The COVID-19 pandemic certainly dealt the aviation industry a cruel blow as many airlines were forced to fold their wings due to lockdown measures and restrictions on travel and international flights.
However, as the industry aims to recover, South Africa based Airlink is set to connect the cities of Harare in Zimbabwe, Lusaka in Zambia, Maputo in Mozambique and Windhoek in Namibia all in the SADC region.
The aviation industry, crippled by COVID-19, is mouldy toast. Airlines are burning cash, trying to stay alive while axiously waiting for business and leisure travellers to return.
Having said that; with lockdown back to level-one in South Africa and mass-vaccination campaigns globally, there is much hope for a brighter medium-term future.
Kieno Kammies interviewed Airlink CEO Rodger Foster, the longest-running airline Chief Exec in the country by some margin.
Foster spoke about his struggling industry, and what it will take to recover. One example is Mozambique’s use of QR codes to verify PCR tests. The tech was developed in South Africa, where it is not yet in use.
Foster touched on his airline route-expansion in the subregion and its bruising court battle with state-owned South African Airways (SAA).
“We’ve got travel bans… It’s not just about the South African variant… It’s also about the integrity of travel in and out… Fake PCR tests is a phenomenon around the world… We need international travel… We must find a way to authenticate PCR tests…”
“… Every customer must keep their masks on at all times… We deep-sanitise… We rely on the airport to do temperature scanning… We ensure as much distancing as we can… Airconditioning systems… mitigate the risk… You’re pretty safe on board an aircraft.”
“Airlink… there are so many routes available… Like Harare from Johannesburg, we’ve got three flights per day. Same with Lusaka. We’ve added Maputo and Windhoek… We’ve added Cape Town to Walvis Bay… Cape Town and Harare… We will be picking up other destinations in the subregion over time…”
“It is what it is. The Supreme Court didn’t rule in our favour… We wrote that money off… We’ve taken the knock, but we’re still standing… We have a war chest of cash… Hospitality is still reeling… and so too are the airlines. I don’t believe there’s one profitable airline in the world…”
