Issue 38, May 2014
Welcome to our monthly edition of the JKIA E-newsletter.
STATISTICS
In the month of April 2014 the positive variations with regard to traffic movements is more
significant than in March. JKIA handled 501,542 passengers in April 2014 as compared to the
486,216 passengers handled in March. The variation between April 2014 and the same month
last year was 8.2% more passengers when 463,375 which is more than the 429,789 passengers
were handled in March during the same period.
Aircraft movements decreased to 7,749 in April 2014 as compared to the 8,035 movements
handled in March 2014. In spite of this there was a 4.6 % growth as compared to the 7,406
handled within the same month in 2013. The amount of cargo handled at the airport was
23,461 tons, which was an impressive 21.5 % increase than the 19,315 tons handled in March
2013.
In spite of the positive variations within the month of March, cumulatively passenger and cargo
traffic went down for the financial year 2013/2014 as compared to the year 2012/2013.
Passenger traffic stood at 5,000,424 while 217,337 tons of cargo were handled at JKIA. On the
other hand in the year 2013/2014 aircraft movement maintained a positive variation of 3.2 %.
JKIA handled 78,330 aircrafts movements as compared to 75,901 in 2012/2013. Passenger
movement went down by -1.8 %, and cargo traffic by -0.5%.
APRIL
Passenger
Movement
CULMINATIVE
2013
2014
463,375
501,542
Cargo(Kgs)
%Change
2012/2013
8.2% 5,092,944
2013/2014
5,000,424
21.5%
19,315,464 23,461,170
% Change
-1.8%
-0.5%
218,498,504 217,337,306
Aircraft
Movement
7,406
7,749
4.6% 75,901
78,330
3.2%
For further details see above attachments
ROUTE DEVELOPMENT
The month of May saw an introduction of new routes mainly into Europe. Below are the
changes in operations and introduction of new routes by the airlines.
New Routes
Route
JKIA – Kigali - Douala
Operator
Rwandair
Website
JKIA - Doha - Philadelphia, USA
Qatar Airways
www.qatarairways.com
JKIA - Heathrow – Edinburgh - Ibiza
British Airways
www.britishairways.com
JKIA – Munich – Kalamata
JKIA – Munich – Stuttgart - Preveza
JKIA – Addis Ababa - Kano
Condor Airlines
JKIA – Amsterdam – Bilbao
JKIA – Amsterdam - Zagreb
KLM
www.rwandair.com
JKIA - Doha - Larnaca, Cyprus
JKIA - Doha – Hofuf
JKIA - Doha - Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen
Airport, Turkey
JKIA - Doha - Edinburgh, Scotland
Ethiopian Airlines
Increased Frequencies
Route
Operator
Website
Doha – Madinah
Qatar Airways
www.qatarairways.com
London - Mexico
British Airways
www.britishairways.com
London – Cape town
London – Chengdu
London - Tokyo Haneda
AIRLINE NEWS
Emirates to Increase Flights to Seychelles
Emirates will increase its service to the Seychelles through its hub in Dubai to double daily,
starting 28th of October 2014.
Making the announcement Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Latin
America, Central and Southern Africa said: “Emirates’ decision to commit two additional
scheduled flights a week is a clear indication of customer demand, both for our award-winning
product and the wealth of attractions that this popular destination has to offer. Emirates’
expanded schedule provides better connectivity and a wider choice for our customers
connecting through Dubai. These additional seats every week are central to helping us meet the
growing demand and support the Seychelles tourism industry,” he continued.
Various initiatives to promote partnership between Kenya and Seychelles have been
undertaken. Last year, the two countries entered into a principal agreement to promote “twin
centre holidays” to spur cooperation and partnerships, underscoring the enormous potential of
multi centre holidays to Africa, with effective air linkages providing the requisite logistics. The
corporation includes an open visa regime, where tourists coming to several countries during
their holiday can obtain a single visa permitting them to visit for instance eastern Africa and the
Seychelles.
Emirates Airline has been flying regularly between Nairobi and the Seychelles’ main
international airport on Mahe through its hub in Dubai, offering an ideal extension option for
passengers
travelling
to
the
Indian
Ocean
archipelago
since January 2005. In March this year, the two countries signed memorandum of
understanding on the Avoidance of Double taxation, a move that will enhance trade ties
between the two countries
The airline operates an Airbus A340-500 on the route, offering customers a choice of cabins
with 12 luxurious private suites in First Class, 42 deeply reclining Business Class seats and plenty
of room to relax in Economy Class, where there are 204 seats available.
