PARLIAMENTARY Submission

1. PARLIAMENTARY Submission The State of Airports and Airstrips in Zambia Chabuka J Kawesha 2013

2. The State of Airports and Airstrips • Below International Standards • Services be International Best Practice (IBP) • Training Center: Below International Standards and facilities depressing. Well equipped and empowered, the institution can be upgraded to a university, expand its curriculum and attract thousands of international students. • Personal: Ministry of Communications & Transport must take an audit on how many Zambians are working for foreign airlines and continuously seek their input on how we can reform our airport and airline facilities. • Timings: Our rural airports close or shut down in the evening. This should be the case as emergency services for transiting aircraft are paralyzed. • Fuel: The cost of Jet fuel which is believed to be on the higher side to attract air traffic on global comparisons must be looked in to as well by the concerned stakeholders with government. Significantly reduce the cost of JetA1 fuel and attract foreign planes to transit through Zambia • The landing / parking fees must be competitive and even cheaper than high air traffic points like Kenya and South Africa.

3. Aviation Statement 1: We should speedily address some of the negatives which have been raised on Zambia’s airports in the past before the new and prospective airlines seek alternative transit points. The ground catering services must be superb and competition allowed in this area. The landing / parking fees must be competitive and even cheaper than high air traffic points like Kenya and South Africa. The cost of Jet fuel which is believed to be on the higher side to attract air traffic on global comparisons must be looked in to as well by the concerned stakeholders with government. Statement 2: Ithas observed through airline and civil aviation Industry deliberations, the latest global survey of airports reveals that non-aeronautical revenue streams can help airports achieve higher efficiency so they can lower aircraft landing fees and attract more aeronautical business. Recommendation: Technocrats in Zambia’s Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply & Communications to work tirelessly and connect the nation Australia, China, India and the United States through direct flights. The Chambers stands ready to market Zambia with you. Impact: New Jobs Opportunities [Ground staff], Catering Industry expansions, etc.

4. Aviation Aviation College / Training Centre – Lusaka • Poorly funded. • Quality of graduate affected and risk dropping year-on-year. • Equipment and training facilities short of being describe a danger to staff and students. • Aviation student not training on latest Air Technology Statement 1:We should deliberately and speedily address some of the negatives related to this institute and provide adequate funding starting in 2013. Statement 2:It has observed through airline and civil aviation Industry research the gap that lack of adequate support has done to our aviation industry starting with the basic tenet i.e. Training, training facilities and equipment. Recommendation:Between 2013 – 2014: Provide funding in excess of K400 billion to revamp the college and procure modern air facilities. Motivate academic staff, students and parents alike. New Private Pilot Training Aircraft Impact: New Jobs Opportunities [Ground staff, Pilots, etc.,] Export competent and adequately trained pilots and flight engineers.

5. Comments / Recommendations • Airports and aerodromes are a very important aspect of reducing the cost of doing business in Zambia. A group of Consultants, Contractors and Clients have to travel for inspection and site meetings mainly from Lusaka, Mongu, Mbala, Lundazi and many other district and provincial areas for project monitoring. Presently most of these journeys are made by road. Travelling time (sitting in the car) is very costly and unjustifiable for this group of 5 to 8 people and sometimes more depending on the size of the project. • On any one fairly sized project Consultants involved for supervision, monitoring and evaluation on at least once a month basis are: Architects, Electrical/Mechanical Engineers, Civil /Structural Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Contractors and Subcontractors. Others are the Buildings department and other supervisory and regulatory agencies commonly known as Client bodies. • The immediate post independence period saw unprecedented rate of development of infrastructure and public building all over Zambia. The mode of travel to most of the districts was through Government Communications Flights and other private charter companies. All districts had a landing strip or aerodrome which were well maintained and constantly manned. These places had weather stations which contributed effectively to the collection of data on weather in Zambia. • The present period is reminiscent of the post independence period. A lot of roads projects, schools, hospitals and universities have been initiated. Monitoring, supervision and evaluation can be cost effectively be undertaken through air travel. • The importance of airports, aerodromes and landing strips can not be overemphasized. Apart from the above they also open up areas to new business.

6. Comments / Recommendations New airline: It is a positive and a great vision. The plans to re-introduce the national airline is a positive concept. The ministry responsible to adopt an effective commercial model for this venture which should include private sector participation at an early stage and possibly a profitable foreign airline partner. We also expect to see latest model aircrafts to deployed. We should not go old and cheap in the name of having a national airline but go through the baby-steps once again with modern aircrafts of this time. The team called to set up the national airline should engage Boeing and Airbus directly and produce positive results. Boeing and Airbus are renowned aircraft manufacturers.

