THE dominance of Middle
Eastern carriers has
disrupted the aviation
industry and increased the
urgency for African airlines
to hold on to their native
passengers. This was the
consensus at the 2015
Aviation Festival Africa.
At 13%, these airlines
achieved the strongest annual
passenger traffic growth in
2014, according to Iata.
Some 14,3 million revenue
passengers flew on Etihad
Airways last year – an increase
of 23% from 2013. Emirates
operates 3 300 flights a week
to over 140 destinations out
of its Dubai hub and Qatar
Airways achieved an average
route expansion growth of
30% year-to-year for 2014.
“African carriers are not in a
position to compete with the
onslaught of the European
and Gulf carriers,” said vp
of Boeing InternationalAfrica,
Joao Miguel Santos.
For Africa to compete with
Middle Eastern airlines, the
continent would need 1 170
new aircraft. “You either have
to partner with them, or keep
them at bay.” In order for
Africa to compete with Middle
Eastern airlines, the continent
would need 1 170 new
aircraft, said Joao.
EgyptAir director of
international organisation,
Ashraf Hakim, questioned
how African carriers could
maintain market share in the
wake of the threat of the Gulf
carriers. “The market share
of Gulf carriers has increased
by 120% in the last 10 years.
It is difficult for the African
Union to compete but in order
to do so, infrastructure on the
continent must be enhanced.”
Rene Gsponer, coo and
acting md of Air Namibia,
argued that for the airline
to compete, it would need
to operate 24 hours a day
in order to lower its fares.
“We need higher utilisation,
not lower standards,” he
said. “Aircraft do not need to
sleep.”
Both Rene and Ashraf
agreed that, in the long run,
it was likely that Gulf airlines
would continue to acquire
stakes in African carriers
and consolidate aviation on
the continent. “Acquisitions
will replace alliances as the
new form of co-operation in
aviation. Alliances will vanish
within the next 20 to 30
years,” said Ashraf.
African airlines battle ‘onslaught’ of Gulf carriers
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