A key part of Routes Africa is the Strategy Forum and this year’s Forum promises to provide a dynamic start to the event with a packed programme of presentations, workshops and panel discussion sessions by senior industry leaders across two days. The aviation industry across Africa has some important challenges ahead and the Forum provides the ideal platform to discuss issues affecting commercial aviation and route development across the region and will help to set the scene for the one-to-one meetings during the remainder of the event.
The Forum will be opened by Minister Joel Morgan, Minister of Home Affairs & Transport and there will be keynote addresses from Minister Marthinus Van Schalkuyk, Minister for Tourism, Republic of South Africa, Mr Cramer Ball, Chief Executive Officer, Air Seychelles, Mr Gebremaraim Tewolde, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines and Mr Ali Tounsi, Secretary General, ACI Africa
The first panel discussion session Unlocking the Market – Liberalization vs. Competition will be moderated by Mr Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President International & Public Affairs, Etihad Airways & Chair – IATA Industry Affairs Committee. The discussion will focus on how African governments unlock their market potential whilst balancing against the development of a national carrier? Is an open skies policy the best way forward? Can countries work together? Do foreign carriers generate economic wealth or restrict the development of based national carriers? Is building a national airline an insurance policy for a sustainable network?
Session two; Safety, Security & Standards will be moderated by Mr Raphael Kuuchi, Director, Commercial/Corporate & Industry Affairs, AFRAA and will give a valuable insight into the some of the significant improvements that have been made in these areas across the region and developments planned for the future.
The third panel discussion session entitled The Road to Recovery – Rebuilding & Looking to the Future will explore what impact has Arab Spring had on the North Africa market; whether the inbound tourism market has returned; what opportunities there are for growth and the importance of political stability within the region.
Other speakers and panellists include: Minister W. Mzembi, Minister of Tourism, Hospitality Industry, Zimbabwe; Mr Vivendra Lochan, COO, Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA); Mrs Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Managing Director, Ghana Airports Company Limited; Mr Bert van der Stege, Commercial Director, RwandAir; Mr Joachim von Winning, Chief Commercial Officer, Cairo Airport Company; Dr Fariba Alamdari, VP Market & Value Analysis, Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Mr Mohamed Khalil, Airline Marketing Manager, Africa and Middle East Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
There will be workshop entitled The Global Outlook for Africa – The Numbers Behind The Opportunity which will be led by Mr Nick Oldrini, Research & Analysis Manager for ASM and will explore which are the largest markets out of Africa; which markets are growing the fastest; what are the largest city – pairs not served; and how large is the Chinese market and will it drive growth of traffic into Africa?
The Forum will close with an Interline Workshop; this will give carriers the opportunity to discuss market opportunities with other airlines. With the cost of operating new air services increasing, more carriers are seeking lower cost means of entering markets through interline agreements, code shares and joint ventures. The session will begin with a presentation giving and overview of how airlines can work together. Following the presentation, carriers will be able to set up meetings with other airlines to discuss potential partnership arrangements.
The Strategy Forum will take place on the afternoon of Sunday 8th July and will continue on to lunchtime on Monday 9th July. The specially developed content and the interactive format ensures that the Forum is a popular element of the event. It is open to all Routes Africa delegates and promises to be a stimulating and enjoyable start to the Routes Africa event.
Related Content
