Diligent planning will be the right way to keep SA airports going
THE COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact across the world. As an industry that facilitates mobility and human interaction, travel and tourism has been among the hardest hit.
No one knows when we’ll see busy airports and full hotels. Globally, the aviation industry is in a coma.
The industry is now facing the most serious challenge of the post-war era as the sudden decline in activity across both advanced and developing countries has created a backdrop of higher unemployment and significant contractions in global output. The impact of the virus has also resulted in tighter financial markets with increased credit risk aversion.
Looking at the South African industry, when I see empty airports, and restaurants and shops that were shut down, that environment is akin to horror movie scenes. Air travel has fallen sharply, which has prompted airlines to cut capacity. Given the importance of airports to the development of cities, countries, and regions, the broader impact of Covid-19 on the global economy is enormous. It’s no longer business as usual; we need to keep tabs on the new ways of survival.
Before the pandemic hit, airlines struggled to boost revenue, even as they experienced increasing volumes of passengers and cargo traffic.
Over the past few years, earnings for the global airlines industry grew at a less-than-desirable pace due to unstable fuel prices, increasing competition, the prevalence of low-cost airfare and a drop in world trade.
Known for high fixed operational costs, airlines have often faced a variety of serious market challenges. Now airlines are struggling even more because this pandemic led to people getting retrenched, their salaries being cut down and working from home. This has become a familiar story.
Load factor and ticket per seat have been dropped. Survival has become very tough and we have seen one of the worst December periods. Airlines are fighting for survival in every corner of the world.
Nearly all airlines have been forced to reduce seat volumes drastically. Several airlines do not have the cash power needed to survive such a slump in demand.
Suddenly and unprepared, the once vibrant, economically attractive and viable travel industry screeched to a halt. Unprepared, and nursing economic shock, it didn’t know what to expect next.
The industry went into panic mode in the of process searching for revival or adaptive solutions.
It had to unwittingly move on and face a new world, new working demands and plans. Rules and policies changed so fast and communication almost became impossible for everyone. We witnessed what happened in December.
Travel restrictions and the cancellation of many planned visits, flights, business and leisure events were severely affecting many service sectors.
Beaches were shut down, people were forced to cancel domestic travel, and borders were closed. No one was allowed to travel from one place to another.
The new normal had ghosted in, and for the first time, travel and outdoor enthusiasts were forced to be homebound. Even the once-popular shot-lefts or domestic travel and tourism had to be forgotten or shelved indefinitely.
It dawned on us that viral pandemics have a much larger destructive impact on the travel industry and tourism industry.
Private and public policy support must be co-ordinated to sustain preCovid-19 operational levels of the tourism and travel sector.
The policies should include robust, aviation industry-friendly and specific financial windows. The journey will be long and the creation and planning of the policies have to start now.
Typically, predicting the future requires first understanding the past, the Covid-19 crisis, unprecedented and unpredictable nature, its short-term impact and likely long-term implications.
It seems that, with prolonged Covid-19 induced global travel restrictions, travel warnings and on-and-off flight services, the core of the aviation industry may still be prone to a lot of turbulence, threatening and slowing down both short and long-term revival plans, in all regions, simultaneously.
Airports and airlines must not overlook a crucial detail regarding this pandemic. Instead, they must work together as one and put competition aside as they are all suffering.
The government has to strike the balance between support for aviation and the need to preserve competition.
No one is to be blamed because the pandemic happened too fast.
As aviation companies, small, let’s stand together.
This is not the time to compete, but to co-operate and complement each other, since we all don’t know whether, in the next three to five years, the storm will be over or around.
I can’t even say may the best player win. All I can say is prayer and support, complemented by adaptive approaches and retention of and keeping pace with the new technology and other normal demands, diligent planning and best international practice will see us through. big or
Javed Malik is an avid aviator and strong advocate of transformation in South Africa, chairperson of Cobra Aviation, a passenger and cargo operator.
COACH Manqoba Mngqithi has lauded the silver lining of Covid-19 and Mamelodi Sundowns’ preparations after his team claimed a historic 2-1 win over TP Mazembe in their third match of the Caf Champions League group stage on Saturday.
After winning back-to-back matches in their first two games of the group stage, defeating Al Hilal and CR Belouizdad at home and away, Sundowns were scheduled to meet their toughest opponents in TP Mazembe, who are five-time African champions.
But the Brazilians flexed their muscles, handing TP Mazembe their first defeat at an empty Stade TP Mazembe since October 2009 to end the Congolese team’s 74-match unbeaten home record in continental football.
