SOUTH AFRICA: AFRAA Stages Its 4th Stakeholders Convention

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) successfully staged its 4th Aviation Stakeholders Convention at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg – South Africa. The event had over 350 registered delegates from 40 countries consisting of airlines, suppliers, solution providers, airports, Civil Aviation Authorities and ATNSs. The Convention, which was held under the theme, “Building and Sustaining Strong Partnerships” deliberated on issues covering the aviation industry in Africa with a focus on intra-Africa connectivity, partnerships, cost control, demand expectations, technology and use of mobile applications in aviation.

The Convention was held under the patronage of the Department of Transport of the Republic of South Africa and was co-hosted by South African Airways. The conference provided a platform for users and suppliers of aviation products, solutions and services to showcase new developments and innovations, discuss industry trends, network and forge beneficial partnerships. From the excellent opportunities for networking, high quality presentations and debates from different experts on a wide variety of subjects relevant to the growing needs of the aviation industry on the continent, delegates had a valuable experience at this year’s Convention.

Opening Ceremony speeches

• Welcome and opening remarks by Dr. Elijah Chingosho, AFRAA Secretary General

• Remarks by Mr. Barry Kashambo, Regional Director – ICAO Eastern and Southern African (ESAF) Office

• Remarks by Ms. Poppy Khoza, Director , Civil Aviation - South Africa Civil Aviation Authority

• Remarks by Mr. Nico Bezuidenhout, Ag. CEO – South African Airways

• Remarks by Mr. Raphael Kuuchi, Vice President, Africa - IATA

• Remarks by Mr. Samuel M. Gaiya, AFCAC Legal Advisor on behalf of AFCAC Secretary General, Ms. Iyabo Sosina

• Speech on behalf of Hon. Dipuo Peters, Minister of Transport of South Africa

Presentations

• Mitigating risk and complexity for African Airlines, Mr. Saggar - Hahnair

• Assessing the key drivers of African aviation industry growth, Mr. Kuuchi - IATA

• Are stakeholders meeting the Abuja safety targets, What next, Mr. Kashambo - ICAO

• Financing airline and airport growth projects, Ms. Musamirapamwe - Barclays

• Aircraft Tracking - Management by exception, Mr. McCormack- SITA

• Fare Management Implementation by ATPCO

• HGS and Vision Systems by Rockwell Collins

Masterclasses

As part of the Convention, there were master classes where cutting edge ideas, industry best practices, new opportunities and practical solutions were presented and discussed. The following master classes were conducted:

1. Fare Management for airlines by ATPCO

2. Head Up Guidance Technologies enabling more efficient airline operations by Rockwell Collins

One-to-one meetings

The 2015 programme incorporated a session for one-to-one meetings where exclusive appointments took place with airlines, selected airports and CAAs, AFRAA and IATA.

Awards

The Aviation Stakeholders awards took place on 29 April during a colourful gala dinner. There were two award categories at the 2015 event: the Distinguished Service Award and the Service Provider of the year Award. The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Mr. Terence Naicker - GM: Contracts, Purchasing & Maintenance at TAAG Angola Airlines and Mr. Mustwafa Murad - Manager Strategic Purchases at Astral Aviation for their remarkable contribution, dedication and technical support to AFRAA joint projects. ATNS was received the Service Provider of the Year Award for excellence in the provision of safe, efficient & innovative Air Traffic Management solutions and services to the African continent.

The awards recognize the excellence in service delivery, innovation and competitiveness in best services providers to the African aviation industry.

Sponsorship and Exhibition

In addition to the presentations, panel discussions and masterclasses, the event provided excellent opportunity for brand visibility through sponsorship and an outstanding products exhibition and business opportunity for industry partners and suppliers of equipment, components, solutions and services. There were 13 proud event sponsors including: Atlantic FuelEx, ATNS, Barclays Africa, Cronos Air, Engen, GE Aviation, Hahnair, Interair, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kintetsu World Express South Africa (Pty) Ltd, SITA, South Africa Civil Aviation Authority and UAS International Trip Support

29 suppliers and/or service providers benefited from the outstanding visibility, networking and direct sales opportunities by displaying their products and interacting with delegates at the conference. The exhibitors included: African Aerospace, APG Network, ATNS, AVIANET, Barclays Africa Group Limited, Cronos Airlines, Ethiopian MRO & Aviation Academy, FLYHT, GE Aviation, HADID International Services FZE, Interair, Kenya Airways MRO & Pride Center, East African School of Aviation, Lufthansa Systems, MTU Maintenance, Rockwell Collins, Sabre Airline Solutions, SITA, South African Civil Aviation Authority, South African Airways, SA Express Airways, Skywise Airline, Swahili Aviation Aerospace (USA) LLC, TCR, Travelport International Ltd, Tunisair Technics, UAS International Trip Support, Wirecard and World Meteorological Organisation.

Venue and date for the 2016 Aviation Convention: The Secretariat takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to all delegates who participated at the event and looks forward to host you at next year’s Convention. The 5th Convention is scheduled to take place from 08-10 May 2016 in Kigali – Rwanda and will be co-hosted by RwandAir.