Winning lost confidence: Airlines’ tough battle ahead

What you need to know:

  • Reducing taxes charged on airlines, streamlining tourists handling processes and procedures with a view to ensuring their safety, and the provision of credible information on Covid-19...

Dar es Salaam. Even after the government lifted the ban on international commercial passenger flights, it would take time for businesses to return to normalcy due to faltering confidence among air travellers and airlines over the Covid-19 pandemic.

The situation prompted aviation experts to call on the government to work with industry players and come up with confidence-bolstering measures in the face of a projected slow recovery of demand for air travel over the Covid-19 menace.

The measures, they argue, include reducing the taxes charged on airlines, streamlining processes and procedures on handling tourists - with a view to ensuring their safety - and providing credible information about the pandemic.

The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) lifted the suspension of international scheduled and non-scheduled commercial passenger flights into and out of Tanzania on May 18.

The ban had become effective in early April.

Due to faltering confidence, 40 percent of air travellers anticipate a return to travel six months or so after containment of the pandemic, according to an International Air Transport Association (Iata) survey.

The pandemic brought international air travel to a virtual halt, with the global airlines’ body saying it could take until 2023 for passenger demand to recover to pre-crisis levels.

Mr Jimray Nangawe - who has a 21-year experience in aviation - said it was obvious that opening up the country’s skies earlier meant better chance to minimise the impact of the pandemic to the aviation industry.

However, he said a number of mitigation measures must be put in place to boost confidence of travellers.

He called for incentives in areas of landing, parking and departure taxes so as to attract many carriers to come to Tanzania. Currently, an airline pays $5 as landing charge per 1,000Kg aircraft weight at Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Pemba airports.

Parking charges for an aircraft of up to 20,000Kg stand at Sh1,000 and $6 (Sh13, 800) per 12 hours for airlines registered in Tanzania and foreign-registered ones respectively.

Departure taxes for domestic and international travellers are Sh13,000 and $49 (Sh112,700) in that order. Mr Nangawe also expounded on the need for working with stakeholders in the tourism hospitality industry to streamline processes and procedures.

This, according to the ex-Precision Air network planning manager, would make tourists feel safe and confident that as a tourist destination, Tanzania was serious in fighting the spread of the pandemic and thus safe to visit the Land of Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti.

While Ethiopian Airlines resumed its Dar es Salaam-Addis Ababa flights on June 1, Qatar Airways was back on Tuesday, June 16.

“It will take time for flights to return to normalcy because people have already adjusted to the new norm and are hesitant to get back to their old lifestyles,” said Mr Nangawe.

“Market segments - such as business travel - will be highly affected as they have already got used to conferencing.”

Some airline operators could find the going tough as competition will see them lowering fares.

However, in the medium term, fares will rise to recoup investment and build muscle to handle any unforeseen situation.

“To stimulate the market, the government and authorities need to have a strategy to help companies to remain operational,” noted Mr Nangawe.

Transport permanent secretary Leonard Chamriho told The Citizen that the government was ready to work on incentives package only if stakeholders would officially submit pleas.

Mr John Njawa - an expert who has been in the aviation industry for 46 years - called for the need to push for verifiable, credible and authentic information and data about the Covid-19 situation to avoid unnecessary uncertainties.

Pandemic uncertainties will make crowded workspaces seem unsafe for a while, and scare people off public transportation. Important question here to work on is how robust is the health and preparedness in case this pandemic continues to ravage the country?

Organisations will have to ensure they can provide safety and security to their customers beyond what they had been doing previously.

“Political considerations, economic rivalries, the list goes on and on, and of course fake news proliferation- will all have profound impact on the sector and the economy at large,” said Mr Njawa.

He said people have become accustomed to working remotely and that businesses will want to save unnecessary travel expenses thus likely that air travel will, for some time, remain depressed for many reasons.

“We should also not forget that the same people who form the largest part of the tourist industry do not have jobs and consequently cannot afford to go on safaris,” noted Mr Njawa.

Aviation expert and training guru Juma Fimbo’s belief was straightforward: who should start first (resume flights) to see how it would be.

“We have opened air travel, and tourists are lined up to come: it is what will become of these post-pandemic pioneers that will determine what happens to the rest of the ‘Doubting Thomases,’” noted Mr Fimbo.

“Our government has got it right. I strongly believe that this will work to our advantage - and to the surprise of everybody.”

Resumption of international flights would save jobs and a wider economy.

In April, Iata released a report showing that should severe restrictions last for three months, Tanzania is forecast to record 1.5 million fewer passengers resulting in $0.31 billion revenue loss, risking 336,200 jobs and $1.9 bill in contribution to Tanzania’s economy.

But the good thing - according to TAA director general Julius Ndyamukama - is that Tanzania’s restrictions lasted for only one month and a week.

He said all preparations at the airports were in accordance with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines.

“All travellers whether foreigners or returning residents, entering or leaving the country, will be subjected to enhanced screening for Covid-19 infection,” noted Mr Ndyamukama.

The TCAA director general, Hamza Johari, said all international travellers and service providers at airports should observe adherence to infection prevention and control measures such as hand hygiene, wearing masks and keeping physical distance as per the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) guidlines.

“Crew members will be subjected to an enhanced screening at airports of entry and may be isolated in accordance with applicable procedures as may be issued by the Health ministry, in case they are suspected of Covid-19 infection,” noted Mr Johari.

He added that all arriving and or departing air operators must provide advance passenger information to allow the points of entry authorities to scrutinize the manifest for possible high-risk passengers.

Iata warned that airlines are struggling to just stay in business and that many will face bankruptcy as their small cash reserves run dry in the next few months.

The director general and CEO of the global trade group representing the world’s airlines, Alexandre de Juniac, said governments and the aviation industry must be quick and coordinated with confidence-boosting measures.

“The industry’s re-start must be built with trust and collaboration. And it must be guided by the best science we have available,” he said.

Iata’s April 2020 forecasts estimated global airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic as standing at $314 billion. This is largely owing to the severity of the economic downturn, compounded by a slower than previously expected reopening of international flight routes.