SOMALIA: Hotel Attack, Foreigners Among 26 Killed, Over 100 Wounded By Al-Shabaab

Somalia's security forces shot dead a group of Islamists who tried to storm a popular hotel after detonating car bombs outside it. Authorities said dozens were killed in the explosions and gunfire, with over 100 wounded.

At least 53 people were killed in a series of blasts in Mogadishu, authorities said on Saturday, a day after al-Shabab militants detonated four car bombs and attacked a popular hotel in the Somali capital.

The death toll includes seven terrorists who tried to storm the Sahafi Hotel, which is often visited by government officials.

Some families are searching for their loved ones because they are still missing, as several whose bodies were burned badly beyond recognition were found in civilian vehicles, local hospital director Muhammad Yusuf told the DPA news agency.

Four car bombs exploded outside the Sahafi Hotel, which is located across the street from the Somali Police Force's Criminal Investigations Department, Friday afternoon. After the three explosions in front of the hotel, a fourth blast hit as ambulances rushed to rescue the injured.

The suicide bombers tried to storm through a hole blown into the hotel's wall but did not succeed in entering, said police officer Muhammad Hussein.

Although they failed to access the hotel, the blasts outside the hotel killed many people, said Hussein.

The street was crowded with people and cars, bodies were everywhere. Gunfire killed several people, too.

The al Qaeda-linked militant Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Violence and lawlessness have spiked in the African country since dictator Muhammad Siad Barre's government was toppled in the early 1990s.

Somalia's security forces shot dead a group of Islamists who tried to storm a popular hotel after detonating car bombs outside it.

Authorities said dozens were killed in the explosions and gunfire, with over 100 wounded.


Tourism Observer

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Added New Gateway And Increased Frequencies To The US

Ethiopia’s flag carrier Ethiopian might have thrown a killer punch to competitors Kenya Airways and Rwandair by shuffling its services to the United States.

The carrier has added a new gateway to the US, upped frequencies and made changes to other gateways starting with the 2019 summer season.

The airlines says it is optimising its US network to give its clients better connectivity between the US Africa through shorter routes.

Addis has not secured US FAA Category One Certification and as such all flights inbound to the US go through an intermediate airport that is certified.

As a result of the changes, three new flights will be added to the existing daily service to Washington to bring the weekly number of departures to ten.

But unlike the existing services which route through Rome, the additional three flights will go through Abidjan. The Addis Ababa-Abidjan-Washington flights will depart Addis in the morning and arrive in DC in the evening.

The service to Chicago will grow from the current three weekly flights to five; while four of the planned new daily service to New York will go via Lomé to Newark and three via Abidjan to John F. Kennedy.

Ethiopian is also closing the service Los Angeles and replacing with a new service to Houston, Texas that will also operate three times a week via West Africa.

It is believed Ethiopian is trying to tap into the significant African community in Houston as well as the oil gas companies that are likely to be attracted to the only air service between Texas and Africa.

The U.S. is among our most important markets owing to the presence of a large African community and growing business and tourism ties with Africa says Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.

Our new route structure with additional frequencies to multiple gateways and the opening of new route to Houston are aimed at responding to the market demand and availing best possible connectivity to over 60 African destinations, said Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.

The restructuring of the US service is also likely to complicate business for Kenya Airways which has a direct tri-weekly service to JFK and Rwandair which also plans to mount flights to New York this year.

With the widest route network in Africa and multiple entry points in the US, Ethiopian is diluting the hub effect of its African competitors.

Ethiopian is now the largest operator out of Africa with more than 119 destinations. Asmara, Manchester, Moscow and Mogadishu are some of its recent additions.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: X mass Holidays Attract More Travellers For Jambojet

Budget airline Jambojet has introduced additional flights to the coastal cities as it seeks to cash in on the high demand from holidaymakers.

The airline’s CEO Willem Hondius said there has been increased demand for air travel between Nairobi and the Coast forcing the company to increase frequency starting Tuesday (Dec 19).

Jambojet is now operating three flights to Malindi and Ukunda and four to Mombasa per week.

Yes we have added flights to Malindi (3 per week), Mombasa (4 per week), Ukunda (3 per week plus a third frequency per day between December 19 and 31),said Mr Hondius.