“First one, we should thank Covid19 because with your supporters it’s always different. When the stadium is full you always give a good account of yourselves,” said Mngqithi who understands the drive TP Mazembe’s 12th man gives to their team.
"The fact that we played, maybe, at a not so full stadium (helped us a lot). But I must not take credit away from the team that played today. I think we came prepared for this encounter. We knew that we were playing against a very good team.”
With that victory, Sundowns stretched their unbeaten record to 22 matches this season.
They are at the summit of the Premiership and Champions League standings. They lead Group B in the Pan-African competition with a maximum nine points after three matches.
They are top of the log in the league with 36 points, one ahead of the second-placed Orlando Pirates who have played four games more. Mngqithi believes that being high in confidence has been Sundowns’ springboard to such an impressive record.
“Our confidence is very high. I think we’ve played 23 (22) matches and we’ve not lost this season. It’s a good account of the team and the way we prepare.
“The boys fought very hard. There were some circumstances in the game that were very hard for them,” Mngqithi said.
Sundowns will turn their focus to domestic football this week, before hosting TP Mazembe next Tuesday. On Wednesday, though, Sundowns will host GladAfrica Championship side Polokwane City in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals.
“Sundowns will be looking to retain the Nedbank Cup after losing out on the MTN8. They’ll know that’s easier said than done, but if they continue to produce the goods like they did against TP Mazembe then they should be fine.
In the last 17 minutes on Saturday, defender and captain Ricardo Nascimento received his marching orders. As a result, The Ravens equalised courtesy of Tresor Mputu minutes later after Peter Shalulile had put the visitors ahead after a couple of minutes into the second half.
But a late Lyle Lakay set-piece on the stroke of stoppage time gave Sundowns the three points and a historic win. This was an outing that Mngqithi suggested was one of Sundowns' “typical performances” which has helped them establish their recent success.
"We always prepare for such eventualities. We know that in a game of football and more especially in the Champions League, you can get a red card out of nowhere.
“We then had to change our structure after conceding. We normally score those free-kicks," he said.
177/9
Raj 50, Kaur 40, Ismail 3/28, Mlaba 2/41 South Africa: 178/2 Wolvaardt 80, Lee 83*, Guswami 2/38 South Africa win by 8 wickets
THE Proteas Women’s team’s tour of India got off to a “near-perfect” start yesterday with Sune Luus’s side completing a crushing eight-wicket win in the first ODI in Lucknow.
It was the host’s first competitive outing in just under a year, while the Proteas are fresh off clean-sweeping Pakistan at home.
Openers Laura Wolvaardt (80) and Lizelle Lee (83 not out) fired the tourists to the winning target in just 40.1 overs, having restricted India to 177/9 at the Erkana Cricket Stadium. The victory put South Africa 1-0 up in the five-match series.
In the process, Wolvaardt became the youngest South African batter to pass 2 000 ODI runs, beating the record of Quinton de Kock (21 years and 315 days to 23 years and 48 days).
“It was a perfect game until I lost my wicket,” skipper Luus laughed. “Our bowling and fielding was exceptional, the way Lizelle and Laura batted
- world class. Always need to work on areas to improve, but for now, we're going to celebrate the win and what we've done right.”
Luus’ decision to bowl first after
winning the toss worked out splendidly as all her bowlers put in solid shifts to restrict the hosts in their allotted overs.
Pace bowler Shabnim Ismail once
again led the attack with aplomb, claiming 3/28. Ismail was well supported by left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, who finished with figures of 2/41.
Overall, though, it was an excellent display from the entire bowling unit with Marizanne Kapp (1/25), Ayabonga Khaka (1/29) and Luus (1/23) all contributing.
They were well supported in the field with South Africa producing arguably one of their most athletic displays in a very long time. Lee, in particular, snapped up a brilliant diving catch to her left in the gully, while Wolvaardt also completed a run out with a direct hit, as well as three catches at backward point.
The energy displayed suffocated the Indian team, who were earlier well-placed on 102/3 after 25.1 overs. They could only add a further 75 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their remaining 24.5 overs as the Proteas put the squeeze on.
Only Indian captain Mithali Raj (50) and Harmanpreet Kaur (40) put the South African bowlers under any form of pressure.
“It seems like the batters were in good form. Few of them got started, but couldn't convert. The bowlers need to be more consistent with lines and lengths. Maybe they weren't consistent because they're coming back after a long break. A lot goes into game time. If you play games, it shows in your confidence,” Raj said after the defeat.