Passengers can enjoy the award-winning ice entertainment system, with hundreds of channels
of on-demand entertainment to choose from, including movies from around the world, TV
channels, audio channels, video games and news headlines.
Emirates customers also have the opportunity to enjoy meals prepared by gourmet chefs and
exceptional service from the international cabin crew recruited from over 130 nationalities,
speaking over 55 languages. They receive a generous baggage allowance, with 30kg for those
travelling in Economy Class, 40kg for Business Class and 50kg for First Class.
Kenya Airways begins flying direct to Abuja
Kenya Airways has launched direct flights to Abuja in Nigeria from its hub at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, paving way for closer ties between the two countries. Kenya
Airways will now be flying four times a week between its hub at the JKIA in Nairobi and the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The launch comes on the heels of the recent state visit to Nigeria by President Uhuru Kenyatta as the
two countries seek to further cement ties. In recent days, there has been a flurry of activity between the
two countries as business magnates conduct high level investment trips to scout for investment
opportunities in either nation.
Speaking during the launch of the direct flights to Abuja, Eng. Michael Kamau, Kenya’s Cabinet
Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure reiterated the significance of the direct flights in boosting the
bilateral ties by increasing the level of interaction between Kenya and Nigeria.
“Enhancement of intra-African trade is one of the key objectives of our government and transport is a
key element to the success of this goal. President Uhuru Kenyatta, together with the rest of the
government, is determined to ensure that relationship between African countries is strengthened.
Direct flights between different nations’ capitals such as the one we are launching between Nairobi and
Abuja are key in achieving this objective, besides creating new opportunities for business, industry and
tourism,” Eng. Kamau added.
Abuja becomes the second Nigerian city that Kenya Airways flies into and currently, the airline has a
daily service of ten flights of which seven are direct to Lagos.
The introduction of the flights to Abuja follows a review of the Bilateral Service Agreements by the
Kenyan and Nigerian governments in 2013.
Kenya Airways’ Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Titus Naikuni, said that the
introduction of direct flights to Abuja was an illustration of the airline’s commitment towards supporting
the continent’s development by facilitating intra-African trade, tourism and interactions between
different regions.
“The introduction of direct flights between Nairobi and Abuja is in line with our long term growth
strategy, through which we aim to grow our network of destinations and fly to every African capital by
2016. It is our contribution towards efforts to boost intra-Africa trade that currently stands at less than
12%. This is also a great opportunity to shore up intra Africa tourism,” Dr Naikuni added.
The direct flights to Abuja will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays of every
week. On each of these days, Kenya Airways’ flight KQ536 will depart from JKIA at 0750 hours to arrive
in Abuja at 1035 hours local time. The return flight KQ 537 will depart Abuja at 1135 hours, to land in
Nairobi at 1820 hours local time.
Abuja is the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria and home to most of the country’s institutions,
including the Central Bank of Nigeria and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Abuja is also the
headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and the regional
headquarters of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Ethiopian Wins Bombardier Airline Reliability Performance Award
Ethiopian Airlines, has won the 2014 Airline Reliability Performance Award from Bombardier
Aerospacefor the forth time in in a row. The award was given to Ethiopian for achieving an average
dispatch reliability rate of 99.4 percent, making it first in the overall Q-400 product category for the
Middle East and Africa region. The award recognizes the skill and dedication of Ethiopian employees
working on the turbo prop and light aircraft of the airline.
Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, Ethiopian CEO said; "We are pleased to receive the award for the fourth
year in a row. I wish to thank our employees and especially those working in our light aircraft and turboprop section for this outstanding result. It is the fruit of their continued dedication and hard work. We
are committed to providing to our esteemed customers reliable schedule and punctual flights at all
times. Our higher dispatch reliability performance is a reflection of this commitment to our customers
on the domestic and regional routes."
