In a bid to foster closer engagement with member airlines in Nigeria, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), has said it is committed to driving the development of the air transport sector.
The Secretary General of the AFRAA, Abdérahmane Berthé, stated this during the CEO Dialogues initiative with Member Airlines in Nigeria recently.
The CEO Dialogues initiative was launched in 2022 as part of AFRAA’s strategy to engage with member’s leadership to create dialogue that is necessary to enhance value addition of the association to better meet its members’ needs.
The AFRAA Secretary General further had a meeting with the Vice President of Airline Operator of Nigeria (AON), Barr Allen Onyema to discuss their Associations’ mutual areas of interest and support to airlines in Nigeria.
The issues covered in the deliberations included: priorities for the recovery of the airline industry, sustainability of airlines, challenges being faced by Nigerian operators and the establishment of a coordination mechanism between AFRAA and AON.
At the conclusion of the CEO’s Dialogue sessions, Berthé, stated that Nigeria is a key market for the African air transport which is ranked at 8th position out of 54 in terms of the number of intra African passengers that are estimated at 1.1 million according to IATA statistics.
“The market has a huge potential for growth and economic contribution. Today’s deliberations have been fruitful and critical to align our actions for our member airlines in Nigeria and give the support within our mandate to drive the development of the air transport sector.
With this initiative, AFRAA aims to facilitate better understanding of individual airline needs, local matters and challenges, priorities and business plans thereby enabling us tailor specific actions that enhance relevance of the Association to our membership”, Berthé said.
The CEO’s Dialogues are continuous, round-the-year sessions that engage the Member airlines’ decision makers with AFRAA leadership towards effective implementation of added-value projects and actions supporting members’ sustainability.
AFRAA’s actions are anchored on 5 pillars including:Safe, secure and reliable air transport, visibility, reputation and influence of African Airlines, sustainable air transport, cooperation and data intelligence.
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