Unguja, Zanzibar:
Zanzibar’s President Hussein Mwinyi on Thursday, January 26, commissioned the operations of ground handling company Dnata Zanzibar at the Abied Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) calling it a historic event.
The commissioning of Dnata, a new ground handler with exclusive rights to Terminal 3 building comes at a time when the existing ground handlers are considering laying off staff.
Speaking at the ceremony Mwinyi said the coming of Dnata was timely because it is set to enhance service delivery of international standards at Zanzibar’s only international airport which registered 1.8 million arrivals is 2022.
“Despite the investments made at different times by the past administration, service delivery remained a challenge at the AAKIA. These included, supervision, lack of professionalism and lack of modern equipment to serve passengers and their cargo,” said President Mwinyi.
He added: This was a major discouragement to visitors and natives who used the airport, in the process leading to loss of government revenue.
He said that it was due these factors that the government entered into negotiations with Dnata, Emirates Leisure Retail, MMI Wine and Spirits and Segap in order to deliver services that suit the kind of investment that they had made.
The newly built Terminal 3 building at the airport was constructed at a cost of $120 million.
“The collaboration has been very instrumental in improving services at the airport with 34 international flights plying the Zanzibar route whereas arrivals have also gone up by almost 38 percent, from 1.3 million in 2021 to 1.8 million in 2022,” said Mwinyi.
According to Dr Mwinyi recent increase in revenue collection is also attributed to the improvements of service delivery at the airport.
The airport is said to have recorded Sh6.7 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year and amount which was further improved with collections of Sh 8.1 billion in the second quarter of the 2022 -23 financial year.
“This revenue is up from the Sh2.1 billion which was collected in the pre-Covid days and Dnata now employs 600 people,” said the President.
Ground handlers ponder retrenchment
However, as the president and speakers before him showered praise over the Zanzibar Airports authority’s (ZAA) preferred ground handlers Dnata Zanzibar, sources privy to ZAT and Transworld have confirmed that the two companies are pondering reduction of their current workforce.
They say that the recent order by the ZAA for airlines to either sign with dnata or leave the new Terminal 3 building has left them with very little choice.
“ We have been left with no choice, our hand has been pushed, especially when you look at the circumstances that airlines were forced to terminate contracts with our in favour of Dnata,” said a source close to the two ground handlers.
He added: We understand how this is likely to affect them and their families so we have decided that it will be a gradual process
The two ground handlers currently employ close to 500 employees in different capacities.
In a communication that The Citizen has independently verified, one international airline’s executive confessed that they had been forced against their wish.
With the terminations taking effect after a recent reminder that followed the September 14 notice, ZAT is left with two international airlines (Oman Air and Ethiopian Airlines) whereas Transworld has KLM and Air France on its books.
The four airlines have refused to sign with ZAA’s preferred ground handler and are ready to continue being served by ZAT and Transworld.
Las week, Transworld Aviation Limited filed a petition at the High Court of Tanzania, challenging the exclusive rights granted to Dnata which they say is contrary to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority laws.
In July, 2022, President Hussein Mwinyi defended the decision to award Dubai National Air Travel Agency (Dnata) a contract to operate ground handling services at the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport Terminal 3, saying that all the due processes were followed.
In November 2021, Dnata signed a contract with authorities in Zanzibar to provide ground handling services at newly built Terminal 3 at the Abeid Amani Kurume International Airport.
As part of the contract, two other Emirates’ subsidiaries, Emirates Leisure Retail and MMI will operate all 13 retailers and two lounges in the terminal. The retailers include restaurant, duty free and commercial outlets.
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Air Tanzania Banned From EU Airspace Due to Safety Concerns
Several airports have since locked Air Tanzania, dealing a severe blow to the Tanzanian national carrier that must now work overtime to regain its certification or go the wet lease way
The European Commission has announced the inclusion of Air Tanzania on the EU Air Safety List, effectively banning the airline from operating in European airspace.
The decision, made public on December 16, 2024, is based on safety concerns identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which also led to the denial of Air Tanzania’s application for a Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation.
The Commission did not go into the specifics of the safety infringement but industry experts suggest it is possible that the airline could have flown its Airbus A220 well past its scheduled major checks, thus violating the airworthiness directives.
“The decision to include Air Tanzania in the EU Air Safety List underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards for passengers in Europe and worldwide,” said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
“We strongly urge Air Tanzania to take swift and decisive action to address these safety issues. I have offered the Commission’s assistance to the Tanzanian authorities in enhancing Air Tanzania’s safety performance and achieving full compliance with international aviation standards.”
Air Tanzania has a mixed fleet of modern aircraft types including Boeing 787s, 737 Max jets, and Airbus A220s.
It has been flying the B787 Dreamliner to European destinations like Frankfurt in Germany and Athens in Greece and was looking to add London to its growing list with the A220.
But the ban not only scuppers the London dream but also has seen immediate ripple effect, with several airports – including regional like Kigali and continental – locking out Air Tanzania.
Tanzania operates KLM alongside the national carrier.
The European Commission said Air Tanzania may be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with.
A wet lease is where an airline pays to use an aircraft with a crew, fuel, and insurance all provided by the leasing company at a fee.
Two more to the list
The EU Air Safety List, maintained to ensure passenger safety, is updated periodically based on recommendations from the EU Air Safety Committee.
The latest revision, which followed a meeting of aviation safety experts in Brussels from November 19 to 21, 2024, now includes 129 airlines.
Of these, 100 are certified in 15 states where aviation oversight is deemed insufficient, and 29 are individual airlines with significant safety deficiencies.
Alongside Air Tanzania, other banned carriers include Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), and Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran).
Commenting on the broader implications of the list, Tzitzikostas stated, “Our priority remains the safety of every traveler who relies on air transport. We urge all affected airlines to take these bans seriously and work collaboratively with international bodies to resolve the identified issues.”
In a positive development, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been cleared to resume operations in the EU following a four-year suspension. The ban, which began in 2020, was lifted after substantial improvements in safety performance and oversight by PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).
“Since the TCO Authorisation was suspended, PIA and PCAA have made remarkable progress in enhancing safety standards,” noted Tzitzikostas. “This demonstrates that safety issues can be resolved through determination and cooperation.”
Another Pakistani airline, Airblue Limited, has also received EASA’s TCO authorisation.
Decisions to include or exclude airlines from the EU Air Safety List are based on rigorous evaluations of international safety standards, particularly those established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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The process involves thorough review and consultation among EU Member State aviation safety experts, with oversight from the European Commission and support from EASA.
“Where an airline currently on the list believes it complies with the required safety standards, it can request a reassessment,” explained Tzitzikostas. “Our goal is not to penalize but to ensure safety compliance globally.”
Airlines listed on the EU Air Safety List face significant challenges to their international operations, as the bans highlight shortcomings in safety oversight by their home regulatory authorities.
For Air Tanzania, this inclusion signals an urgent need for reform within Tanzania’s aviation sector to address these deficiencies and align with global standards.
The path forward will require immediate and sustained efforts to rectify safety concerns and regain access to one of the world’s most critical aviation markets.
Source: allafrica.com
