AviaDev Insight Africa

This podcast was recorded 10th May on-site at the AFRAA aviation stakeholders convention in Addis Ababa, where I was joined by Rodger Whittle, The commercial director for Africa at Kiu, a company with a global footprint that offers an innovative and robust Passenger Service system and suite of airline Solutions.

Rodger himself has vast African aviation experience and is now leading the charge to support airlines to reduce their cost of distribution.

Today's episode is supported by an article that is featured in the current edition African skies, AFRAA's magazine which focuses on containing costs affecting airline distribution in Africa.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Together, we discuss:

The current state of airline distribution in Africa

Why Kiu's solutions make sense for Africa

Kiu's full suite of solutions

Future trends affecting the technology and airline distribution space

You can connect with Rodger via LinkedIn here

Find out more about Kiu's solutions here

You will also be able to meet Rodger and the team at AviaDev in Nairobi this June.

This podcast was recorded May 10th in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the AFRAA aviation stakeholders convention which was hosted by Ethiopian Airlines.

One of the secrets of Ethiopian airlines' success is their drive to constantly innovate and develop.

The aviation academy is one example of the group's has diversification and has recently been upgraded to an aviation university.

Together, we talk about how Africa can develop the skills required to support human capital development on the continent.

To find out more about the University, you can click here

To follow or connect with Kassie on LinkedIn click here

If you enjoyed this podcast, please forward it to one person in your network that you think would benefit from listening and we look forward to seeing you at AviaDev Africa in Nairobi this June.

For this episode, I am joined by Kevin Markette, General Manager, East Africa at the Lufthansa Group.

On 2nd May 2023, the group announced a capacity/ schedule increase for Lufthansa, Eurowings Discover, and Brussels airlines in the region.

Together, we discuss what has driven this announcement and what this means for the region.

You can connect with Kevin on Linkedin here and of course, meet the team at AviaDev Africa 2023 in Nairobi this June.

For this episode, we find ourselves in Nairobi Kenya, where the AviaDev Africa conference will take place in June.

Our Host partners for the event are the Kenya Airports Authority, an autonomous body charged with the responsibility of managing all airports across Kenya.

They are also the entity that is actively involved in route development, the main focus of AviaDev, namely engaging the airlines to start or expand their services to Kenya's airports.

In this episode, I am joined by Jacob Bwana, Head of Marketing and Business Development at KAA and together we discuss:

The post-covid recovery and resurgence.

Where KAA sees gaps in the destinations served both within Africa and outside the continent

How KAA works with other stakeholders to attract and retain airlines?

The Cargo market opportunity. Is the market softening or continuing to grow and how is KAA supporting its development?

An update on infrastructural development plans within the portfolio?

What KAA hopes to achieve from hosting AviaDev Africa in Nairobi?

Find out more about KAA here

In this episode, we take a glimpse into the future of how we may travel and how airports and airlines can incorporate innovation to build resilience into their businesses.

I am joined by Javed Malik, Chair of the Advisory Board at Ink Innovation. Javed has been a leader in the aviation industry for over 27 years, having held various Group and C-level positions, including Group COO of AirAsia, COO of Bangalore Airport, along with senior roles at Qatar Airways, Worldwide Flight Services and British Airways.

Javed leads the INK plus division and his advisory work focuses on ground handling, airline operations and airports worldwide.

Together we discuss:

What areas are the quick wins that require a limited investment for African airports to focus on?

How can airports position themselves to be more attractive to investors?

Examples of real world hardware and software solutions that can quickly and affordably be implemented in Africa

What this means for customer behaviour and the adoption of these new technologies. How do we cater for all different traveller profiles?

Follow or connect with Javed on LinkedIn

Find out more about INK via their website

In this episode of the podcast, we dive deep into the current priorities of Ethiopian Airlines, the hosts of the upcoming 11th AFRAA Aviation Stakeholders Convention, scheduled to take place 7-9th May in Addis Ababa.

Together we discuss:

• How important the African has market been in making ET what it is today and what it will be tomorrow in the face of continued competition
• The latest news on Ethiopian's partnerships across Africa, especially Nigeria and the DRC.
• What informed the new development that Ethiopian Aviation Academy will now offer degree courses
• The overall African aviation industry performance so far in 2023
• The key topics and speakers that will join the Stakeholders Convention in May

To find out more about the convention, click here

In this episode, we head to Dakar, Senegal to pay a visit to the Headquarters of The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), a specialist agency of the African Union.

AFCAC is the executing agency of SAATM, the Single Africa Air Transport Market, which if successfully implemented could hold the key to a golden age of Aviation development on the continent.

To discuss progress, challenges, and priorities, we are joined by the recipient of the 2021 AviaDev Ato Girma Wake lifetime award for an outstanding contribution to route development in Africa, Madame Adefunke Adeyemi, the Secretary General of AFCAC.

Together, we discuss:

• The increased visibility and reach of AFCAC through a new communications strategy and appointment of SAATM Ambassadors across the continent
• 5 months on from the launch of the Pilot Implementation Plan, where do we stand with SAATM progress?
• What are the common objections to not joining the PIP and how is AFCAC ensuring these countries are not left behind?
• Is everything in place to deal with any disputes that may arise during implementation?
• Why the immediate focus is on growing the number of 5th freedom routes across the continent.

You can visit AFCAC at www.afcac.org

Follow AFCAC on twitter here

Follow AFCAC on LinkedIn here

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe so you never miss another episode, share it with someone you think will benefit from listening and we look forward to seeing you for the next episode soon

In this episode, we explore a solution that is growing in importance in Africa, namely ACMI, an acronym meaning Aircraft Crew Maintenance and Insurance, a form of leasing.

Our guest is Dainius Staniulis, the Vice President of Commercial and Business Development at Avion Express, a provider of short and long-term leasing and charter solutions.

In the episode, we discuss:

The definition of ACMI and how it differs from the traditional means of operating on the continent.

How big the ACMI market is right now?

The prevailing market conditions in Africa that make ACMI particularly appropriate.

Examples where the solution has been deployed successfully on the continent.

Can an airline still make money on this type of operation?

If you are listening and want to know more, read the article accompanying the post here

Connect with Dainius on LinkedIn

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This episode is an exclusive interview with Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer of FlySafair, a low-cost airline based in South Africa.

Bookings were opened for a new flight to Zanzibar in the week of 13th March 2023 and in this interview, we set out to understand why now is the right time to launch the route, the traffic profile driving the route, an update on the fleet expansion and which other destinations are on the radar in the Southern African region.

You can follow Kirby on LinkedIn here

Find out more at https://www.flysafair.co.za/

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe so you never miss another episode, share it with someone you think will benefit from listening and we look forward to seeing you for the next episode soon.

In this episode, we preview the upcoming inaugural AviaDev Real Estate event, taking place alongside AviaDev Africa in Nairobi on 14th June 2023.

The podcast provides more background on how real estate development could act as a catalyst for the successful future of many African airports.

Marcel has contributed an article in Airport World, expanding on many of these topics, which you can access here

Download the white paper here

In the episode, we ask:

Just how resilient is real estate and what are the reasons behind this resilience?

How do African airports fit with the airport city concept? Are they large enough?

What specific developments can African airports look at as potential real estate development opportunities?

What are the main ingredients to ensure success?

What airports can expect from the AviaDev Real Estate event

Let's discuss the format and what they can expect from the event?

Connect with Marcel here

Finally, If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe so you never miss another episode, share it with someone you think will benefit from listening and we look forward to seeing you for the next episode soon.