By Ogova Ondego
Published October 25, 2015
Congo-Brazzaville is getting ready to host the 47th Annual General Meeting of African airlines during the first week of November 2015.
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Despite a 5.2% annual growth rate of air traffic, the mother continent’s aviation sector is beset by numerous challenges. For instance, says Fatima Beyina-Moussa, President of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), travelling from one African country to another forces ones to connect through Europe or Asia.
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Saying that “Not only are connections between African countries insufficient,”Fatima Beyina-Moussa, who also doubles up as Chief Executive Officer of ECAir (Equatorial Congo Airlines), the national carrier of Congo-Brazzaville, says African airlines “don’t have enough round trips, either.” Thus, says the outgoing AFRAA President, “passengers can’t get where they want in Africa.”
AFRAA must work towards finding a lasting solution to flight connection problems, Beyina-Moussa says. “To get from one African country to another, it’s sometimes easier to fly out of the continent and take a connection in Dubai or Paris, and then come back into Africa. This is something we want to avoid at all cost.”
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She says making travel within Africa easier would be beneficial to both airlines and passengers.
Thus the three-day meeting, to be held November 8-10, 2015, will seek sustainable solutions to the various problems affecting airlines and travellers across Africa.
