The Department of Transport invites all interested parties and the media to the Aviation Industry Letsema which will be held at the Birchwood Conference Centre, Boksburg, Gauteng on 8 August this year.
The Aviation Industry Transformation Letsema is the first of its kind and seeks to address the transformation of the aviation industry. It was announced by the Deputy Minister of Transport during the Budget Vote speech earlier this year.
Delivering the Budget Vote in Parliament on 28 May 2013 Deputy Minister of Transport Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga, MP, identified the shortage of skills as a key factor behind the lack of transformation in the aviation sector. The Deputy Minister announced a drive to change this and said:
”The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), Aeronautical Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) will together invest R52.4 million on a robust scarce and critical aviation skills development programme.
To further address the challenge of attraction and retention of skills in the aviation industry, the SACAA, entered into an agreement with the University of Pretoria to participate in the training of students in Aerospace Medicine and the first 10 degrees were conferred in March 2013.
The head of Aviation Medicine from SACAA has also been appointed as an extraordinary lecturer at the University of Pretoria with effect from 2013,” said Deputy Minister Chikunga.
Deputy Minister Chikunga announced the holding of a ground-breaking conference to address transformation in the sector.
“Our Aviation agencies in conjunction with the Department of Transport and relevant stakeholders are currently developing an all-inclusive Civil Aviation Transformation Strategy, which is the first in the country aimed at addressing transformation issues which currently records a devastating figure of about 4% pilot licence holders being from previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs).
In this regard on 08 August 2013, the Department will also host a ground-breaking Letsema in Gauteng with the intention of forging closer working relations between ourselves towards the growth and transformation of the aviation industry, and yes we can,” said the Deputy Minister.
In Africa more than 6 million jobs and $67.8 billion in GDP are supported by aviation, according to a new report released recently at the Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva. The report, Aviation: benefits beyond borders, was produced by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) and Oxford Economics. It outlines an industry that plays a larger role in both the African and global economy than many would expect.
"In Africa alone aviation directly employs over 250,000 people," says Paul Steele, Executive Director of ATAG, the global association that represents air transport. "If we include indirect employment at suppliers to the industry, induced employment from spending by aviation industry employees and the jobs in tourism that air transport makes possible, this increases the regional figure to 6.7 million jobs. In addition, African economies derive substantial benefits from the spending of tourists travelling by air.
"Of course, aviation's economic benefits spread far beyond the monetary aspects outlined here. When you take into account the further benefits gained through the speed and reliability of air travel, the businesses that exist because air freight makes them possible and the intrinsic value to the economy of improved connectivity, the economic impact would be several times larger," Steele adds.
For Africa, forecasts indicate that passenger numbers are expected to almost triple from 67.7 million in 2010 to over 150.3 million in 2030. Meanwhile, cargo volumes are projected to rise at a rate of 5.2% per annum. "The African continent can really take advantage of the benefits that aviation provides over the coming decades. Already, over 1.5 million livelihoods in Africa are supported through the trade in fresh produce to the UK alone. Tourism is another area for potential growth, providing long-term sustainable development of the economy."
The report, available at www.aviationbenefitsbeyondborders.org, also outlined the role aviation plays at a global level, supporting 56.6 million jobs worldwide and $2.2 trillion of the world's GDP. There are some 1,500 commercial airlines using nearly 24,000 aircraft to serve 3,800 airports around the globe.
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Sam Monareng
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