Mr. Todd Young, Bombardier Vice-President Customer Service and Support, said: ‘’Ethiopian Airlines was
the first operator to introduce the Bombardier Q400 in a dual class configuration. Indeed, they have a
well-equipped maintenance space and recently certified as a Bombardier authorized service facility for
the Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Ethiopian won this reliability award for the fourth times which is a
testimony to their commitment to their quality of maintenance and utilizing Q400 for both Regional and
Domestic routes. It is my great pleasure to once again recognize their effort and achieving this reliability
award".
Ethiopian currently operates 13 Q-400 Next Generation aircraft, of which five of them are re-configured
in to business and economy class with 7 and 60 seats respectively. The Q-400 is an ideal aircraft for
domestic and regional flights with a speed closer to narrow body jet airplanes and with reduced noise,
fuel consumption and emission.
Ethiopian flies the Q-400 to 18 domestic destinations and regional routes such as Djibouti, Mombasa,
Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar, Entebbe, Kigali, Juba, Khartoum and Hargeisa.
Emirates to reduce flights to 41 destinations
Emirates airline will continue to serve all of its worldwide destinations during the 80 day period
of runway upgrading works at Dubai International starting 1 May. However, it has had to
reduce flights to over 40 destinations, and change timings on some of its flights.
These changes will not impact customers booked to fly between May and July, as the flight
schedules have been planned and implemented months ahead of time. Customers or travel
agents searching for flight options on Emirates will only see those flights that are available.
“Customers who have booked to fly with us, or are considering to fly with us during this time,
can be assured that it is business as usual. On routes where Emirates has had to reduce
frequency, we have upgraded to bigger aircraft where possible to recover part of the capacity.
We have done a lot of preparation work behind the scenes together with all airport
stakeholders, to ensure that there will be as little inconvenience to our customers as possible,
and we look forward to resuming our full schedule of flights in July,” said Tim Clark, President
Emirates Airline.
“As the biggest operator at Dubai International accounting for about 50% of traffic, of course
we have had to take the biggest hit in reducing flights. There will be an impact on our revenues
to the tune of approximately AED 1 billion. However, we understand the need for this
upgrading work to be done, and we support it wholeheartedly. It will add much-needed
capacity to the airport, and having world-class infrastructure ultimately means a better
experience for customers. So we have to take the long-term view and manage the short term
pain,” he added.
Emirates will ground 20 aircraft in May, 22 in June, and 22 in July, as Dubai Airports launch a
comprehensive runway upgrade project which will see both runways at Dubai International
close alternatively for resurfacing and other enhancement works.
During this time, Emirates has plans for its own upgrading projects, taking advantage of its
“grounded fleet” to perform engineering maintenance and onboard enhancements, ensuring its
award-winning fleet operates at top form. These works include phased upgrades to its GCS
(Global Communications Suite), an initiative that requires approximately 2,200 man hours of
mechanical and avionic work per aircraft. The parked aircraft also provides operational
flexibility for an ongoing fleet-wide inflight entertainment system and cabin maintenance
improvement campaign. In addition, the Emirates Engineering team will carry out its first-ever
landing gear change to a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, the start of a programme which will
eventually involve over 70 other Boeing 777s. The landing gear change work occurs once every
10 years in the aircraft’s lifespan.
All Emirates passenger flights will continue to operate from Dubai International Airport (DXB)
during the runway upgrading period from 1 May – 20 July, while its freighter operations will
move to Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) on 1 May as planned.
CARGO NEWS
REGIONAL LEADERS LAUNCH KENYA TRADENET
The new Trade Facilitation system set to enhance efficiency of cross-border trade at Kenyan
seaport, airports and border posts
Kenya’s National Single Window System now officially known as KenyaTrade Net was officially
launched in Nairobi by Rwanda President Paul Kagame on the 8th of May 2014, in a ceremony
witnessed by leaders from six African nations at Safari Park Nairobi.
The System is an electronic platform that enables Kenya to clear import cargo at mostly destined for
neighbouring land locked economies of Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi and DRC much
faster, cheaper and efficient.
The presidential launch in Nairobi was witnessed by HE Uhuru Kenyatta President of the Republic of
Kenya, HE Yoweri Museveni President of the Republic of Uganda, HE Mizengo Pinda Prime Minister
of the United Republic of Tanzania and HE Gervais Rufyikiri and 2nd Vice President of the Republic
of Burundi.
