TINASHE MAKICHI
The lockdown of South Africa on the back of the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic spells doom for Zimbabwe’s aviation industry which has been relying mostly on volumes from the regional hub, Oliver Tambo International Airport.
South Africa’s OR Tambo International serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and is Africa’s busiest airport, with a capacity to handle up to 28m passengers annually.
The airport which also serves as the hub for South African Airways (SAA) is one of the biggest aviation hubs in Africa and remains the most used connecting link in Southern Africa including Zimbabwe.
Aviation expert and SAA country manager for Zimbabwe Winnie Muchanyuka said it was still difficult to ascertain the magnitude of losses incurred by the local aviation sector yet but there was a possibility of engaging government over matters affecting the industry.
“On meeting government it’s a yes and no because it is difficult to engage government at the moment as the local aviation industry is mainly dependent on South Africa which is currently on lockdown,” she said, adding that OR Tambo feeds most flights into Zimbabwe and the fact that there is lockdown “means Zimbabwe is bound to suffer”.
Coronavirus has restricted movement suffocating the aviation sector.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said potential revenue loss by carriers in Africa hit US$4bn while their counterparts in the Middle East had lost US$19bn.
This translates into a drop of industry revenues of 32% for Africa and 39% for the Middle East for 2020 as compared to 2019.
IATA recently released new analysis showing that some 25m jobs are at risk of disappearing with plummeting demand for air travel amid the pandemic. Globally, the livelihoods of some 65.5m people are dependent on the aviation industry, including sectors such as travel and tourism. Among these are 2.7m airlines jobs.
“Airlines must be viable businesses so that they can lead the recovery when the pandemic is contained. A lifeline to the airlines now is critical,” IATA’s Director General Alexandre de Juniac said.
