plus an affordable way of doing it. These experiences are most likely not in guidebooks or may seem strange at first. If you happen to come across some friendly locals while on vacation, ask them for some suggestions. They may tell you about a delicious restaurant or a beautiful park. They could also tailor their suggestion to your personal interests. Locals are an important source of knowledge when travelling.

Source: Zurulink Africa

270 Planes By 2035: Ethiopian Airlines Wants To Double Its Fleet

Ethiopian Airlines has announced a progressive goal to expand its fleet and enlarge its network. The airline’s “Vision 2035” plans, confirmed last week, will introduce more than a hundred new aircraft to its fleet.

Additionally, Ethiopian plans to add more cities to its network, totaling its destination network to more than 200 by 2035. The Star Alliance carrier is currently the largest airline in Africa and has a sizeable operation between Africa and Asia.

Becoming more profitable

Mesfin Tasew, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, spoke to the Ethiopian News Agency about the carrier’s strategic plans to grow.

“In vision 2035, we have aimed to nearly double the number of destinations that we will be flying by increasing the number of destinations from 131 today to 207; and to cover this expansion, we have planned again to double the number of aircraft in our flight from 140 to 271. We have planned to carry 65 million passengers and 3 million tons of cargo. We aim to generate 25 billion USD revenue by 2035.”

The new plan comes as the airline has already achieved its goal for 2025. Tasew said vision 2035 would sustain the carrier’s fast and profitable growth. Ethiopian has been recognized as the most reliable and financially successful airline in Africa, domestically and internationally.

Evaluating and welcoming new aircraft

Ethiopian will reportedly make a final decision on what exactly its fleet growth will entail in the coming months. Tasew said the airline is actively looking at new Airbus and Embraer family aircraft to bridge the capacity gap between its Boeing 737 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft currently in its fleet.

“Currently, we are conducting a fleet evaluation on the narrowbody side for 100-seater aircraft: the Airbus A220 and Embraer 195 E2,” the CEO said.

The carrier will welcome its 19th Airbus A350 to its fleet by the end of the month. In July 2016, the carrier became the first airline to operate the A350 in Africa. This past summer, Ethiopian confirmed that it upgraded four existing Airbus A350-900 orders to the larger A350-1000 variant.

The carrier is also looking to add more freighter aircraft to support its cargo operation. There are 14 cargo planes in its fleet consisting of Boeing 737-800BCF, 767-300BCF, and 777F models. With the A350 already in its fleet, Tasew said the airline plans to consider the A350F.

Harmonizing a cost-effective fleet

When expanding its fleet, Ethiopian has to consider the number of aircraft types it operates. From regional planes that seat 70 to widebody jets seating up to 300, the airline has a fleet of variety, using six aircraft types. Tasew said too many types could cost the airline, according to Sam Chui.

“The concern is, two different aircraft models of the same size will increase complexity and costs in terms of pilots, maintenance etc.,” Tasew said. “When we add either Embraer E195 or Airbus A220, we would have a seventh type in our fleet. We want to be careful in further fleet evaluation.”

In addition to the A220, the airline has reportedly evaluated the A321XLR but concluded that it is not cost-effective compared to its current fleet of Boeing narrowbodies.

“We hear that it [A321XLR] is an excellent aircraft. Unfortunately, on the narrowbody side we operate more than 30 737s, which will grow probably to 50 by adding more 737-8s,” Tasew said. “Our strategy is to have cost leadership, and to have this, you have to harmonize your fleet and to operate fewer aircraft models,” Tasew said.

Ethiopian expects to solidify its fleet expansion plans for both narrow and widebody planes by the first half of 2023.

Source: Simple Flying

Dubai tops cities with highest spending by international tourists, WTTC says

Dubai has topped the list of cities with the highest spending by international visitors this year, pulling ahead of Doha and London in the top three places, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said.

The Gulf tourism and finance hub has raked in $29.4 billion in international visitor spending so far this year, overtaking Doha where tourists spent $16.8 billion and London with $16.1 billion, WTTC said in its latest Cities Economic Impact report.

The cities that have recovered best, compared to pre-pandemic levels of 2019 in terms of international visitor spending, are Doha with a 21 per cent rise in tourist spend, Orlando, Florida, with a 19 per cent increase and Antalya in Turkey with 15 per cent.

“It was in 2022 that cities began their true recovery, as travel restrictions were lifted and demand for international travel returned,” said Julia Simpson, president and chief executive of the WTTC.

“As tourism recovers, overcrowding in some destinations is a risk. It is, therefore, important for cities to have the right policies in place to address it. Such policies ought to be enacted in advance before the problem comes to fruition.”

