A ‘open skies’ policy a must for SA to become a major air transport hub
Thématique :
RSA
By Olivia Spadavecchia, Engineering news, 21 Nov 07
The absence of the liberalisation of the air transport market is an “ongoing impediment” to the creation of a major air transport hub in South Africa, Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation said.
In its discussion paper ‘Air Hubs: A Checklist for Africa’, director Dr Greg Mills and economist Luis Membreno said that an ‘open skies’ policy was imperative for the creation of a single major regional airport designed for international transit traffic in South Africa.
The paper said that liberalisation and attracting other airlines to use the hub would help to establish a “suite of regional and international connections, including the ability to pick up passengers for onward connections in other countries”.“The absence of liberalisation is viewed as an ongoing impediment to the creation of such a hub in South Africa,” the report noted, adding that it also provided openings for other African countries, especially in picking up passengers for onward routings.
The paper also pointed out that liberalisation should not be viewed as reciprocity, as existing hubs, namely Dubai and Singapore, have found that their national carriers did not always enjoy the same open skies policy in return
The concept of liberalisation extended to facilitating the growth of low-cost carriers and recognising the economic benefits of that growth.Airport costs, passenger safety and service reliability were also ranked high on Mills and Membreno’s checklist.
The importance of labour time sensitivity in operations, labour stability and a positive industrial relations climate were also emphasised in the report.The location of the airport was not necessarily viewed as key to the creation of a hub, however, the ability to pick up traffic and transport are vital enablers of tourism and trade.
"A hub goes hand in hand with the development of local business,” the report stated.A Singaporean specialist canvassed for the report noted, however, that developing countries aspiring to build air hubs need to have the right economic conditions for trade, tourism and investments in the first place. Otherwise, new airport infrastructure and other factors won’t count for much."
The absence of the liberalisation of the air transport market is an “ongoing impediment” to the creation of a major air transport hub in South Africa, Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation said.
In its discussion paper ‘Air Hubs: A Checklist for Africa’, director Dr Greg Mills and economist Luis Membreno said that an ‘open skies’ policy was imperative for the creation of a single major regional airport designed for international transit traffic in South Africa.
The paper said that liberalisation and attracting other airlines to use the hub would help to establish a “suite of regional and international connections, including the ability to pick up passengers for onward connections in other countries”.“The absence of liberalisation is viewed as an ongoing impediment to the creation of such a hub in South Africa,” the report noted, adding that it also provided openings for other African countries, especially in picking up passengers for onward routings.
The paper also pointed out that liberalisation should not be viewed as reciprocity, as existing hubs, namely Dubai and Singapore, have found that their national carriers did not always enjoy the same open skies policy in return
The concept of liberalisation extended to facilitating the growth of low-cost carriers and recognising the economic benefits of that growth.Airport costs, passenger safety and service reliability were also ranked high on Mills and Membreno’s checklist.
The importance of labour time sensitivity in operations, labour stability and a positive industrial relations climate were also emphasised in the report.The location of the airport was not necessarily viewed as key to the creation of a hub, however, the ability to pick up traffic and transport are vital enablers of tourism and trade.
"A hub goes hand in hand with the development of local business,” the report stated.A Singaporean specialist canvassed for the report noted, however, that developing countries aspiring to build air hubs need to have the right economic conditions for trade, tourism and investments in the first place. Otherwise, new airport infrastructure and other factors won’t count for much."
