Routes Africa 2018
Accra, Ghana
• 16 – 18 July 2018
Conference Programme
Routes Africa brings together top-level speakers from across the sphere of aviation to discuss the most pressing issues facing the industry.
Addresses will be delivered by airline CEOs and senior network planners, along with some of the most influential figures from across Africa and beyond. Panel sessions, keynote speeches and training opportunities will ensure that delegates maximise the value of their attendance at Routes Africa 2018.
Monday, 16 July 2018
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Keynote Opening Address
John Attafuah, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL)
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Panel Debate - African Single Skies
Moves towards creating open skies across Africa took a major step forward this year as the African Union (AU) launched the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
The landmark announcement unveiled by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the chair of the AU, aims to transform intra-African air travel, lower prices and increase connectivity.But with many countries yet to come on board, how soon can we expect this to have an impact on the day-to-day business of aviation in Africa? And what more needs to be done to make truly open skies a reality?Our high-level panel will bring together some of the leading figures in aviation from across the continent to debate these issues and shed light on what the future holds for the African aviation market. -
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CEO Keynote Interview
One of the stalwarts of African aviation, South African Airways has operated for close to a century and in 2017 was the continent’s second-largest carrier, only narrowly behind Ethiopian Airways.
However, the airline faces a difficult future amid financial difficulties, and needs a major turnaround operation to continue its legacy, with major cuts to services, aircraft and staff expected.
In this exclusive CEO interview Vuyani Jarana, Group Chief Executive Officer, South African Airways (SAA) will discuss his first year in the role and how he intends to ensure this giant of African aviation stays in the skies.
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Networking Break
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CEO Keynote Interview
Ethiopian Airlines is the largest African carrier; last year it offered more than 16 million seats and flew almost 31 million ASMs to, from and within the continent.
We're delighted to welcome the man at the carrier's helm for the past seven years to offer his unique insight into its future plans and network strategy.
Tewolde is uniquely placed to discuss the potential impact of the Single African Air Transport Market, the predicted passenger growth across the continent, and the other major issues affecting aviation in Africa.
Tuesday, 17 July 2018
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Improving Connectivity – Africa to the World and intra-Africa
Developing open skies and improving the flow of connectivity within Africa is only part of the solution to taking advantage of the vast opportunities tourism development offers the continent - new services to huge growth markets such as China, India, Japan and Latin America must be explored.
In addition opportunities remain in bringing more routes from the powerhouses of Europe and North America into the continent, providing the levels of security and service these market expect.
So how can Africa best take advantage of the global boom in air transport? How can established markets be convinced to launch new services to the continent? And how can the infrastructure and network within Africa create a seamless service enabling travellers to explore beyond the point-to-point journey?
Our panel will discuss these issues and more.
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Creating cultural change – how can innovation open up new markets?
LCCs have changed the face of global travel, stimulating never-seen-before demand for air transport and enable vast growth of tourism revenues.
However penetration is still lacking in some areas; and while the Asian market is aiming to catch up Africa remains some way behind.
The desire for travel in Africa, opening up transport for a new demographic of travellers and encouraging intra-African travel for tourists remains strong, but barriers still exist.
Infrastructure is often poor, taxes, fees and other charges are prohibitive, human resources challenges remain, and market access and visa restrictions abound throughout the continent.
So how can we tackle these and create an African marketplace which is ripe for growth?
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Networking Break
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Economic impact of tourism - tourism authorities and airports in partnership
When making decisions to create new routes or add additional services, airlines need a coherent picture of a destination.
This means tourism authorities and airports working in harmony to form a cohesive picture, and some of the best examples of destination marketing arise when the teamwork is closest.
How are African airports and destinations approaching this important partnership, and what are the best examples which others can follow to develop their networks?
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Exclusively open to attending airport and tourism authority delegates, these sessions are delivered by senior network planners, providing delegates with an opportunity to gain an insight into their target and current airline partners’ business.
* Please note like all events, the programme is subject to change.
Speakers
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Ali Tounsi
Secretary General, ACI Africa -
Raphael Kuuchi
Vice President, Africa, IATA -
Tewolde GebreMariam
Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines -
Wilken Bellmann
Head of Network Planning and Scheduling, SunExpress -
Susan Kurland
Deputy Commissioner of Air Service Development - Chicago Dept.of Aviation, O'Hare and Midway International Airports -
Pumla Luhabe
Chief Commercial Officer, South African Airways (SAA)