The Vice President of Africa, Qatar Airways, Hendrik du Preez, revealed that Africa’s portion of the global travel demographic is barely 2%, despite having around 17% of the world’s population.
According to The PUNCH, Preez mentioned this in a news release issued on Monday.
“Competition is not always negative; often, it stimulates more people to fly, aiming to expand the aviation market and provide more individuals with the opportunity to travel,” Preez added.
“Despite accounting for roughly 17% of the global population, Africa’s share of the global travel demographic is only 2%.” This shows that the continent has a lot of room for expansion.
“I continue to believe that, while the African market remains underserved, there are numerous opportunities in the next five to ten years. The cost of travel throughout the value chain is one of the most significant challenges impeding this growth,” Qatar Airways’ VP Africa noted.
According to Preez, obtaining fuel in Africa is frequently more expensive than in many other global locations, increasing the entire cost of operations.
“Airport operations in Africa tend to be noticeably more expensive than elsewhere. To address these difficulties, countries must work together to examine restrictions and find solutions to make travel easier. Increased travel not only boosts economies but also helps to lower prices.”
Concerning Qatar Airways’ increased weekly flights in Nigeria, Preez stated that Qatar Airways had regularly assessed operations since COVID-19, grabbing every opportunity to grow and develop.
“Nigeria stands out as one of the countries that has recovered quickly post-pandemic, as evidenced by its market resurgence, which has led to an increase in flights.
“As is commonly acknowledged, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Abuja are unique markets that complement one another. The expansion in these areas encouraged Qatar Airways to raise flight frequencies in order to meet rising demand and provide more capacity to the market.
“The cost of doing business in Africa is a significant challenge for all airlines operating in the region, not just Qatar Airways. It significantly outstrips costs in many other parts of the world.”
He added that the widespread depreciation of currencies has discouraged people from travelling even more.” Another issue concerns airport infrastructure. Nonetheless, some countries have expanded their efforts in this sector in recent years,” he noted.
The Qatar Airways boss claimed that new airports were springing up all over Africa, noting that Nigeria, for example, had recently switched to a new terminal in Lagos.
“Similarly, a new airport in Luanda was opened both reflecting such ongoing advancements across the continent,” he continued.
In terms of Qatar Airways’ operating performance on the continent in 2023, he stated, “This year marks a significant shift since the onset of COVID-19, where a return to normalcy is emerging.”
Meanwhile, he stated that despite the airline’s efforts to improve capacity, obstacles remain, particularly in Nigeria, where purchasing power has remained a barrier in the face of growing inflation in many African countries.
He went on to say that currency depreciation had a big influence on various countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, and Malawi, which just devalued its currency by 44%.
“We’ve learned to keep an open mind about adapting to these landscape changes, whether that means reducing capacity during certain periods and increasing capacity when demand rises again.” “Our agility gives us a significant advantage,” Preez noted.
