COMMUNIQUE OF THE TRAVEL & BUSINESS NEWS 10TH AFRICAN AIR TRANSPORT SAFETY, SECURITY AND SERVICE SUMMIT - Aviation Stakeholders Call For Effective Industry Regulation & Proactive Measures For Safer Skies In Africa.

A cross section of delegates at the Summit

The 10th Travel & Business News African Air Transport Safety, Security and Service Summit held on November 18 - 19, 2015 at the Best Western Premier Airport Hotel, Accra, Ghana. The annual gathering, which had as its theme: “African Air Transport: Improving Safety, Ensuring Connectivity,” attracted a wide spectrum of high profile and seasoned industry experts and professionals who called for more effective industry regulation for safer skies in Africa, robust and proactive steps to improve Aviation Security, strategic partnerships among operators, as well as greater collaboration and consolidation among African Carriers and Governments that will allow seamless air transport connectivity within the continent.

ATTENDANCE

Among those who graced the occasion were, Capt. Talba Akali, Director of Safety, Federal Ministry of Aviation (FMA) who represented the Honourable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Ambassador Michael Ononaiye, former Ambassador to Portugal and Nigerian Representative to the United Nations (UN); Honourable Awwal Tukur, former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation during the 5^th Assembly; Mr. Samson Fatokun, Area Manager, South West Africa, IATA; and Mr. Gbenga Olowo, President, Sabre Travel Network West Africa and Aviation Round Table (ART).

Other distinguished personalities at the gathering include Capt. Sidi Maikano, Director of Operations and Training, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) who represented the Director General, Capt. Muhtar Usman; Mr. Paul Oki, Company Secretary, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) who represented the Managing Director, Engr. Ibrahim Abdusallam; Mr. Babatunde Sotin, Special Assistant to the MD, NAMA; Mr. Nnamdi Ogbue, Director of Administration, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) who represented the Commissioner, Dr. Felix Abali; and Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, Head, Public Affairs, AIB.

Yet other eminent personalities at the forum were Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun (IAP-ICAO/ACI), former Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Capt. Roland Iyayi, MD, Topbrass Aviation and former MD of NAMA; Mr. Ronald Ket, Managing Director, Airline Handling Services (AHS) Ghana; Mr. Oduro Saka, Executive Officer, Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) Ghana; Mr. Taiwo Adenekan, Managing Director, PDT Consulting; Mr. Bassey Emmanuel, Director of Operations, Selective Security Limited; and Mr. Mayowa Badewa, Regional Manager, Sabre Travel Network Ghana among others.

MINISTERIAL COMMITMENT

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika was represented by Capt. Talba Alkali, the Director of Safety who presented the Minster’s speech at the conference. He noted that Air transport Safety and Security are two very critical ingredients necessary for effective interconnectivity across Africa. “Improving safety is the biggest issue on the African agenda, and global standards play a crucial role in this area,” he remarked, adding that “Global standards are the foundation upon which a safe, secure, and integrated global air transport system are built.” The Honourable Minister of State further revealed that Connectivity is vital for African growth and development, supporting about 6.9 million jobs and US$80.5 billion in economic activity. Of the 6.9 million jobs, 428,000 are within the industry itself and the rest are supported as part of the industry’s supply chain and the significant role air transport plays in the tourism sector.

In the light of the above therefore, Senator Sirika stressed that the overall benefits can only be realized on the bedrock of a safe, secure, efficient and customer focused air transport system on the continent. It is clear therefore that connectivity will play a critical role in the development of African economies. And one way of achieving this is by implementing the ideals of the Abuja Declaration which sets a target for African Airlines to reach world-class safety levels by 2015.

In his summation, the Minister of State said; “Connectivity is therefore critical for regional integration and African growth and development. And in order to do this, we need to have the political will, improve our infrastructure, upgrade our facilities and train our personnel to the highest levels of proficiency and professionalism.” He congratulated the organisers of this Summit for their tenth anniversary and wished them the very best in their future endeavours as they continue to contribute their quota to the development of aviation not only in Nigeria and across the West African Region, but throughout the African continent.

PRESENTATIONS

Four critical subject areas central to the development of air transportation in Africa formed the topics of presentations delivered at the conference. They include: “The Roles Of Civil Aviation Authorities In Promoting Safer Skies In Africa” by Capt. Muhtar Usman, DG, NCAA; “Changing Africa’s Fortune through Liberalization of Air Transport” by Mr. Samson Fatokun, Area Manager, South West Africa, IATA; “Curbing Remote And Immediate Threat To Aviation Security” by Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, former MD, FAAN; and “Building Strong Carriers in Africa: A Case Study Of Nigeria” by Mr. Gbenga Olowo, President, Sabre Travel Network West Africa.