Mr Hondius said all routes that the airline plies have registered high demand. During the festive season we see demand going up sharply and there is always need to add flights,he said.

Last week the airline received one of two planes it purchased last month at Sh6.6 billion to cater for increased demand this Christmas season.

The addition brings Jambojet’s fleet to six – two Q400 planes that it acquired earlier in the year and two Boeing 737s leased from Kenya Airways KQ its parent company.

The airline said the remaining plane will arrive later this month. The two planes have been acquired from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital.

The cost of booking air tickets has significantly gone up as more passengers seek to travel by air. Those who have been booking from last week are paying almost double the price compared with travellers who booked in November.

It’s still quite last minute unfortunately. However for the festive season people tend to book a bit earlier, said the CEO.

The airline in May got regulatory approval to fly to 16 regional routes, including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

Meanwhile, Jambojet is set to start flights to Tanzania and Uganda by February next year, kicking off its regional expansion plan designed to see the low-cost carrier fly to 16 new routes.

The Transport ministry said it had applied for permission for the budget airline, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways is to fly to the countries.

Jambojet was in May granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

The government has applied for designations on our behalf to allow us operate on six regional routes, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive said.

For now, the application covers Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo. However, we intend to begin by flying to Tanzania and Uganda.

Jambojet also plans to start flying to Wajir by next February, adding to its existing flights between Nairobi and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani).

The airline had earlier said it would make its international debut by the end of this year, but delays in receiving two Bombardier Q400 aircraft has seen them push their launch date forward.

These two planes are now expected before Christmas.

The extended electioneering period took a toll on the business, with total bookings for the four months to October dipping by around 16 per cent, Mr Hondius revealed.

The airline flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers per month.

In the weeks around the two general elections, he added, passenger numbers dropped by a quarter, highlighting the huge toll that the process had on Kenya’s aviation sector.

Kenya Airways’ latest annual report indicates that Jambojet reported a pre-tax loss of Sh25 million for the year to March, reversing a pre-tax profit of Sh126 million recorded the previous year.

The loss was attributable to last year’s peak season when insufficient aircraft messed us up. The elections affected us negatively this year. While business has rebounded, we shall assess the full impact with time, said Mr Hondius.

Jambojet is set to receive two new aircraft worth Sh6.6 billion before Christmas in anticipation of the high-season passenger demand and as the low-cost carrier prepares to start international flights.

The airline, a subsidiary of national carrier Kenya Airways is set to receive the first of two Bombardier Q400 on December 11. The second one is expected to touch down in Nairobi six days later.

Jambojet was in May granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

We are confident that the Q400 aircraft will allow us to implement our growth strategy as we strive to launch new routes and to respond to the anticipated increase in demand, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive, said in a statement.

The budget carrier will lease the aircraft from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital which in turn signed a purchase order for the planes with Montreal-based Bombardier on Wednesday.

Jambojet, which has been operational since April 2014, currently operates four aircraft — two Q400 planes which were also acquired this year and two Boeing 737s leased from its parent firm.

The airline plies six routes in Kenya; between Nairobi and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani). We are looking at retiring our narrow body fleet (Boeing 737s) and transitioning to an all-Q400 fleet by end of this year, said Mr Hondius.

The carrier has already returned one of the Boeings to KQ with the national carrier now expected to put it up for sale.

Thousands of Jambojet passengers travelling to the Coast over Christmas were hit by flight delays and cancellations.

The airline said the delays resulted from technical problems on one Bombardier, which was compounded by the delayed arrival of the aircraft to handle higher passenger numbers during the holiday season.

Jambojet, which issued an apology for these delays, has since then set out to increase its fleet to avoid a repeat of this incident even as looks to expand regionally.

Jambojet has slashed baggage fees by up to 65 per cent in a bid to generate more non-passenger ticket revenue for the budget airline.

The low-cost carrier has announced that its highest luggage fee, charged on 32 kilogrammes of baggage, will drop to Sh5,500 for payments made at their airport and half that for bookings made through agents or online.

This marks a sharp fall from the Sh15,600 and Sh7,800 respectively which Jambojet, a Kenya Airways subsidiary, was charging its customers.

We have reduced the rates, allowing passengers to carry more for less, Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius said. We have also reduced the baggage fee bands making it easier for passengers to choose.

