Times Aerospace - Africa and the Middle East
47 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -The editorial team from African Aerospace and Arabian Aerospace bring news views and features from the aerospace industry across the Middle East and Africa, Interviews with leadership from airlines, airports, government and the supply chain
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Episodes
Episode 47: Optimism as Africa and Middle East sees positive growth for 2021
December 23, 2020 00:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBThe final aerospace and defence podcast for the Middle East and Africa for this year closes on a positive note. Kenya’s Aberdair Aviation which has been delivering ACMI charter operations for almost two decades is expanding its business with a new base in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The airline’s CEO Adrian Wilcox talks to Alan Peaford about his fleet plans and the strategy of multi-AOCs from Kenya, Ghana and now Kinshasa with Tanzania and Uganda in the pipeline. Steve Nichols ...
Episode 46: How one African airline plans for return of tourists
December 17, 2020 00:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBTourism provides an enormous boost for a number of countries in Africa and the Middle East. In Africa, safaris have been the lifeblood for the GDPs of countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The coronavirus pandemic put a stop to that. So what happens to an airline that almost exclusively has a business model that focuses on serving tourists. The CEO of Kenya’s Safarilink, Alex Avedi explains the impact the virus had on the boutique airline to African Aerospace corres...
Episode 45: How Qatar rode the storm and Dassault’s new Falcon
December 10, 2020 00:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBAs Dassault rolls out its first new business jet of a generation, which legitimately can claim to be a game changer, we hear how the 6X took its place in Falcon family But while business aviation is looking at new horizons, the airline business has been in survival mode – or as Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways group says it is about doing the right thing. Qatar kept flying throughout global lockdowns and in this piece he explains just how that was done. We also get to talk to...
Episode 44: Africa’s challenges to distribute Covid vaccine
December 03, 2020 00:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBWith encouraging news around the world regarding approvals of different Covid-19 vaccines, attention swings to distribution of the vital cargo. The UAE has already developed airside warehousing to act to as a hub for the distribution. But what about Africa? We talk to Sanjeev Ghadia, the CEO of Africa’s largest cargo carrier, Astral Aviation and the chair of AFRAA’s cargo committee and vice chair of industry body TIACA, about the situation across the continent. Astral has been one of...
Episode 43: Change abounds at IATA and new cargo boost while ATM has a new approach
November 26, 2020 00:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBAs IATA holds its AGM there are clear signs of change. CEO Alexandre de Juniac is stepping down and will be succeeded by the loquacious former IAG chief Willie Walsh who takes no time to take off the diplomatic gloves and point figures at misguided governments. In this week’s podcast we hear from both of them as they lay out future direction IATA will take. While airlines have been seen to be bearing the brunt of the travel collapse, CANSO reports that air navigation service provide...
Why India is so important to Middle East recovery
November 19, 2020 00:00 - 23 minutes - 16.5 MBAs the true green shoots of recovery begin to show we look at how some old links will prosper as travel restarts in earnest. For Middle Eastern markets the Indian sub-continent will be vital. Special guest for this week’s programme is Sanjiv Kapoor, who is now senior advisor at global consulting firm Alton Aviation. Sanjiv has been a key figure in India’s airline industry having been chief strategy and commercial officer of Vistara – the joint venture airline between TATA and Singapo...
Collaboration and passenger confidence keys to revive aviation
November 12, 2020 00:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBThis week’s programme comes from the African airline industry’s AFRAA annual general assembly. Although on a virtual platform this year, airline CEOs and representatives from governments, associations and the whole aviation supply chain logged in. Our air transport editor Victoria Moores and airports editor Chloe Greenbank were there too and they give their overview on the future for the industry. In the programme we hear from Sanjeev Ghadia the CEO of Astral Aviation, Yvonne Makolo,...