The report, which was released at the WTTC global summit in Riyadh this week, analysed 82 international city destinations and found that their tourism sectors’ recovery was well under way after the Covid-19 pandemic that paralysed travel for nearly three years.

According to the report, 10 of the 82 cities analysed are projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in terms of direct travel and tourism gross domestic product contribution to their economies this year.

Doha is forecast for the largest increase from 2019, in terms of travel and tourism sector’s contribution to the city’s GDP, with an expected increase of 21 per cent.

In Europe, Warsaw is expected to record a significant 14 per cent increase, while in the US, Orlando is projected to post a 10 per cent increase over the same period.

The cities forecast to record the largest direct travel and tourism contribution to GDP this year are Paris with $36 billion, Beijing with $33 billion and Orlando with $31 billion, the report showed.

The travel and tourism sector will directly generate up to 8 per cent of all jobs by 2032 in the cities analysed, up from 6.6 per cent in 2019 and a low of 5.1 per cent in 2020, underscoring the importance of city tourism in driving economic growth, the WTTC said.

This year, direct jobs in travel and tourism are expected to return to 2019 levels in 11 cities including Rio de Janeiro with 18 per cent growth, followed by Johannesburg and Chicago with 13 per cent growth each.

The travel and tourism industry will generate 126 million jobs globally over the next decade, becoming a critical driver of economic growth with its contribution to GDP growing faster than other sectors, according to the WTTC.

From this year to next, the strongest annual average growth in direct travel and tourism GDP is expected to be concentrated in the Asia-Pacific with Hong Kong, Bangkok and Jakarta being the top performers, the report suggested.

The Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh and Jeddah are also expected to register strong growth, according to the report.

“For millions of tourists around the world, major cities remain iconic global destinations. There’s still a strong appetite to experience the history, culture and energy that cities offer travellers,” Ms Simpson said.

“This year cities are recovering around the world, and we forecast that cities will continue to grow and thrive over the next decade.”

Source: The National

Air France ramps up East Africa connections

Air France will launch a new service from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, next summer as a continuation of its existing flights to Zanzibar.

The service to Tanzania’s largest city and economic hub will operate three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) from 12 June.

Air France services to Zanzibar currently operate twice a week and until recently as a continuation of its services to Nairobi, Kenya.

From 12 June next year, the airline will operate daily non-stop flights to and from the Kenyan capital, up from six flights a week.

Also starting next summer, Air France will increase services from Paris CDG to Antananarivo, Madagascar, from four non-stop weekly flights to five.

Air France partner airline KLM already flies from Amsterdam to Dar Es Salam via Zanzibar on Thursdays and Sundays and via Kilimanjaro on other days of the week.

The airline has also confirmed its new service from Paris CDG to New York Newark, commencing on 12 December, will continue as a year-round service.

Air France also expects to resume its year-round three-times-weekly services between Paris CDG and Hong Kong from 9 January.

Source: BTN Europe

African Airlines Take New Steps Towards Open Skies Vision

Momentum is building behind the Single African Air Transport Market, or SAATM, a flagship project designed to create a single unified air transport market in Africa, organized by the International Air Transport Association.

New routes should be easier to launch without the need for reciprocal services, and 17 African countries have now agreed to test the initiative, out of a total of 35 country signatories (which represents 80 percent of the existing aviation market in Africa.)

They are: Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Zambia, Niger and Gabon,

The 17 airlines will now open their air transport markets to each other as part of a new “SAATM Project Implementation Pilot.” According to reports, Kenya Airways will target corporate travel in a new Ghana-Senegal route, starting December 11.

The pilot routes come as more steps are being taken to create a new continental airline following a pact between South African Airways and Kenya Airways. Earlier this month a long-term business proposal was struck, which includes migration policies and trading privileges.

The air transport plan could eventually generate $4.2 billion in additional gross domestic product), 600,000 new jobs, a 27 percent reduction in fares and make a contribution to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, according to reports. For example, currently some routes between neigboring African countries involve connecting flights to nearby major international hubs.

The Single African Air Transport Market was established in 2018 and is considered as a step towards the full liberalization of the continent’s air transport market.

Source: Skift

Air Tanzania expects spare engine for grounded A220

Air Tanzania (ATCL) hopes to return one of its grounded A220-300s to service following the expected delivery before the month-end of a spare Pratt & Whitney PW1000 engine, says Chief Executive Officer Ladislaus Matindi.