Jambojet’s baggage policy review comes a few months after it hired Catherine Mwangi as its ancillary manager.

Ancillary services in the airline industry include entertainment, onboard shopping, Internet gaming, car hire, frequent flier programmes, hotel bookings, checked baggage and better cabin seating.

The extras normally add on to and sometimes exceed the budget ticket costs.

Ms Mwangi has previously held various marketing jobs at Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM as well as South African Airways.

Payments made at the airport will cost double across all bands.

Jambojet achieved a 90 per cent on-time-performance (OTP) in September and October mainly driven by a new fleet, records show.

The low-cost carrier recorded a six per cent higher average of OTP in the two months after recording 84 per cent in August.

OTP is an industry benchmark calculated based on flights taking off and landing within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

We are well over our target of 80 per cent which is considerably better than the industry average. Without a doubt, this is a very good sign as we go into the peak festive season, said Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius.

Our investment in the two new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircrafts has enabled us to deliver a very reliable flight schedule across the country and live up to the expectation of customers.

The airline has maintained an average OTP of 85 per cent in the past seven months, Mr Hondius said.

Jambojet has in its nearly four years of operation in Kenya increased its routes from four to six, with increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion.

It currently operates 75 flights per week on its domestic routes from Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda.

The airline, which has a code-share agreement with Kenya Airways for domestic travel, expects delivery of two new aircraft later this year.




Tourism Observer

AFRICA: Known Dangerous Cities in Africa

Below are some of Africa's most dangerous cities or places where you have to take maximum caution while there.

Crimes rampant in these places are many, including but not restricted to muggings, scams, pick pocketing, Over charging, armed robberies, car robberies, phone,laptop and camera thefts, fake money, assaults, rapes, kidnappings,Cyber-crime,credit card skimming, Household and business burglary, car break-ins and extortion etc.

Lagos, Nigeria

With an estimated population of 21 million, Lagos is Nigeria’s largest city and one of the largest cities in the world.

Crime levels are very high, with a rating of 80.88 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Tourists,Locals and expatriates living in Lagos are prone to muggings, armed robberies, home or business burglaries, carjackings, assaults, rapes, kidnappings, and extortion.

Armed robbers in the city are known to even climb up perimeter fences and subdue guards, and others have invaded waterfront compounds by way of boats.

Criminals also target vehicle occupants in traffic, and break into stationary cars. Some of Lagos' crime hot-spots are airport roads in the days or evenings, as well as banks and grocery stores.

Street gangs called area boys cause terror in the mainland of the city when they clash.

Lagos is also an e-mail scam hotbed, from where dubious cyber criminal prey on people under the pretension that they can receive huge compensation in return some time later after parting with some money by way of electronic transactions.

Nairobi, Kenya

As Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi is the hub of the country’s economy, thereby making it attractive to both foreign and investments, and vulnerable to criminal activity.

The US Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) rates Nairobi’s crime levels as critical.

Also, Numbeo,com, as of March 2016, ranked the crime levels at of city as high, and ended up giving it a rating of 78.49 out of 100.

Serious crimes common in Nairobi, according to OSAC, are armed carjackings, home and business burglaries, kidnappings, pick-pocketing, muggings, and snatch and grab-thefts.

Other criminal threats include grenade attacks and terrorism, which in recent years Kenya has bore the brunt of.

However, those victims of robbery who cooperate without resisting are likely to be unharmed in the city, according to OSAC.

Cyber-crime and credit card skimming are other forms of criminal activities on the rise in Nairobi that its foreign visitors need to be aware of.

Rustenburg, South Africa

Rustenburg City is in the North West Province of South Africa.

It has very high crime levels, and is rated at 85.71 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Of all of the cities in the North West Province in 2015, Rustenburg had the highest total cases of criminal activities with 11,117 cases in 2015, according to Crime Statistics South Africa.

Household burglary, kidnapping, hijacking, and political violence are but some of the crimes that frequently occur in this city.

According to South Africa Dialogue, street crimes and muggings are also high in Rustenburg, and caution is necessary each and everyday.

At night, car break-ins are common, and it’s not advisable to leave one's valuables inside a vehicle. When driving on the freeways at night, stops in undesignated areas make one an easy target for robbers, and hence it’s wise to avoid making them.

Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city, with an estimated population of over 4 million people, and it’s also the capital of Gauteng province.

In recent years it has achieved notoriety for the high numbers of crime and rape cases seen there as well. Crime levels in Johannesburg are very high, achieving a 91.61 out of a possible crime score of 100 as of March 2016.

Due to the many incidences of rape reported there, it has also been dubbed as the World’s Rape Capital.

Recently, Johannesburg has had xenophobic attacks springing up in the low income townships with frequency.

In 2014-2015, according to Africa Check, the murder rate in Johannesburg per 100,000 was 28.2 people. Yet, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the average global homicide rate per 100,000 people was 6.2, less than a fourth of that seen in Johannesburg.

Luanda, Angola

Luanda, Angola’s capital city, has a high crime rate, and one which the OSAC reports as being critical.

Out of a possible crime score of 100, Numbeo rates it at 76.39 as of February 2016. According to the UK Government service Gov.UK, common crimes in the city are inclusive of carjackings, assaults, homicides, muggings for valuables such as mobile phones, armed robberies at either night or day especially in areas popular with foreigners, and rape incidences both in nightlife areas and even private homes.

Moving at night around within the city are not recommended, as crimes mostly happen at night in Luanda, according to the OSAC.

There also are crime hot-spots in Luanda that the OSAC particularly warns against venturing into, like the Rua Nehru, the Rua Houari Boumedienne, and the traffic circle in the last part of Rua Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Thefts from stationary or slow-moving vehicles stuck in traffic also happen.

It’s thereby wise to close the windows when stuck in such traffic situations there.

Visitors are also advised to avoid changing or withdrawing money in public places, or handling money in very crowded places.

Cape Town, South Africa

Crime levels in Cape Town, a port city in South Africa and the capital of Western Cape Province, are very high, even though it’s the country’s legislative capital.

In recent years, it has consistently been ranked among the most violent cities in the world. Cape Town has a crime rating of 82.45 out of a possible crime score of 10 as of March 2016, which is an increase from the previous 3 years.

From April 2011 to March 2012, Cape Town recorded more murders than both Johannesburg and Pretoria combined, according to Africa Check.

Criminal activities like drug dealing, mugging, vandalism, theft, assault, armed robbery, and bribery are especially common there.

Taking nighttime walks is also risky in and of itself.

Much of the violence in Cape Town is fueled by drug-related gang activity and the economic inequality still prevalent in non-white territories.

According to a 2014 report by the Institute for Security Studies, annual income in a white household was just over six times more than a black household in Cape Town.

Benghazi, Libya

Libya second largest city of Benghazi, has been engulfed in a civil war.

The city is ever at risk of radical Islamic terrorist attacks.

In September of 2012, the US Embassy in Libya was attacked by violent extremists, and 4 US government employees, the US Ambassador to Libya included, died in the chaos.

Crime levels across the whole country are still rising.

Incidences of carjackings, robberies, burglaries, and gun attacks are now more prevalent, largely due to the looting of government artillery that ensued in a mad scramble for economic and military gains after Gaddafi’s removal.

Sexual harassment of women is also rising, as well as petty and hardcore street crimes alike.

Even stricter laws on people's dress make expatriate women who don’t dress conservatively susceptible to attacks from Islamic extremist militias.

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Pietermaritzburg is both the province's second largest city after Durban and the capital of Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in the nation of South Africa.

It has very high crime levels, with a crime rating of 87.5 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Armed robbery, sexual assault, arson, drug dealing, house break-ins, carjackings, and car theft are some crimes that are rife in Pietermaritzburg.

In the 3 years leading up to 2015, crimes levels in the city rose significantly. According to Crime Statistics South Africa, in 2015 there were 15,720 criminal incidences in the city.

This was an increase on the previous years, as in 2014 there were 14,794 reported incidents of criminal activities, and in 2013 there were 13,596.

When xenophobic attacks flare up elsewhere in South Africa, they also tend to quickly spread to Pietermaritzburg as well.

Durban, South Africa

Durban is the largest city in Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in South Africa.

It’s a coastal city that is popular with local and international tourists who annually number within the hundreds of thousands.

Economically, the city hosts the biggest container and commodity port in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the OSAC.

