Africa aviation under the spotlight at WTM 2012

Africa’s airline industry will be put under the spotlight at World Travel Market 2012 as part of a wider series of discussions among aviation chiefs over the industry’s future. The airline events program will start on Nov. 6 with the “Airline – Out of Africa”session which will look at how the continent’s airlines are taking on international airlines to secure a slice of this growing market. In the past many local airlines have complained that they are missing out on the increasing passenger numbers Africa is generating. However, the emergence of strong African airlines is countering this issue, helped by the introduction of new generation aircraft such as Boeing’s 787 and the Airbus A350. The session will focus on both the opportunities in Africa for air travel and tourism development, but also the challenges it faces regarding infrastructure, regulation and the sheer problem of the distances flown in Africa. The event is one of three focusing on the aviation sector with the second on Nov. 7 entitled “Airline – Setting the Scene: The Big Challenges,”followed by a third session on Nov. 8 entitled “Airline – The Big Talk,”a wide-ranging discussion looking at both the problems and potential to be found in the aviation industry.