The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (Aasa) held its 50th AGM by a virtual meeting over Zoom on Thursday (October 8).
The association warned that Southern Africa’s economic recovery and future growth, along with nearly five million jobs in the region, were in jeopardy as a result of the continued imposition of inconsistent and arbitrary restrictions on air travel. It also called for direct engagement between governments and industry.
At the same time, Aasa called for the region’s governments to prioritise support for their entire air transport and tourism industries, including private- and public-sector airlines, airports, air navigation services, ground handlers, safety regulators, suppliers and allied businesses.
Aasa CEO, Chris Zweigenthal, said: “We welcomed the reopening of South Africa’s borders last week but there needs to be clarity on the risk classification of states by which leisure travellers are either approved or denied entry. The South African government should explain why it has superimposed these additional restrictions on to the set of risk-mitigating health and safety protocols it had already developed and approved for the safe reopening of the borders. It should also explain its criteria for reducing or, better still, scrapping these lists and lifting the ban on tourists from certain countries. If they are maintained, our industry and the entire regional economy will face a much slower and arduous recovery.
“The crisis calls for direct engagement between industry and government, directors-general and ministers, on an open-door and open-mind basis. This is essential if we are to address strategic, policy and practical issues that will ensure the safe restart of airline operations and the region’s economic recovery, without compromising public health and safety,” he added.