But crime and criminal-related deaths have been on the rise. According to a 2014 report by the Mexican Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, Durban City was 38th among the 50 most violent cities in the world.

Homicides per 100,000 people stood at 34.5 in 2014, up from in 2013 when they were at 32 per 100,000.

Crime in Durban is at 87.89 out of a possible crime score of 100, indicating it as being very high.

Beyond Durban's city limits, Kwa-Zulu-Natal province in 2015 was reported as the most dangerous province in South Africa.

Taking personal precautions, like avoiding nighttime travel or walking alone, is recommended to avoid falling victim.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Port Elizabeth is a coastal city in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Tourists are drawn to this vibrant port city, which is dubbed the Windy City for its windy coastal clime.

Port Elizabeth has a rich cultural heritage, and is among the cities early explorers like Vasco Da Gama passed through.

However, crime is very high there and is rated at 80.56 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Muggings and street crimes are common in Port Elizabeth much like in the rest of South Africa.

Xenophobic attacks against foreigners also tend flare up in Port Elizabeth when there is unrest in South Africa.

In 2014, Port Elizabeth was ranked number 35 by the Mexican Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice among the world’s 50 most dangerous cities, and, in 2013, it was number 41.

Murders per 100,000 people in 2014 were 34.8, slightly down from 36 in 2013.

Others may be:

Mogadishu, Somalia

Maputo, Mozambique

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Kampala, Uganda

Tripoli, Libya

Kinshasa, DR Congo

Goma, DR Congo

Brazzaville, REP Congo

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Dakar, Senegal

Conakry, Guinea

Bamako, Mali

Khartoum, Sudan

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso



Tourism Observer

ZANZIBAR: Turkish Airlines Launches Istanbul - Kilimanjaro - Zanzibar Route

Turkish Airlines has launched flights to Zanzibar in anticipation of a flood of visitors during the festive season to the spice island of zanzibar.

The new service will route from Istanbul via Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar and back from there to Istanbul and operate initially three times a week using a Boeing B737-900NG.

Zanzibar has subsequently become Turkish Airlines' 50th African destination making it the leading non African airline offering flights into the continent. Other destinations served in East Africa are Entebbe, Kigali, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam while in the wider region does Turkish fly to Mogadishu, Asmara, Djibouti and Addis Ababa.

Zanzibar has in recent years seen several new five star resorts launched while long time crowd favourites like Blue Bay Hotels have upgraded and modernized to stay in the top game of attracting tourists from around the world.

The Turkish Airlines service via Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar is clearly geared towards capturing the global tourism traffic which in this case can offer travelers the experience of both safaris and a sun and sand vacation all wrapped into one.

UGANDA: Will Uganda Get Another National Carrier?

President Museveni, when addressing the first cabinet meeting of his new government, reportedly told them that 'because our brothers in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa let us down' the formation of a national airline was now a priority.

When the former Uganda Airlines was finally dissolved it was because the carrier was broke and had been stripped of its cash cows like a ground handling monopoly, handed to a local consortium while the other profit making arm, the ownership of the local Galileo franchise, too eventually went into private hands.

No investors could be found at the time, as suitors swiftly discovered that all they would get was a debt ridden empty shell with no aircraft and few other assets.

Years later came the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, set up Air Uganda and was after seven years of operations nearing break even point, when the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority killed them off, as amply explained here at the time.

That in fact happened at a time when the Ugandan government had the offer on the table to invest into the airline and turn it into a quasi if not real national carrier. While government pondered the offer did the Uganda CAA do their dirty work however and - allegedly to escape ICAO sanctions - pulled the international AOC's of all Uganda registered airlines, at one stage citing safety concerns.

This however was swiftly dismissed as a fairy tale and smoke screen as domestic operations by some of the affected airlines like the Aero Club in Entebbe, Ndege Juu in Kajjansi and of Eagle Air from Entebbe were allowed to continue even though they could not fly across the national borders.

Over 230 highly qualified employees of Air Uganda lost their jobs and connections to Nairobi, Juba, Kigali, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa and Mogadishu literally vanished overnight leading to a scramble for seats and substantially higher fares.

While eventually then RwandAir and Ethiopian were given fifth freedom traffic rights to fly out of Entebbe, to Juba first and then, in the case of RwandAir, to Nairobi, were most other former U7 routes no longer available on direct flights and needed transit elsewhere.