Kenya TradeNet is the first comprehensive Single Window in the East African Community, and one
of the very few in the world, that integrates a complex heterogeneous government agencies
ecosystem onto a single common platform, streamlining clearance process for sea, air and land
cargo.
It is developed by CrimsonLogic, a leading provider of eGovernment solutions and services
headquartered in Singapore, under a government contract between Kenya and Singapore. The
system is also CrimsonLogic’s 18th live Trade Facilitation implementation so far, and its first major
project in Kenya.
With the country’s annual trade volumes exceeding US$22.4 billion*, Kenya TradeNet is a flagship
project under Kenya’s Vision 2030 programme to position the country as a key trade in Africa. The
implementation of the Kenya TradeNet is timely as the system is expected to reduce cargo dwell
time at ports, and improve the ease of doing business.
The Kenya TradeNet provide a single point of access for the Kenyan trading community to
electronically submit and receive approvals from regulatory agencies, enabling an easier, faster and
more transparent process, and providing significant cost savings to the trading community.
Key regulatory agencies such as Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Maritime
Authority, Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate
Services, Department of Veterinary Services, Horticultural Crops Development Authority, Pharmacy
& Poisons Board and Port Health (and eventually over 20 partner government agencies) are
integrated with the Kenya TradeNet. Kenya TradeNet is owned and managed by Kenya Trade
Network Agency (KenTrade), a State Corporation mandated to implement, operationalise and
manage the trade facilitation system.
Chairman of KenTrade Board Gen. Joseph Kibwana said: “The System provides working modules for
relevant institutions which do not have adequate management information systems to interface
with the Kenya TradeNet and will also be integrated with existing payment systems to provide an
end to end electronic solution to trade logistics in Kenya.
“We wish to report that the deployment of the Kenya TradeNet System is complemented by a host
of capacity building and communications activities to address uptake and sustainability concerns.
These include the on-going sensitisation targeting Ports and Land Border Posts users and System
User training for all our stakeholders.”
The implementation of Single Window System has been funded by the Government of Kenya with
support from the Investment Climate Facility (ICF), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and
Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA). Kenya Trade Net Single Window is seen as a part of solution to the
inefficient and corruption prone trade cargo logistics. With the launch of the System, Kenya will in
effect be transitioning its economy into the “digital league” of Single Window compliant economies
like Senegal, Ghana, Mozambique and Mauritius.
The System is a web based portal and is accessible to stakeholders in trade logistics industry via
portal address https://kenyatradenet.go.ke or through the KenTrade website www.kentrade.go.ke
Astral's acquires Fokker 27 Utility Freighter
Astral Aviation acquired a Fokker 27 Utility Freighter which arrived from Bergamo, Italy on 23 May 2014
where it had undergone its C Check and makeover.
According to Astral CEO, Sanjeev Gadhia, the Fokker 27 was the missing link in Astral's fleet considering
that it did not operate any 5 ton freighter. The Fokker 27 will fill the gap in Astral's fleet which consist of
the 14 tons capacity, DC9 Freighter, 24 tons capacity, B727 Freighter, 38 tons capacity DC8-63 Freighter
and 110 tons capacity B747-400 Freighter.
The Fokker 27 will improve Astral's schedule efficiency by offering a alternate solution during low
payloads and offer accessibility into new markets where load factors are low. The Fokker 27 will be
introduced to Astral's existing oil and gas network into Pemba (Mozambique), Mtwara (Tanzania),
Lokichar / Kapese (Kenya) in addition to Mwanza (Tanzania). The Fokker 27 will also be available for
adhoc charters within Eastern Africa.
Astral is pleased to announce that it has appointed Capt Dean Hardisty and Capt Chris Hardisty who are
rated on the F27 and have considerable type experience of this aircraft.
Lufthansa Cargo takes to the skies with lighter containers
Europe’s leading cargo airline further reduces fuel consumption and emissions. All of the LD3
containers used by Lufthansa Cargo are now the lightweight versions. The LD3 standard
containers produced using lighter composite materials are helping to radically reduce fuel
consumption and emissions at Europe’s leading cargo airline.
