Africa’s airline industry will be put under the spotlight at World Travel Market (WTM) 2012, the leading global event for the travel industry, as part of a wider series of discussions among aviation chiefs over the industry’s future.
The airline events programme will start on November 6 with the Airline – Out of Africa session which will look at how the continent’s airlines are taking on international airlines to secure a slice of this growing market. In the past many local airlines have complained that they are missing out on the increasing passenger numbers Africa is generating. However, the emergence of strong African airlines is countering this issue, helped by the introduction of new generation aircraft such as Boeing’s 787 and the Airbus A350. The session will focus on both the opportunities in Africa for air travel and tourism development but also the challenges it faces regarding infrastructure, regulation and the sheer problem of the distances flown in Africa.
The session will be chaired by John Strickland, who runs aviation consultancy JLS Consulting and has 30 year’s experience of the industry. He will be joined by Ethiopian Airlines chief operating officer Tewolde GebreMariam, FastJet chief executive officer Ed Winter and Kenya Airways chief executive officer and group managing director Titus Naikuni.
The event is one of three focusing on the aviation sector with the second on November 7 entitled Airline – Setting the Scene: The Big Challenges. Chaired by Strickland again, the session will focus on the many tough issues the industry faces, from rising taxation and oil prices to weakening demand and airport capacity. A core panel speaker will be Iberia Director of Corporate Affairs Manuel López Colmenarejo and Gatwick Airport CEO Stuart Wingate. The programme will be rounded off by the third session on November 8 entitled Airline – The Big Talk, a wide-ranging discussion looking at both the problems and potential to be found in the aviation industry.
Reed Travel exhibitions director World Travel Market Simon Press said: "Aviation is such a core part of the travel industry that it is only right that we should put great effort into securing the best speakers to examine it.
"Africa is so exciting from the potential growth it offers to the industry and it is pleasing to see so many African airlines now gathering their strength and fighting for a share in this lucrative market. We are looking forward to a series of well-informed and thought-provoking discussions that will inevitably lead to some strong debate."