A former Air Uganda employee in fact, when discussing the development last night, promptly responded, on condition of anonymity: 'Unless those responsible at UCAA for the Air Uganda closure are retired or sacked and a new team installed, what will change.

Who will guarantee a new investor that they will not pull the same stunts all over again if they are faced with a potential ICAO audit failure like it was the case when they shut down U7'.

Airline sources reached in the short time also denied that there have been 'failures' on the part of regional airlines flying to and from Entebbe in regard of fares, but that for one it was the market vis a vis supply and demand of seats which led to pricing and perhaps the lack of incentives by the Ugandan authorities to make flying in and out of Entebbe cheaper.

Others pointed to the challenges even established airlines in the region were faced with, such as Air Tanzania or Kenya Airways, and that an upstart would find it very difficult to capture traffic on especially international routes, where the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Fly Dubai from the Gulf and Brussels Airlines and KLM from Europe offered both competitive fares and state of the art equipment, infrastructure and global connectivity, a national airline would find impossible to match.

One other aviation source then added yet more salt when pointing out that under the NCIP - short for Northern Corridor Integration Projects - an aviation deal was reached that member countries like Uganda and South Sudan without a national airline, would let those with well developed national carriers operate routes out of Entebbe on fifth freedom rights.

Towards that end is RwandAir increasing their fleet from the present 8 to 12 aircraft by the middle of next year, offering a wider range of connections for Ugandan travelers either directly out of Entebbe or via Kigali.

Insider information suggests that a group of international aviation investors is considering the setting up of a new airline based in Entebbe, but given the trend of rising crude oil prices, the cost of new aircraft - the airline would need both short / medium haul and long haul equipment to face the competition - and the globally emerging lack of pilots meeting the required standards, this will be a mammoth task to accomplish.

'Unless a new airline starts pole pole with say two or three aircraft for short regional routes, the initial losses would be staggering. They would need an approach like Air Uganda started up, building market share on key regional routes before branching out and gradually adding more.

Even then must an investor have deep pockets to sustain the initial losses for as much as two years, hoping the world economy will not throw tantrums and that the East African region is remaining stable and the money is found for all the infrastructure projects presently under planning. Look at RwandAir how they patiently over many years now built their brand and route network. That takes time and money.

The Rwandan government is fully behind their airline, but given our budget challenges and priorities like Health, Education and infrastructure, how much can Uganda squeeze out from the annual budget to support such a venture until it matures and breaks even'

Many questions indeed and certainly fodder for thought, giving airlines already on the route enough time to plan their market strategies in the event this becomes reality, of how best to compete using their networks, known brands, ability to adjust fares into and out of Entebbe and importantly, their frequent flyer programmes which give direct incentives and benefits to their loyal passengers.
Watch this space for regular and breaking news from Eastern Africa's aviation scene.

Africa Faces Invasion From Powerful Gulf And China Airlines

Africa is tipped to be one of aviation’s hot spots over the next 10-20 years. Growth rates are already strong, as increasing numbers of countries on the continent expand economically and develop a middle class.

But commercial aviation in Africa is still constrained by a combination of poor infrastructure, restrictive visa regimes and protectionism. Which makes it difficult territory in which local airlines can grow.

Although the size of the continent means that flying is the obvious way to get around, there has traditionally been a lack of intra-African services.

For many years, this has meant that getting from, say, one capital in Central Africa to another in West Africa has meant travelling – incredibly – via Paris. France was the colonial ruler of large swathes of western Africa and many countries retain French as an official language.

There are relatively few large carriers based in Africa – South African Airways, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian are some of the majors – that have sizeable regional networks.

But, just as the growing African economy should be giving those carriers a boost, they find that outsiders are eating their lunch.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is the Persian Gulf’s ‘Big Three’ – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – that are fast becoming major players in Africa, deploying their ever-growing capacity to soak up passengers. Increasingly, those passengers are being sucked into the seemingly insatiable maws of the hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Just this year, the three Gulf carriers have launched, or will launch, services to Algiers, Bamako, Entebbe, Dar-Es-Salaam, Durban, Zanzibar, Accra and Mogadishu. They are also increasing frequencies or up-gauging aircraft on several African routes.

