By Abdi Ali
Published November 2, 2018
Aviation drives socio-economic development of countries.
But for socio-economic development to happen, aviation has to have a business strategy, says International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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“The key elements of any aviation strategy are safety, global standards, competitiveness and cooperation,” says Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer, in a keynote address to Aviation Day Mauritius. “The goal of a comprehensive aviation strategy is to enable aviation to drive economic and social development.”
Noting that aviation is a catalyst for economic, social and educational ties, De Juniac observes that cooperation with South African Airways and Kenya Airways opened two gateways for Mauritius into the African continent and that the Single Africa Air Transport Market creates the potential for even broader connectivity. The IATA CEO reiterates that Africa’s development will demand increased air connectivity with Asia’s important markets.
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“We know that aviation brings in the tourists, that it connects us to family and friends, and that it is a catalyst for economic, social and educational ties. The post-independence success story that is Mauritius today would be very different without connectivity that can only be facilitated by air. Aviation is the business of freedom—and that includes the freedom to develop,” said de Juniac.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Kenya Airways conducted its first non-stop daily flight from Nairobi in East Africa to New York on the East Coast of United States of America on October 28, 2018 as Ethiopia’s Ethiopian Airlines prepares for its direct flights between West Africa and Los Angeles on the US West Coast on December 17, 2018.
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While Monica Juma, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister says “The non-stop flight between Nairobi and New York will open up opportunities for investment, tourism and other business opportunities in Kenya and Africa,” her Transport counterpart, James Macharia, says the “Launch of #KQDirectFlight is timely boost towards enhancing Kenya’s manufacturing sector’s contribution towards the GDP from 9.2% to 20% by 2022.”
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