African airlines flourish

THE global airline
industry has never
performed better, says
Chris Zweigenthal, ceo of
the Airlines Association
of Southern Africa (Aasa).
He was speaking at the
association’s 46th AGA on
October 22. According to
Aasa’s 2015/2016 report,
it is predicted that African
airlines will post a total
profit of $300m (R4,2bn) in
2016, a massive increase
from $100m (R1,4bn) in
2015.
Over the last year, Aasa
has been involved in several
projects to help improve travel
in southern Africa. Some of
the items Chris listed in this
year’s report include:
Biometrics and UBC
Aasa says there’s been
little progress in remedying
the impact of the UBC
regulations, but says it will
work with all stakeholders
to find a workable solution
which balances the goals
of the DHA and the travel
challenges experienced by
families with children. The
association says the DHA and
travel, tourism and aviation
industries need to reach a
mutual understanding on the
UBC and biometrics system at
ORTIA.
Hand baggage project
In 2015, Aasa in partnership
with Acsa, established new
regulations for carry-on
luggage. Passengers were
restricted to one carry-on
item weighing 7kg so that the
amount of luggage taken into
the cabin would be reduced. At
first, under the watchful eyes
of customer agents at security
queues, the project was a
success. The agents have
since been removed and as
a result, the amount of carryon
luggage has again started
to increase. Aasa and Acsa
are working on a permanent
solution.
Fast Travel
Fast Travel is an Iata
initiative that aims to provide
a complete self-service
travel experience for 80%
of travellers by 2020. This
includes self-tagging of
luggage, which is being piloted
at ORTIA by SAA.
A self-boarding pilot project
is also under way at Cape
Town International Airport,
whereby passengers scan their
boarding passes to gain entry
to the aircraft. A dedicated
baggage reclaim service will
also be implemented once
kiosks have been installed.
Banned airlines
All airlines in Angola
(except for TAAG), the
Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Mozambique
are on the EU banned list.
These SADC countries and
the International Civil Aviation
Organisation are working on
removing these airlines from
the banned list.