ROLE OF CAAs IN AFRICA TO PROMOTE SAFER SKIES

In his presentation titled; “The Roles Of Civil Aviation Authorities In Promoting Safer Skies In Africa,” Capt. Muhtar Usman, DG, NCAA clearly underscored that air accident rates in Africa are about the highest in the world stressing that; “Statistics has shown that the total accident rates including both western and eastern built jet and turboprop aircraft as at the end of year 2014 in Africa is 11.18 per million departures as against a World average of 1.92.” He also noted Accident rates correlate with the Level of Effective Implementation (LEIs) of States of the ICAO Eight Critical Elements of a safety oversight system, adding that Regions with the lowest LEIs have the highest rates of accidents.

Capt. Muhtar remarked that the Role of Civil Aviation Authorities in Africa in an effort to ensure safer skies in the continent is to Ensure that obligations under International Agreements are implemented and adhered to; Key into the ICAO’s strategic objectives of Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of Air Transport. Also, CAAs in Africa need to Stand on a tripod of effective implementation, with a faithful intent in the areas of Safety Oversights, Security Oversights and Economic Oversights.

 

“States must ensure effective implementation of all safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and associated procedures contained in the Annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and related ICAO documents which forms the foundation upon which safe African aircraft operations is built,” Muhtar stressed.

The paper further highlighted that the ICAO Critical Elements of a Safety Oversight System include the Establishment of Legislation, Regulations, An Effective Organisation Structure, Technical Staff Qualification and Training, Technical Guidance and Tools; as well as Implementation of Licensing and Certification Approval, Continuous Surveillance, and Resolution of Safety Concerns. In summary, Muhtar admonished that in a bid to fulfil their role of ensuring safer skies in Africa, the CAA and the DG must not be subject to capricious, unpredictable and impulsive political direction in their day-to-day operations.

CHANGING AFRICA’S FORTUNE THROUGH LIBERALIZATION

IATA’s Area Manager, South West Africa, Mr. Samson Fatokun delivered a paper on “Changing Africa’s Fortune through Liberalization of Air Transport.” He noted that while air transportation in Africa offers a lot of benefits to the continent and generates $80 billion in GDP, 6.9 million jobs with 69.8 million passenger movements, yet the continent unfortunately generates only 2.3% of global passenger traffic; which is a far cry from its potential capacity. He posited that some of the key policy and industry challenges responsible for this dismal performance compared to global trends include: Safety; Geopolitical uncertainty (Safety, route disruption, oil/jet fuel prices); Infrastructure (Current needs & planning for the future); Regulatory environment (Role of government, Liberalization & consolidation); Incorporating technology (E.g e-freight, NDC); Climate change and Health concerns.

He notes however that liberalization of air transportation within Africa has a robust capacity of transforming the fortunes of the continent on several fronts. For instance, liberalization will lead to new and better air services within Africa, greater passenger traffic growth, increased economic growth as well as creation of more jobs. He painted a vivid picture of a situation whereby Africa is densely connected to the world by foreign airlines, but loosely connected within itself, thereby leaving the continent behind compared to other regions of the world with seamless intra and interstate connections between them. To this end, he declared that: “Building connectivity within the continent is fundamental.”  

As a way forward, the IATA Area Manager noted that connectivity is the condition for industry success and that this could be improved with significant benefits for Africa if 12 states evenly spread across the four major sub regions of the continent were to implement Yamoussoukro Decision (YD). The suggested nations include: Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia in the North; Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda in the East; Angola, Namibia and South Africa in the South; as well as Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal in the West. IATA proposes a dual liberalization scenario consisting of liberalization between all 12 suggested countries on one hand, and liberalization within the sub-regions on the other. “The overall impacts of this will result in $1.3 billion of incremental GDP, 155,000 additional jobs, additional 5 million passengers, fare savings of 25 – 35% ($500m), 75% increase in direct flight services, time savings and greater convenience,” Fatokun declared.

He noted that the Framework for Liberalization already exists on the continent with the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 and the Single African Air Transport Market by 2017 recently proposed by the African Union (AU). A total of 14 countries signed the AU commitment for full implementation of the YD. They include: Benin, Cape Verde, Cote D’ Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone in West Africa; South Africa, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe in Southern Africa; Ethiopia and Kenya in Eastern Africa; Egypt in Northern Africa; as well as Congo and Chad in Central Africa. Fatokun advocated for a regional application of connectivity and called for the establishment of a single air transport market for West Africa driven by ECOWAS as well as the possibility of having Regional Airlines as against Country Airlines. He remarked however, that for this to be achieved, “Industry and Governments must work together.”

