Africa-Press – Uganda. Running an airline is one of the trickiest businesses, and requires exceptionally high standards and management to stay afloat, an expert in the aviation sector has said.
Mr Kevin Markette, the General Manager Lufthansa Group for East Africa, said airlines should be very structured, focused on quality, and strong customer engagements,
“What makes an airline stay for 70 years is relationship, resilience, determination and being able to weather the difficult time …Brussels Airlines in the Lufthansa group is in a strong and financially stable company,” he said.
“This shows the value of consolidation because individual airlines even today are struggling all across the world. Airlines within groups have a lot more resources they can draw on and I think that gives that stay in power,” he added.
He was speaking during an event held in Kampala yesterday to mark 70 years of Brussels Airlines operating flights in Uganda.
Mr Markette, however, emphasised that there is a fairly considerable difference between running a private airline and a national carrier.
Uganda revived its national carrier, the Uganda Airlines in 2019, following its closure in 2001. Since then, however, it has been engulfed in claims of mismanagement and loss making.
Mr Markette, without speaking directly about the Uganda Airlines, said the business model of an airline and financial backing of the government or parent company is key in determining profitability and longevity.
He added: “A government-owned airline may not necessarily be interested in making a profit, I am sure many of them, but as a private company, without a profit, you have no funds to sustain your operations …government owned airlines have their places and are very valuable to governments and connectivity.”
Mr Hugues Chantry, the ambassador of Belgium in Uganda, said the seven-decade operations have been enabled by mutual respect and collaboration between the two countries.
“Flying is so much more than just transporting people from one point to the other. Every day we welcome people on board our flights who will discover Africa or who were born in Africa and will explore the rest of the world,” he said.
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