Travel & Business News

Courtesy: africatourismwebportal.com Dedicated to US-Africa tourism since 1975 and long considered the top global organisation promoting tourism to Africa, the Africa Travel Association (ATA) recently became an operating element under the Corporate Council on Africa. The formal announcement was made at the New York Times Travel Show held on January 8, 2016. Speaking further on the issue, Stephen Hayes, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) said, “The addition of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) to our portfolio of activities strengthens both the Africa Travel Association and the Corporate Council on Africa. Tourism is an essential ingredient in growing the economies of Africa. The potential for growth and investment in tourism in nearly every country in Africa is simply huge, regardless of the stage of development.” According to Hayes, “Our background in working with major corporate players and investors who are looking for n...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently announced global passenger traffic results for November showing continued strong traffic growth above the 10-year average rate of 5.6%. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 5.9% compared to the year-ago period. African airlines experienced their fifth consecutive month of positive traffic growth in November, posting a 12.2% rise compared to November 2014. Tony Tyler, IATA DG/CEO However, the trend for the year-to-date so far remains weak, with growth of just 1.3% reflecting adverse economic developments in parts of the continent, including in Nigeria, which is highly reliant on oil revenues. Over the past few months, exports from Africa have held up better than they did earlier in 2015, and this could be helping boost international air travel on the region’s carriers. Capacity rose 9.8% and load factor rose 1.5 percentage points to 65.1%. According to the report, the healthy global November traffic demand...

Ethiopian Airlines and Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, have announced that they have signed a firm purchase agreement for two additional Q400 turboprop aircraft, that will bring the carrier’s Q400 aircraft fleet to a total of 19 aircraft, the largest total fleet in Africa. Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the transaction is valued at approximately $63 million. Tewolde Gebremariam, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines, said; “We are continuously working to have the right fleet with agility, optimal range, load and passenger comfort which is critical for us to keep our leadership position in the market. The Q400 aircraft continues to be an integral part of our expansion strategy in Africa. Through our strategic partnerships with ASKY Airlines in Togo and Malawian Airlines in Malawi, the Q400 airliner has played a vital role in availing convenient connections, as well as increasing frequencies to support air travel growth in Africa and successfully crea...