CURBING REMOTE AND IMMEDIATE THREATS TO AVIATION SECURITY

Mr. Richard AISUEBEOGUN. IAP (ICAO/ACI), former MD of FAAN, delivered a paper titled: “Curbing Remote And Immediate Threat To Aviation Security.” He highlighted the impact of Global Terrorism on Aviation Security (AVSEC) by citing various examples of attacks on civil aviation including the 1985 Air India Flight 182, from Toronto to New Delhi via London that was bombed out of the sky by terrorists off the Irish coast; United Airlines flight UTA 093, one of the four aircraft hijacked as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the United States; Not forgetting the Abdul Muttalab Episode of 25 December 2009 which began with KLM flight KL 588 originating from Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos to Detroit, USA via Amsterdam; and more recently, on October 31, 2015 a Russian registered A321 Aircraft operated by Metrojet with 224 passengers which crashed on the Sinai plain of Egypt with a Preliminary report from  the Kremlin Russian Intelligence that confirmed “Act of Terrorism.”

Borrowing a leaf from ICAO, he defined AVSEC as “A combination of measures, human and material resources intended to safeguard international Civil Aviation against acts of unlawful interference.” Aviation Terrorism therefore refers to all forms of terrorist attacks directed towards any aviation facility. In global aviation practice, threat to aviation security is viewed against the background of interference to civil aviation which occurs in many forms, all of which cause pain, trauma and even fatality. These include;

•      Hijack of an aircraft for suicide attacks and Hijack of an aircraft for hostage/ransom.

•      Bombing of an aircraft and Attacks on parked aircraft.

•      Attempts to bring down an aircraft with SAM weapons (Surface-to-air-missile)

•      Shelling of airports and Passenger attack at airports

•      Biological attacks.

•      Chemical/Bio-toxin attack.

The uniqueness of airlines and airports as veritable instruments of national identity makes it supreme targets for terrorist attacks. He informed that Hijacking is a major threat to Civil Aviation noting that between 1947 – 1958 there were 23 hijacks, which rose significantly between 1968 - 1972 to 364 hijacks. Mr. Aisuebeogun also observed that Airports and aircraft continue to offer a series of highly attractive targets to terrorists and insurgents for the following reasons:

1. The high value of the aircraft themselves.

2. The concentration of people (often representing different nationalities).

3. The automatic media coverage (breaking news/headlines) generated by aviation related terrorism due to the drama, publicity and psychological effects associated with it.

It is worthy to note that the protection of civil aviation against global terrorism (Aviation Security) is normally tackled by a 2-pronged approach comprising; The Regulatory Framework (as detailed in ICAO Annex 17 on Aviation Security) and The Technical/Physical Protection Measures. Some Technical/Physical Measures employed in AVSEC include: Airport Perimeter Control, Access Control at designated gates/entry points to ensure strict access control to the airside, Regular Vehicular Patrols, as well as the Introduction of Machine-Readable Travel Documents (MRTD) as a vital tool in addressing aviation terrorism.

Terminal security also involves; Management of Public areas and Restricted Areas, Access control, Security checkpoints and the separation of Arrival and Departure flows. AVSEC ensures proper surveillance over this area by both electronic means and the deployment of officers within the terminal building.  We also have skilled AVSEC psychologists trained to monitor and profile suspected individuals. For example in Nigeria, after the Abdul Muttalab incidence, efforts were made to install full body 3D Scanners in some airports. The measures put in place by AVSEC is normally complemented by airlines who ensure a security sweep of the passengers before boarding, secondary screening as well as passenger/baggage reconciliation (if this is not done automatically).

 

He opined however, that Technology alone cannot safeguard worldwide security without an active involvement of the human element. A highly trained and properly motivated professional staff is required at all levels. Hence, high emphasis is therefore placed on the continuing high level professional training of the staff worldwide and this requires that each country must make appropriate resources available.

Highlighting the challenges facing African Air Transport against the backdrop of Curbing threats to Aviation security, the erstwhile MD of FAAN said they include; Terminal Density, Technological Support (use of high technological equipment to enhance surveillance and detection of criminal activities; e.g. 3D Full Body Scanner (FBS), EDS, Millimeter Wave Scanners, etc.), Funding, Built up areas around some airports, Manpower shortage, as well as Training.

The Way Forward

§  The way forward is for African Air Transport industry policy makers to realize that curbing remote and immediate threats to Aviation good security is expensive but worthwhile and the cost of lack of adequate security is much more expensive.