He told The Citizen newspaper the airline was promised a spare engine following a meeting with Airbus. “We are currently making logistical arrangements with Airbus on how the spare engine will reach us,” he said. The existing engines were expected to be overhauled in Frankfurt Int’l, Germany, next month.

Airbus was not immediately reachable for comment.

Earlier this month, ATCL announced it was forced to temporarily cancel flights or reduce frequencies to address technical problems with the PW1524G-3 engines on its A220-300s.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module and Flightradar24 ADS-B data, at least three of ATCL’s A220-300s are currently effectively grounded. The only operational aircraft, 5H-TCI (msn 55048), last flew on November 21 between Mwanza and Dar es Salaam, while 5H-TCL (msn 55130) last flew on November 5 on the same route. 5H-TCH (msn 55047) has been in maintenance at Maastricht in The Netherlands since January 3, 2022, and 5H-TCM (msn 55135) has been in storage at Dar es Salaam since August 27, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority Consumer Consultative Council (TCAA CCC) has urged airlines with technical or operational problems to consider leasing to normalise operations and avoid flight suspensions, cancellations, and delays. “We advise airlines to search for alternatives, including leasing, so that they can keep offering services in the aviation market that has been growing rapidly in the country,” TCAA CCC said in a statement.

Pratt & Whitney, in a statement to ch-aviation said a PW1500G full authority digital engine control (FADEC) software update could be accomplished on-wing and should not disrupt aircraft operations. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Airworthiness Directive in October 2022 in this regard in line with a service bulletin issued by Pratt & Whitney in May 2022.

Source: ch-aviation

First RwandAir cargo plane arrives

National carrier RwandAir has received its first cargo, a 787-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), Yvonne Makolo, the airline’s CEO confirmed to The New Times.

“Today, we took delivery of our first dedicated cargo aircraft, B737-800SF as we expand our fleet, read part of a tweet put out by the airline on Thursday upon the arrival of the aircraft

In a previous interview with The New Times, Bosco Gakwaya, RwandAir’s senior manager of cargo services, said that the plane will start with Dubai and a few intra-African routes.

“For now, the rest will stay on existing passenger planes. As we assess the market,” he added.

According to him, the development will serve as an “import-export link” to Dubai and further UAE market.

“The aircraft has a capacity of 23 tonnes, suffice to say that, for our initial destinations, we are good to go in terms of the capacity, looking at today’s demand.”

If volumes shoot up, Gakwaya pointed out, that frequency is also expected to increase.

With up to 20 percent lower fuel use and CO2 emissions per tonne, B737-800BCF operators are carrying more payload with less fuel.

The aircraft features a large cargo door, a cargo handling system and seating for up to four non-flying staff or passengers.

Capacity, rates remain an issue

Players in the export trade sector expressed optimism about the upcoming cargo flights, but also raised concerns for a sustainable solution on the costly rates as well as capacity.

Rwanda’s main export and import market are Europe and the UAE.

The exporters say there is hope that the freighter increases their export volumes and reduces shipping costs.

“The current issue is limited space for our export produce,” Emmanuel Harerimana, the CEO of Garden Fresh, a company dealing in the export of fruits and vegetables, said in an earlier interview.

“Sometimes we book space for five tonnes and before departure we are told there’s space for only three tonnes, or in some cases, products can be offloaded while still at the airport to make room for passenger’s luggage,” Harerimana added.

“With the cargo plane, we will be able to increase our export volumes and we also hope they will reduce the cargo shipping cost.”

His company expects to increase exports to over 60 tonnes, up from the current 40-48 tonnes, every month.

Commenting on the concerns, Gakwaya told The New Times that prevailing challenges had been noted in the past, adding that there is a strategic plan for sustainable solutions.

Among them, he said, was capacity, which he believes is starting to take shape.

“It has strategically been solved. Especially if you look at the fact that we split the London, Brussels route. We don’t see an issue of space now.”

When pressed for details on the strategic plan, Gakwaya said, “Work is being done to find a sustainable solution.”

RwandAir now serves 29 destinations across East, Central, West, and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Source: The New Times

KQ targets business travel in West Africa with new Ghana-Senegal route

Kenya Airways (KQ), the national carrier of Kenya, has announced that it will introduce a new service between Accra and Dakar effective December 11, 2022.  

KQ will become the only airline to operate a connection between Ghana and Senegal, the airline said in a statement.  

The new route “is expected to tap into the travel demand from corporate travelers, traders as well as leisure travelers,” between the two capitals, the airline added.  

The new route will be served by a B737-800 twice a week from Nairobi to Accra to Dakar and return to Nairobi via Accra. The new connection increases KQ’s flight options to Dakar to four times per week and nine times a week to Accra.   

