COVID-19 perspectives from East Africa: The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns resulted in an unprecendent situation for aviatiors around the globe. In East Africa, we were presented with a number of operational challenges we had to overcome to ensure our clients’ missions went smoothly.
The challenges
A major challenge that came with COVID-19 revolved around the accuracy and frequency of information across the region. Because airport closures and other interventions happened so quickly, some details like conditions for tech stops and night stops were not well explained. In Kenya, for example, it took time for authorities to confirm that a flight arriving for crew night-stop did not require a diplomatic permit. In other countries like Burundi, such a flight was not allowed at all. Whereas in Djibouti, they claimed to allow night stops but declined to issue permits. Different countries adopting different conditions leads to a lot of confusion and operators require constant updates.
Communication has also been a challenge. Countries have been using various methods to disseminate information. While the majority send NOTAMs, they are vague and do not give the minor details – especially what operators want to know such as airport operating hours, the procedure for permits, and so on. Only a few have issued very detailed and specific advisories notably Kenya, Seychelles, Uganda, and Rwanda. There has been almost no information from the likes of Burundi and Eritrea so we have to rely on what we are told directly by our CAA contacts.
Common scenarios
Some of the common scenarios that have emerged include the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as part of daily life. At all airports, it is mandatory to wear face masks and sanitize hands at every opportunity. I always carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and a few spare masks just in case.
Because of gaps in information flow and the need to keep clients up to date, I have become even closer to my established contacts within regional CAAs. This enables quick updates whenever COVID-19 conditions change and allows me to keep the Operations team up to date.
Finally, because of the curfew in Kenya, movement is restricted at night and when a flight arrives or departs within curfew hours, there is the challenge of obtaining documents from authorities to allow one to move about. The same applies to other countries where curfews are in place.
Client priorities and concerns
Currently, the top priorities for our clients are accurate and updated information on the conditions of entry and exit at each location.
They also need to be guaranteed that their crew will have a smooth passage through the airport and to their accommodation. Most importantly, clients need to be sure that adequate measures have been taken to ensure the crew is safe from exposure to the virus.
Clients are concerned about the exact procedure of entry into a country. Are COVID-free certificates required? What are the health protocols? Is there testing of COVID-19 on entry and what happens if someone is found to be positive? What is the condition of the quarantine facilities or hotels? The 14-day mandatory quarantine ranks highest among the client’s concerns. While it does not apply to the crew at any location in East Africa, clients still want to be sure that this is not a possibility.
These concerns are geared towards ensuring crew members do not get inconvenienced by having to go through procedures that were not anticipated such as forced quarantine.
Most locations have very similar issues. The only difference is that some airports are more restrictive. For example, while night stops are allowed in Kenya for the crew of private flights, this is not the case in Djibouti or Uganda. In Tanzania, airports have been fully open to flights since May 18 unlike any other location on the continent.
The entry conditions are almost the same at all locations as they follow guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). Passengers and crew must fill in Health Surveillance forms immediately on arrival and Port Health officials are the first point of contact. Temperature screening is standard procedure at all entry points in the region.
All airports in the region except Bujumbura (Burundi) and Asmara (Eritrea) allow technical stops where there is no embarkation or disembarkation of crew or passengers.
Operational differences
COVID-19 has brought about new and interesting operational perspectives. While interacting with the crew was previously common practice, now it is not encouraged. The need to keep distance means we cannot speak closely with crew or passengers. I cannot enter the aircraft as I used to before and must keep a safe distance from everyone.
Crew accommodation is strictly limited based on proximity to the airport. In Nairobi, for example, only two hotels that are within the airport– the Four Seasons by Sheraton and the Crown Plaza – are designated for crew. In Uganda, they can only use the Protea Hotel that’s located 5 minutes from the terminal building.
Crew transport must be well organized to ensure vehicles are sanitized after every trip and that there is enough room to allow for social distancing. In Kenya, only the designated airport hotels are authorized to provide crew transport. The same applies to Ethiopia where the process is coordinated by the government.
Countries reopening
Moving forward, many countries in the East Africa region are relaxing their rules in the coming weeks and are planning to re-open airports for international flights. These include Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Djibouti.
Operators need to be aware of the strict conditions that are in place and could be enhanced further with the re-opening.
COVID-free certificates are a requirement in most countries for crew and passengers and tests must have been done at least 72 hours before commencement of the journey. This period may vary with countries – Kenya requires at least 96 hours prior – but the requirement for negative PCR tests is standard across the region, including Tanzania.
Passengers should expect to either be quarantined for 14 days on entry or be subjected to self-quarantine at their homes. This is also standard across the region.
Governments are maintaining strict control of visitor movements when they enter countries. Passengers should, therefore, expect to provide details of their travel itineraries on entry as well as their contact details. Some countries like Seychelles have allowed tourists to visit only a few designated islands within the country.
As is the case all over the world, for aviation in East Africa, COVID-19 has brought about a new ‘normal’. We have learned to adapt to doing things differently. Things are changing rapidly, and operators are best advised to acquaint themselves with the latest updates for every region by contacting UAS before they plan their trips.
For supervision in Africa or support with your flight operations, contact UAS
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Marketing Team UAS International Trip Support | - 06/17/2019
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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