§  ICAO Member States who ratify International Aviation Conventions commit themselves to meeting the requirements of these conventions which includes Annex 17 conventions.

§  It is therefore necessary for the government of African countries to make adequate resources available to meet up with these commitments.

We must be ready to spend sufficient funds to improve aviation infrastructure. The UAE budgeted over $57.7m on Aviation Security in 2015. In Kenya also, the government has earmarked 6.4 billion Kenyan Shillings for aviation security in 2015.

Going forward, African Air Transport industry leaders must be prepared to:

1.      Upgrade aviation infrastructure.

2.      Upgrade Aviation Security through proper recruitment, kitting and training

3.      Ensure coordination of efforts by all security agencies.

4.      Ensure proper funding of aviation security programmes.

5.      Ensure provision of modern security equipment.

 

Realizing that Aviation Security has been reactive rather than proactive, Mr. Aisuebeogun noted that ICAO has developed a Security Management System (SeMS) which if properly implemented will make security management proactive and ahead of challenges. “This will require that African Air Transport industry train personnel to acquire the requisite expertise to manage, audit and oversee the system. This is a challenge that we must be ready to take up for the benefit of curbing remote and immediate threats to Aviation Security in the African continent,” he concluded.

BUILDING STRONG CARRIERS IN AFRICA

“Building Strong Carriers in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria,” was the title of the presentation by Mr. Gbenga Olowo, President of Sabre Travel Network West Africa and Aviation Round Table (ART). Olowo noted that over the years Nigeria has witnessed a decline in the number of operating airlines. He said that between 2010 and 2013 the industry saw a 57% decrease in operating airlines in the country from 14 to 6 airlines currently in service. Similarly, the fleet size of commercial airline operators in the dropped significantly from 54 to 39 within the same period which translates to a decrease of 28%. Olowo remarked that several factors were responsible for this negative trend including; Insolvency (Court Suspension, Capital Restructuring & Business Closure), Distress (Divestment & Asset Impairment) and Economic Downturn (Working Capital & Market Re-assessment) among others.

He argued further that airlines in Nigeria and Africa by extension are not strong enough to compete with their foreign counterparts. In an effort to give credence to this line of thought, Mr. Olowo disclosed that the total international weekly flights out of Nigeria was 219 out of which Arik Air, Nigeria’s biggest carrier, does only 15 flights weekly. This translates to a total available seat capacity of 48,433 seats weekly out of which Arik Air only has 3889 seats weekly, a mere 8%. Furthermore, Olowo revealed that the combined Net Revenue in 2012 of three of Africa’s biggest carriers (SAA, ET and KQ) was $6.027 million as against that of a single Emirates which stood at $18.363 million. 

     

Olowo therefore called for greater cooperation among Nigerian and indeed African carriers as a way of making them more competitive. “African Airlines are too small. Stand alone is no longer realistic,” he stressed, adding that many of the foreign carriers have already joined forces in this regard such as United/Continental, British Airways/Iberia and Air France/KLM. To this end, he said Nigerian and indeed African carriers need to embrace Regional Integration, Bridge the Infrastructure Gap and must Collaborate to succeed. He advised that the overall Corporate Objective for Nigerian airlines should be as follows:

A.      Consistent Delivery of Excellent & Competitive Customer Services (Inter, Intra Africa & Global).

B.      Adopting Global Best Standard (Schedule Integrity, Global Alliance etc.).

C.      Reciprocate all Air Services Agreement with Nigeria & Reverse Negative Balance of Trade.

OTHER ISSUES RAISED

A couple of other sensitive issues were raised by participants during the discussion session which include:

1.      Economic health of In-flight Catering Services providers

2.      Security in terms of in-flight services (NAFDAC and CAA’s Requirement)

3.      Issue of expiry date of foods served onboard.

4.      Awareness of the industry and the CAA in Universities

5.      Addressing the manpower needs of the industry

6.      Establishment of an Aviation Training Programme for creation of industry awareness.

7.      Certification of industry promos

DATES FOR 2016 EDITION 

Mr. Ewos Iroro, Coordinator of the Conference and Editor of Travel & Business News, gave the vote of thanks and used the opportunity to inform participants that the conference will continue to hold in Accra, Ghana for the next five (5) years as part of the organisers’ strategy to grow its popularity and influence in the sub-region as a notable Air Transport Safety and Security conference on the African aviation calendar. The dates therefore proposed for the 2016 Travel & Business News African Air Transport Safety & Security Summit, the, 11^th in the series, is November 13 – 15, 2016. Details about the theme and speakers will be announced in due course.