Many
prominent carriers like Kenya Airways have trimmed business trips across the
continent down to an absolute minimum. Popular destinations to Asia, Europe,
and North America have also been affected.
In
February, Air Namibia, one of the most historic airlines on the continent,
ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy. For a year now, South African
Airways has grounded its fleet. It had been struggling even before the COVID-19
struck.
Immaculate
Maina was a frequent flyer -- before the pandemic. She often made business
trips from her home country Kenya across the continent and liked to work from
VIP lounges at airports.
"I
miss being where I want to be and working the way I want to be, but because of
the pandemic, the frequent flyer program doesn't exist anymore," she told
DW. The VIP lounges that were her favorite working spaces have been converted
into coronavirus test centers.
Passenger
numbers slumped by more than half
Around 54
million passengers flew by plane within Africa during the pandemic in 2020. In
the previous year, twice as many traveled. According to figures from the
African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the the turnover of airlines on the
continent fell by around €8.6 billion ($8 billion), a hard blow to an industry
that raced from one record to the next before the crisis. And there is no end
in sight to the misery.
"We
know that 2021 will also be a challenging year," said Abderahmane Berthe,
the secretary-general of AFRAA. "Many airlines are on the verge of
bankruptcy while others are already winding up their operations."
"Unfortunately,
the support we have asked governments and other donors to provide is only
coming in very slowly," Berthe added. He points out the new virus variants
and the slow vaccination rate on the continent.
The global
slump in intercontinental air traffic also affects intra-African connections --
with severe consequences.
"It
may be that passengers have to fly through hubs outside the continent if they
want to go from one African country to another," said Berthe. His
association is trying to ensure cooperation between the airlines to fill the
gaps that have arisen.
A blessing
in disguise for other airlines
However,
some actors also see the current crisis as an opportunity. After Air Namibia
ended its operations in February, Africa's number one carrier -- Ethiopia
Airlines -- seized the opportunity and expanded its range of flights to
Windhoek.
The small
South African airline Airlink also reacted quickly and offered flights on
former Air Namibia routes for a few weeks now. Also, low-cost airline LIFT, was
launched in Johannesburg in December -- in the middle of South Africa's second
COVID wave.
"This
shows that despite the pandemic and its economic impact, there is still some
confidence among some investors," said Phuthego Mojapele, an independent
aviation expert and consultant from South Africa.
"There
is little that the airlines can do; everyone will have to make drastic changes
in the near future," Mojapele said in an interview with DW.
According
to Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya Airways,one of these changes are already
emerging. "We will have to diversify our business, and freight is at the
top of the list." The airline suffered a 60% drop in passenger numbers in
2020, resulting in a record loss of around €277 million. Nevertheless, Kilavuka
remains optimistic. "We want to grow and reduce our costs at the same
time."
Digital
COVID-19 passport as an opportunity?
Ethiopian
Airlines has shown that cargo aviation can be an alternative in corona times.
The largest airline on the continent counted on the increased demand for goods
traffic early on and had 25 passenger planes converted as early as March 2020.
According
to its own information, Ethiopian Airlines has made more than 5,500 cargo
flights with converted aircraft since then. Customers include the World Health
Organization, aid agencies, and UNICEF, who use the offer to distribute food,
medicines, medical protective equipment, and vaccines.
How long it
will take before passenger aviation in Africa returns to pre-cricis levels is
uncertain, according to the AFRAA Secretary General Abderahmane Berthe.
Everything depends on the speed of the vaccination, which leaves a lot to be
desired.
Just recently,
the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced
that it could take until the end of 2022 to vaccinate at least 60% of the
continent's people. Berthe therefore does not expect air traffic to recover
before that.
Despite the
shortfall, a digital COVID-19 passport developed by the African Union (AU) will
address the long queues at Africa's airports. Instead of lengthy checks or test
and vaccination certificates, passengers can now use the My COVID Pass app.
Some airlines have already integrated it into their travel apps so that
passengers can have digital proof that they meet the entry requirements for
their destinations.
Andrew Wasike contributed to this report.