In a bid to champion cooperation and to promote sustainable air transport in Africa, African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has engaged Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and airline Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) through the AFRAA Member Airline CEOs Leadership Dialogues initiative, in order to boost the value-addition wherewithal of AFRAA and thus better satisfy its members’ aspirations.
The Dialogues which were held recently, were between the Secretary General of AFRAA, Abderahmané Berthé and the CEO of Air Peace/Vice President of AON, Barr. Allen Onyema; the CEO of Overland Airways, Cap. Edward Boyo as well as the CEO of Allied Air, Capt. Valentine Tongo at their airlines’ corresponding headquarters in Lagos.
Top of the agenda were topics such as the establishment of a coordination mechanism between AFRAA and AON to enhance advocacy efforts; priorities for the recovery of the airline industry; challenges currently being faced by Nigerian operators and how to achieve sustainability of airlines.
According to Mr. Berthé, “It is a great pleasure for AFRAA to meet today with our three (03) Nigerian members that joined the Association between 2018 and 2019. With the Dialogues initiative, AFRAA aims to facilitate better understanding of local matters and challenges, as well as individual airline needs, priorities and business plans, thereby enabling us tailor specific actions that enhance the relevance of the Association to our membership.”
He went on to note the enormous potential for growth and economic contribution found in the Nigerian market – a market which, going by data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) was ranked 8th out of 54 others in number of passengers flying intra-African routes.
Commenting on the outcome of the discussions, the AFRAA boss said: “Today’s deliberations have been fruitful and critical to align our actions for our member airlines in Nigeria, and to give the support within our mandate to drive the development of the air transport sector.”
