Nedbank’s Aircraft Finance head James Geldenhuys answers Guy Leitch’s questions about the state of post Covid aviation finance in Africa. GL: Has Covid and finance defaults made it harder for sub-Saharan African airlines to finance aircraft? JG: The Covid pandemic and associated fear has certainly damaged the industry on aRead More →
Air connections have proven to be essential in the aftermath of catastrophic anxiety and looting in KwaZulu-Natal. Airlink, Fly CemAir (Pty) Ltd, National Airways Corporation (NAC), Bidair, Civair Helicopters and Aeroplanes and SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) are among the many aviation entities and social enterprises that are proving to be vitalRead More →
In a wave of reconciliation sweeping across the Gulf States, the United Arab Emirates has reopened its borders and airspace to Qatar after boycotting the small energy-rich country alongside its Gulf allies since 2017. Further, Saudi Arabia has announced the reopening of its airspace and borders with Qatar. National carrier Qatar Airways said it had started to rerouteRead More →
In a media briefing in January, IATA’s Alexandre de Juniacsaid that the world airline industry’s situation is still perilous. “While we still see airlines turning cash positive within the year, the near-term picture is bleak. Instead of a boost from the year-end holiday period, we got even more restrictions. Governments tightened borders inRead More →
(Series: Part 1. IATA: Alexandre de Juniac on African Aviation Crisis) IATA’s Director general Alexandre de Juniac provided an online address to the AFRAA 52 annual assembly. His address provides a concise assessment of the challenges facing the African air transport industry – and the way forward. This summary of the key points of his presentation providesRead More →
(Dassie Persaud-van der Westhuizen) My nascent airline career may have been halted by the COVID-19 pandemic – but it will restart. A question that bothers me in the meanwhile is whether airlines will be able survive the pressure by the environmentalists who love to use air travel – and itsRead More →
PARIS (Reuters) – In blow to the expected aerospace recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, the Paris Airshow has been cancelled for the first time since World War Two. Organisers said Europe’s largest industrial showcase, which attracts over 300,000 people every other June in alternation with Britain’s Farnborough Airshow, would notRead More →
The grounding of almost all the world’s airline fleets under the Covid-19 pandemic has left airlines with very little if any revenue to cover its massive fixed costs. This has caused huge damage that in many cases will be irreparable to airlines. Here is just a sample: Airbus has 60Read More →
Elmar Conradie is the CEO of FlySafair. As South Africa enters its ninth week of lockdown, he shares his views on the prospects for his airline and how they are responding to the Covid-19 crisis. GL: Will FlySafair be able to survive if government does not assist you? EC: IfRead More →
The airline industry is under pressure from many sectors – such as President Trump’s trade wars and Boeing’s problems with the 737 Max. This makes it worth looking at the contribution aviation makes to the global economy. We will therefore run a short series of articles that describe the contributionRead More →
