About 298 000 jobs were put at risk by the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the economy of South Africa, according to Kamil Alawadhi of the International Air Transport Association (Iata).
The organisation’s regional vice-president of Africa and the Middle East said: “Prior to the pandemic aviation supported 364 000 jobs and contributed $7.6 billion to South Africa’s GDP in 2019.
“But with Covid-19 coinciding with the closure of one airline and restructuring of two others in South Africa, against a weakening economic backdrop, we saw a severe impact on the industry and South Africa’s connectivity.”
Reflecting on the threat the virus posed to employment in the aviation sector, Alawadhi added: “It’s a significant impact for over 80% of jobs to be lost if air connectivity is not restored, especially when passenger demand for South Africa is not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2026.”
Apart from his alarming insights, several other articles grab attention in the latest issue of Freight Features, now available.
Readers can also find out about Aero Africa’s change-making air expansion deal with FitsAir Cargo, cost pressures affecting the industry like the year-on-year 116% increase in the price of jet fuel and, in much more positive news, airlines slowly returning to pre-Covid levels.
Have a look at our focus feature on airfreight here: https://tinyurl.com/54vsht26