7. Recommendations • Adopt easy, convenient, manageable airport concepts for all provincial capital excluding Lusaka, Livingstone, Kitwe, Ndola, Chipataand Kabwe which should have high level international level air facilities which should be able to land aircrafts equivalent to Boeing 767 & 777 as well as an Airbus 320. • Mansa, Kasama, Solwezi, Mbala / Mpulungu, Mongu, Mpika, Zambezi, Nchelenge or Kwambwa, Petauke and Mkushi should have airstrips which can accommodate aircraft equivalent to Boeing 757, 737 and Airbus 319. • Given these sizes, any aircraft below this size will be easily accommodated and Zambia will attract huge people movement and tourist.

8. Recommendations • Airport concepts e.g. Nelspruit airport in South Africa can be adopted. • Discourage the approach of seeking expense concepts we can not afford or maintains. • People movements and investments is attracted to areas were services e.g. telecommunications, farms, tourist spots, airports, etc., are available

9. Recommendations • Value Addition to Airports: Airports are finding success by supplementing core income through periphery revenue sources that can range from parking and retail operations to real estate development and golf courses. • It has observed through airline and civil aviation Industry deliberations, the latest global survey of airports reveals that non-aeronautical revenue streams can help airports achieve higher efficiency so they can lower aircraft landing fees and attract more aeronautical business. Constant review of the World Airport Awards which are based on survey results from 11.38 million questionnaires completed by over 100 different nationalities of airline passengers, covering more than 240 airports worldwide is important.

10. Recommendations • Government must enter into concession arrangements with e.g. cooperating government / World financial institution to finance a fleet of up to 12 modern carriers from airbus and Boeing, the world’s renowned aircraft manufacturers. • Government must task the management of the new national airline to and within six (6) – twelve (12) enter into partnership with one of the global renowned airlines e.g. virgin, KLM, Emirates, etc. • Foster the aviation industry to create in excess of 5,000 direct jobs and more than 25,000 in-direct jobs through airport facilities, catering services, civil aviation training, etc. • Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply & Communications must work tirelessly and connect the nation to Australia, China, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Russia and the United States through direct flightsfrom Lusaka.

11. Observations and Recommendations • The revelation by the MD of national airports today (05th February 2013) that KK airport in 2012 handled almost a million passengers, is the biggest justification that Zambia needs its own private sector-driven flag carrier. • The bulk of ticket sales sold in Zambia generate money that is being externalized to the home countries of the foreign airlines, creating jobs there. It’s a serious form of capital flight. • Government must urgently set up committee of experts in diverse fields ofaviation.(Zambians)This team will identify credible airline strategic partners to negotiatewith. Locking in a credible airline partner will mean half the work will havebeen done. • Tourism will never grow to the levels in Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia for Zambia e.g. without a strong national airline and tourist industry is the biggest industry in the World, employing more people than any other. We are missing out in a very big way.

12. Current status – Safety of Airline Travelers • Committee must probe for Report & call for strengthening of the Civil Aviation Department Concern is expressed on the near-fatalities of airline carriers being used by renowned international airlines between Lusaka and London as well as between Lusaka and Dubai. It is for this reason that we would like the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) to break it silence and issue a comprehensive statement on the quality of airplane carriers that British Airways (BA) and Emirates are sending to Zambia. A few years ago we had issues and incident after incident with Ethiopian airplane carriers sent to Lusaka, now this has extended to British Airways and Emirates. Travelers between Lusaka and London as well as Lusaka and Dubai have been quietly raising concerns on the quality and age of the carriers being sent to Africa and Zambia in particular. The recent experiences should not end at Public Relation statements from the local offices of both BA and Emirates. The DCA and indeed Government must investigate this matter further and keep the nation assured of high quality carriers from international airline carriers sent to Zambia. Recently and it is reported that an Emirates carrier had an Engine failure and had to make an emergency return and landing in Lusaka. This week, it is report that A British Airways carrier from Lusaka made an emergency landing in Uganda. It is incumbent upon our civil aviation experts to obtain reports from the respective airlines on the numerous incidents with respective to the aircraft involved in the incidents as well as the quality of aircrafts being sent to Zambia and further feedback to the nation taking into consideration that the carriers are taking off from Lusaka. Further, we must set standards on the quality of aircraft we'll accept to land in Zambia in this case. A time of accepting 'second or third hand' items for Zambia is over. We must demand quality and not Press Statements.