With some 500,000 container movements per year, the good 14-kilogramme difference over
conventional containers amounts to a weight saving of 7 million kilogrammes. Therefore, using
these flyweight containers to transport cargo and luggage will reduce fuel consumption by
2,000 tonnes and CO2 emissions by a good 7,000 tonnes per year.
“The new, lighter containers are still extremely robust and strong in spite of being almost
completely made of plastic”, said Dr Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht, Board Member Operations at
Lufthansa Cargo. “Replacing all of our LD3 standard containers brings us a good deal closer to
our goal of reducing our specific CO2 emissions by a quarter by 2020 compared to 2005. We
want to continue to fulfil our role as an industry leader in the future as well and help make air
freight greener through innovative and modern technologies.”
Lufthansa Cargo ranks among the world’s leading cargo carriers. In the 2013 business year, the
airline transported around 1.7 million tonnes of freight and mail and sold 8.7 billion revenue
tonne-kilometres
AIRPORT SERVICE NEWS
AFRAA Appoints Dr. Koussai Mrabet as Director Commercial, Corporate and
Industry Affairs
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Koussai
Mrabet as Director Commercial, Corporate and Industry Affairs effective 01 June 2014.
Dr. Mrabet joins AFRAA from Tunisair where he was the Head of International Affairs and
Alliances. He is a widely respected advocate of aviation development in Africa and brings to
AFRAA his extensive wealth of business experience in aviation, strong leadership skills and a
strategic vision of the African and international aviation industry. Koussai is well known to the
industry having been the coordinator for Tunisair for IATA, AACO, AFRAA and ATAF on aero
political, industry and commercial affairs.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mrabet to AFRAA. He brings the extensive experience needed
to ensure that AFRAA continues to deliver value to our members, partners and stakeholders
and contribute to the efforts of the Association towards the development of air transport in
Africa,” said Dr. Elijah Chingosho, AFRAA Secretary General. “I look forward to joining the
AFRAA team and to continue the exciting challenge to develop and promote air transport in
Africa.” said Dr. Mrabet.
Dr. Mrabet commenced his career in Tunisair where he held various roles over the last 25 years.
In 2007, he joined the International Affairs Department and was in charge of Air Services
Agreements. In 2010 he was appointed manager of commercial agreements and Interline E-
Ticketing project. He has in the past practiced law as an Attorney and has been a faculty
member in Tunisian Universities as a Professor of Political Organisation & Political Sociology at
Ibn Khaldoun University and also as an Assistant Professor at the University of Law & Political
Sciences of Tunis. Dr. Mrabet holds a Ph.D degree, a Master’s Degree in International Law and a
Bachelor’s Degree in Public Law.
Dr. Mrabet succeeds Raphael Kuuchi in the role, following the latter’s appointment as the IATA
Vice President for Africa.
KAA NEWS
JKIA signs second in-flight catering deal with global firm
New caterer to invest over $5million, create jobs
The Kenya Airports Authority has signed a deal with global airline caterer LSG
Sky Chefs Consortium to provide in-flight catering at Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport (JKIA).
The firm becomes the second in-flight caterer for airlines operating from the
facility after NAS, which has solely operated at JKIA over the past.
Speaking during the signing of lease, building and concessional agreements
with LSG Sky Chefs Consortium, KAA Managing Director Lucy Mbugua said
that besides offering a choice of caterer to airlines operating from JKIA, the
move also has significant importance to the authority and the economy at
large.
“It will enable KAA to generate additional income from concession fees and land
rental to the second in-flight caterer, which will boost the proportion of the
authority’s income from non-aeronautical streams. The national economy will
also benefit from the investment of over US$5 million and generating many job
opportunities,” Ms Mbugua added.
With the naming of a second in-flight caterer, JKIA joins other facilities from
the continent of comparable size that have more than one airline catering unit.
This includes O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Cape
Town International Airport, both in South Africa; and Cairo International
Airport in Egypt.
The anticipated competition from the addition of a second in-flight caterer to
JKIA is expected to translate into improved quality of service.
Ms LSG Sky Chefs Consortium is one of the in-flight caterers at the O.R.
Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Cape Town International
Airport in Cape Town, both in South Africa. The firm is also the sole service
provider at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria.
LSG Sky Chefs' parent company, LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, is
headquartered in Neu-Isenburg, Germany.
Operations Managers for JKIA
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