DESTINATIONS Africa
Tourism to Egypt’s Red Sea region has slumped
peer-led inspection of the airport focusing on its security areas and practices. The review is undertaken by staff
from other airports in a bid to drive up standards across the board, and is also entirely free, other than meeting the costs for travel and board incurred by the inspectors.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
International Airport in Mauritius has already undergone an inspection at the beginning of this year as part of the pilot scheme. Either Entebbe International Airport in Uganda or Maputo International Airport in Mozambique are likely to be the next facilities inspected, says Danny Boutin, senior manager of Apex programmes for ACI World. It is then hoped that the scheme will be rolled out globally. Tounsi says: “What is driving it is the
terrorist situation... across north Africa and all over the world. “There’s good things and good areas [being practised by some airports] and we need the exchange of best practices from airports. We have asked them to come in with new ideas.” Boutin agrees Africa was chosen for the pilot scheme as airports on the continent requested it as a result of the increased terror threat. Once the visit has been made and
24 ISSUE 4 ROUTES NEWS 2016
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“When you tell someone their runway is not good enough they will operate to correct it, but if they didn’t know there is a problem they will do nothing.”
improvements undertaken, a follow-up check will be conducted two to three years later to ensure the airport remains on the right track. Tounsi adds the programme is an
extension of a safety scheme which has seen 20 peer reviews of African airports and a further 36 globally since its introduction in 2011 and which he believes has been successful thanks to the sharing of knowledge. Tounsi says: “When you tell someone their runway is not good enough they will operate to correct it, but if they didn’t know there is a problem they will do nothing. The results are very good.” Boutin also urges more airports to
consider lending their expertise to the review process, adding: “We are looking for airports to get involved and increase our pool of expertise.”
Opening up While the two programmes might be addressing two of the key issues impacting African aviation, security and safety, Tounsi despairs over the ongoing failure to
implement an open skies agreement across the continent. The industry currently generates
more than $80 billion in GDP in the region, supporting 6.9 million jobs and transporting 70 million passengers yearly. But he remains convinced that aviation
cannot reach its full potential without open skies. He also argues a predicted growth rate of 4.7% per year until 2034, following recent annual growth rates of up to 10%, is not as strong as it first appears when you consider the low base it is coming off. Tounsi adds: “There are 200 very small
airports [in Africa] so when you predict 10% growth it is nothing compared to the rest of the world. We have a lot of capacity but we don’t have enough passengers. “In route development we have had the
same problem for a long time: the lack of air transfers. Airports cannot develop traffic without the agreement of the government. “The governments don’t do it. They go
to meetings and say: ‘yes we will try and open our skies,’ but they get back home and nothing is done.” “We hope there’s a democratisation,
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