While this undoubtedly increases choice for African passengers, there are signs that it is starting to stress local carriers. In July, Kenya Airways cited competition from the Gulf carriers as one reason behind an annual net loss that spiralled from around $33 million in 2013-14 to $275 million for 2014-15.

And perennially loss-making South African Airways has been trying for some months to strengthen its relationship with Emirates, on the basis that ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’ It also has a codeshare with Etihad.

Gulf airlines are also stepping up their cargo services into the continent. Again, West Africa is a particular target, but in early August Qatar Airways launched a specialized freighter service into Djibouti. The tiny northeast African nation has big ambitions to become the main logistics hub for that part of the continent and is the latest destination for Qatar Airways’ fast-expanding cargo arm, which already has regular dedicated freighter flights to six other points in Africa.

And as well as the Gulf carriers, indigenous African airlines may also be facing a new threat from China. China Southern has inaugurated a Guangzhou-Nairobi service, while earlier this year Air China announced plans to start routes from Beijing to Addis Ababa and Johannesburg. And the huge HNA Group, parent to Hainan Airlines, has a controlling stake in Ghana’s Africa World Airlines. The Chinese government is believed to be keen also to have domestic airlines initiate services to Africa. China, of course, has been pouring investment into Africa for some years, mainly to buy up minerals and other raw materials to feed its booming economy, so the Asian nation’s desire to add direct air services to the source of many of its business interests is understandable.

But it creates yet another problem for those African carriers seeking to carry their nation’s name further afield.

SOMALIA: Crazy Al-Shabab Attack Beach View Hotel On Lido Beach

At least six people - and eight attackers - were killed when al-Shabab suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a seafront hotel and restaurant in the Somali capital, the intelligence agency said.

A car laden with explosives rammed into the Beach View Hotel on Lido beach on Thursday evening, after which several al-Shabab fighters opened fire at the hotel.

"After the blast, I saw at least four armed men run into the hotel, shooting everyone inside and around the hotel," Mustafa Elmi, a Lido beach visitor,said.

"I managed to escape with minor wounds, but there were people who were shot dead on the spot," he added.

Locals said the death toll was likely to rise because some families had earlier collected bodies for burial.

A second explosion hit the nearby Lido Seafood restaurant, where several gunmen were reportedly holed up.

"The lights at Lido Seafood have just been switched off. Heavy gunfire is now ongoing," said a Mogadishu resident.

"More and more security forces are now going into the restaurant. They have pulled out three injured people so far," Mohamud added.

The Lido beach area is home to several restaurants, which are usually full on Thursday nights - the start of the weekend in Somalia.

Government spokesman Abdisalam Aato said that the situation was now under control.

"Our security forces are in control of the restaurant. They have rescued many civilians and are now cleaning the place," Aato said.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.

Somalia's nearly decade-long battle with al-Shabab has claimed thousands of lives.

Last week, the group attacked Kenyan forces at an African Union military base in the southern Somali village of El-Ade.

The group claimed to have killed about 100 Kenyan soldiers in that attack.

SOMALIA: Al Shabaab Attack Restaurant In Mogadishu

The assailants may have taken some hostages inside the Liido Seafood restaurant, which is popular with Mogadishu’s elite and government officials, police said.

“The operation to dislodge the attackers is ongoing now. The attackers are still inside and fighting our troops,” a spokesman said from the scene of the attack as gunfire rang out in the background.

He said he had counted at least three bodies outside the restaurant. An unknown number of people are still trapped inside the restaurant, he said.

Witnesses said that gunmen shouted “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great,” and entered the restaurant from the direction of the beach as clients, sitting behind razor wire, watched the seashore.

“They randomly fired at the people sitting near the beach before entering the restaurant,” said witness Ahmed Nur, who was strolling along on the shoreline when the attack happened.

Gunmen have fought their way into a restaurant near a beach in Mogadishu after a suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the building, according to a Somali police official.

Captain Mohamed Hussein said he believes the attackers have taken some hostages inside the restaurant, which is popular with the city’s elite and government officials.

He said the attackers opened fire on the customers of the restaurant, known as Liido Seafood, on Thursday evening before storming the building.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the ongoing attack, which bore the hallmarks of the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an attack on Kenyan peacekeepers in south-western Somalia last week.