African Aviation and COVID-19: Like everywhere in the world, Africa’s citizens and economies are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries are locked down, with many declaring states of emergency, and focusing their efforts on containing any spread and strengthening healthcare capabilities. Aviation is playing a major role in getting urgent medical and sanitation supplies to where they need to be, but how this crisis is likely to affect the aviation industry in the long term must be considered.
African finance ministers recently called for significant emergency funding and debt relief from multilateral institutions to support their economies. The IMF has received bailout requests from 20 African countries, and is taking what steps it can to support them, granting Rwanda a loan with another for Senegal under consideration. Recently in Nigeria, we have seen private sector stakeholders making donations to their government to support its battle against COVID-19. Strides are being made to secure support and stabilize economies.
The effects are being felt in aviation. Recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted that African carriers could lose revenue worth 4 billion USD this year as demand and opportunities for commercial air travel are halted. And looking for adequate assistance from already cash-strapped governments is far from a hopeful situation for African carriers to be in. Further, the implications of COVID-19 on future aviation movements is likely to see increased screening become the norm, less commercial competition may see prices rise and connectivity suffer. Commercial aviation in Africa is likely to take a significant hit. Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier, had announced last week a loss of $550 million this year due to coronavirus.
On the other hand, the new practices of social distancing and safe concerns may see more travelers and corporations choose private aviation over public. The benefits of general aviation are being highlighted; the flexibility it allows, the connectivity it provides, and the hands-on management it gives. Also, health and safety considerations may see an increase in investment in private travel.
Continued closed borders amount to major cuts in revenue flow and sharp falls in the prices of Africa’s services and commodities. Like every continent, it is feeling the pressure. Until ease of movement returns, basic survival must be the priority.
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Ahmad Ammar | - 11/26/2019
Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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