Kenya Airways chief commercial and customer officer Julius Thairu said that the connection is part of a “bigger picture” to support connectivity across Africa. “The new connection will offer our guests more travel and connectivity options within West Africa. Strategically, the bigger picture is to support the Single African Air Transport Market and the African Continental Free Trade Area which are key pillars for Africa’s growth, by growing and deepening our network connections within the continent,” Thairu explained.   

According to KQ the new Nairobi-Accra-Dakar-Accra-Nairobi service will offer its passengers more flight options and choices within West Africa and in and out of East Africa, as well as provide seamless connections through Nairobi to the Middle East, India, China, Europe, and the United States.  

African airlines increase services and connectivity to West Africa  

With this new route Kenya Airways joins a range of African airlines that have opened new routes to West Africa or announced an intent to fly to destinations in the region.   

Air Tanzania will open new routes to West and Central Africa in 2023. TAAG Angola Airlines commenced three weekly flights to Accra from November 9, 2022. Ethiopian Airlines commenced three weekly passenger services to Washington DC via Lomé, Togo from June 1, 2022, and Uganda Airlines announced plans to commence its first-ever service to Nigeria before the end of 2022.  

Source: Aerotime Hub

Dubai reaches 85% of pre-Covid international tourist numbers

Emirate hosts 10.12 million overnight visitors from January to September, compared to 12.08 million in same period of 2019

Dubai has reached 85 per cent of the pre-pandemic number of international tourists to the emirate in the first nine months of this year as the emirate continues to rebound from the Covid-19 global crisis.

The city hosted 10.12 million overnight visitors from January to September, compared to 12.08 million in the same period of 2019 prior to the pandemic, according to the latest available government data.

“The ability of Dubai to bounce back and recover very quickly enabled us not to miss a beat, so whether you’re looking at tourism, trade or a financial hub, all three of them really flourished through Covid and out the other side,” Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said at DP World’s Global Freight Summit on Monday.

“One of the things we’ve learnt is having an environment that is digitally enabled … and has very strong data-driven decision-making — this is what’s needed in ever-turbulent times.”

Last week, the UAE announced a national tourism strategy aimed at attracting 40 million hotel guests, raising Dh100 billion ($27.23bn) in additional tourism investment and increasing the sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product to Dh450bn by 2031.

Emirates, the world’s largest long-haul airline, reported a record profit in the first half of the current financial year on strong travel demand during the peak summer season as international borders reopened and coronavirus restrictions eased.

The airline swung to a Dh4bn profit in the April to September period, from a loss of Dh5.8bn in the same period last year, citing its ability to increase capacity in response to the surge in travel demand.

Maritime connectivity

In terms of global maritime connectivity, the industry has the “urgent task” to rebuild supply chains so global trade can better cope with future shocks, Sultan bin Sulayem, chairman and chief executive of DP World, said in a keynote speech at the summit.

The pandemic, geopolitical tension and global climate crisis have exposed the fragility of many parts of the supply chain infrastructure and the industry must work together to share information and data, he said.

Sharing information “enables us to track every step of cargo movement. With this kind of visibility, we are more agile and avoid costly delays and work together to ensure stable trading connections”, he said.

However, large swathes of world trade are bogged down by “legacy technologies” or there are too many digital platforms that do not work with one another.

“Wherever that happens, there is a bottleneck, a point of failure that weakens supply chains,” Mr bin Sulayem said.

“Instead of seamless trade, there is digital friction.”

More than half of freight-forwarders see inflation and geopolitical tensions as the main concerns for the global supply chain over the next five years, according to a DP World study released on Monday.

Some 63 per cent of the respondents said inflation is a main concern, while 56 per cent cited geopolitical tensions.

Two thirds of freight forwarders believe it is “impossible to say” when economic disruptions will subside.

However, three quarters of the respondents said they expected technology to be a significant factor in easing current supply chain woes. More than half said digitalisation would be the single biggest driver of reducing bottlenecks. Three in four said technology would lead to cost savings and better delivery to new and existing customers.

Concerns about international trade align with the latest forecasts from the World Trade Organisation for cross-border commerce to grow only 1 per cent next year, after a projected 3.5 per cent increase this year.

DP World reported a 2.1 per cent increase in gross container volumes in the third quarter of 2022 as global trade flows remain “resilient” but warned the near-term outlook was clouded by uncertainty.

“Looking ahead, the near-term outlook remains uncertain given the geopolitical environment, inflationary pressures and currency fluctuations but we remain positive on the medium to long term outlook for global trade,” Mr bin Sulayem said last month.

Source: The National