Largest group of airlines ever to attend Routes Africa 2012

Routes Africa 2012, which will take place in Seychelles from July 8 to 10, will for the first time witness the attendance of the largest group of airlines with 16 carriers having already registered fo

Routes Africa 2012, which will take place in Seychelles from July 8 to 10, will for the first time witness the attendance of the largest group of airlines with 16 carriers having already registered for the event. The airlines will be joined for the event by several airport authorities, airline associations, and tourism boards.

Routes Africa, which is an annual event that gathers route development professionals from across Africa, the Middle East, and beyond, is being co-hosted by the Seychelles Tourism Board and Seychellesโ€™ Civil Aviation Authority.

The list of delegates who will attend the 7th edition of Routes Africa has increased to 61 participating members, and the organizing team of Routes Africa 2012 is anticipating even greater numbers of delegates for the event. To date, a total of 16 carriers, namely, South African Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Seychelles, Emirates Airways, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Mega Maldive Airlines, Nasair-Eritrea, Malaysia Airlines Cargo, Astral Aviation, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Rwandair, Zambezi Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, and Iberia Airlines, have registered to take part in Routes Africa 2012.

Three of these airlines โ€“ South African Airlines, the largest carrier in the African region; Arik Air, which is currently the sixth largest African carrier by available seat kilometer (ASKs); and Air Seychelles, the national carrier of the host country โ€“ will be delivering companyโ€™s briefing during Routes Africa.

Routes Senior Airline Manager, Adam Smith, has said that Routes Africa continues to grow in size and stature.

โ€œThe major carriers from the Middle East region, including Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, have already confirmed their attendance, as well as European flag carriers such as Iberia and Turkish Airlines, all leading towards our largest airline attendance ever in Africa,โ€ said Mr. Smith.

This sizeable list of carriers demonstrates the importance of the African region to the carriers from outside the region who would clearly like to capitalize more on this high potential market, noted Mr. Smith.

โ€œIn addition, we will have Africaโ€™s largest carrier, South African Airways, as well as one of Africaโ€™s quickest-growing airlines, Arik Air, attending, and both will be delivering company briefings explaining their current and future network, and their strategies for continued growth and guidance for airports on how its best to approach them in order to attract a new service,โ€ he added.

โ€œThis, along with the comprehensive conference program, means that delegates can benefit from one-to-one meetings, airline briefings, conference participation, and informal networking at our incredible receptions, all of which has led Routes Africa to become an essential event in the aviation calendar,โ€ confirmed Mr. Smith.

Aside from the registered airlines, the organizing team of Routes Africa has also confirmed the participation of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Aeroportos de Mozambique, Copenhagen Airports, Ghana Airports Company Limited, Aeroports du Mali, Aeroport de Lome-Tokoin, Bangalore International Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gรถkcen International Airport, Tanzania Airports Authority, Frankfurt Airport, Entebbe International Airport, Kilimanjaro International Airport, Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority, and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.

Others that have also registered include Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Africa Airlines Association (AFRAA), ACI Africa, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, and Expreso.

Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, and Elsia Grandcourt, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, are working closely with Gilbert Faure, the CEO of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, to look at the logistics on the ground and to liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the welcome of the many ministers and high-level officials from different countries travelling to Seychelles for this conference, which is taking place at the same time as the General Assembly of the ICTP (the International Council of Tourism Partners), the RETOSA Board, and the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands meeting.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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