INSIGHT: Understanding Saudi Vision for defence industry and why Nigerian fighters are hot news
November 10, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBThis week’s Insight programme, hosted by Marcelle Nethersole, looks at the world of two of the major players in the Middle East and Africa regions. Saudi Arabia has ambitious plans to develop its defence industry and has given GAMI – the Kingdom’s General Authority for Military Industries – a mandate to to localize 50% of Saudi Arabia’s military spending over the next decade. A key part of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy GAMI will act as the regulator, enabler and licensor for the def...
Why outsourcing can aid air transport recovery
November 05, 2020 00:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBIn this week’s look into the world of aerospace and defence across the Middle East and Africa, Peter Mohring, managing director of transport at Serco Middle East, explains why it has never been timelier for the air transport sector to embrace outsourcing to help with post pandemic recovery. Serco provides services across the Gulf from the UAE to Iraq including air traffic management services in Dubai, Sharjah and Baghdad. Mohring says as one of the first industries affected, overnigh...
Flying on the wild side – and how to stay safe
October 29, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBSafety is always a priority for airlines and while technology has made giant strides to aid flights – sometimes just shouting can make a difference. That’s what Airports Editor Chloe Greenback discovered when she looked at how bird-strikes and other wildlife incursions at airfields impact aviation safety. These represent as much as 3% of aircraft safety incidents – and cost the industry more than $1.2 billion annually - with the majority of the challenges being from bird strikes. IN...
No business? Show business to bounce back
October 22, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBWill aerospace and defence shows continue or will virtual conferences take their place? That has been a big debate around an industry spending a lot of time at home. This week we hear from Douglas Emslie, the chief executive of Tarsus, the owner of F&E in the UAE and the organiser of the Dubai Air Airshow. He talks through the challenges facing events in the world but outlines his hopes for revival in the Middle East region. Mark Brown, managing director of Times Aerospace also offe...
Right-sizing airline fleets for post pandemic connectivity
October 15, 2020 00:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBAirlines need to be planning now for the revival in connectivity. The newly appointed vice president for Embraer’s commercial jet business in Africa, Middle East and Europe, Cesar Pereira joins Alan Peaford to talk about the changing demands on air travel and how right-sizing the fleet will lead to greater flexibility and profitability for the airlines. As former head of Embraer Commercial’s consulting division, and until recently vice president for Asia, Pereira has in-depth knowled...
INSIGHT: The Black Box – changing data recording with L3Harris
October 13, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBIn recent years the “black box: Flight data recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) has come under scrutiny in a number of high-profile aircraft crashes – or disappearances. Questions have been asked – has technology kept up with changing profile of airline routes and range profiles ? Is there now so much data being picked up by sensors and downloaded to the airlines or their maintenance partners? Is there analysis paralysis? And shouldn’t we be sharing data more? Technology ...
Space, supersonic and super service
October 08, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBIt is international space week and the Middle East and Africa region has been doing its bit. Space Editor Steve Nichols looks at how a university in Ras Al Khaimah is doing its bit for the environment by sending its own satellite into space. Things are speeding up in the airlanes as well with this week’s launch of the first flight test article – the XB-1 – for Boom Supersonic’s Overture jet. CEO Blake Scholl outlines why the successor to Concorde could appeal to the passenger and the pocke...
Defence takes centre stage virtually and in reality
October 01, 2020 00:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBDefence takes centre stage at this week’s news and feature programme for the Middle East and Africa’s aerospace, aviation and defence podcast. Times Aerospace’s defence editor Alan Warnes sniffs out the only airshow taking place in the world and heads to the eastern reaches of the Czech Republic in search of stories from Africa and the Middle East. And all works out well. A coffee with Micael Johansson, CEO of Swedish manufacturer Saab reveals more about the company’s relationship wi...
Business bounce back and hydrogen in the air
September 24, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBWith the region’s biggest business aviation event MEBAA Show postponed until February, this week’s programme hears just how strongly the sector is bouncing back with optimism. Our special guest is Rob DiCastri, the president and CEO of Royal Jet, the Abu Dhabi-based luxury carrier with the world’s biggest Boeing Business Jet fleet. The carrier has established a strong position in Africa as well as the Middle East and had widely published plans for establishing bases in Eswatini and S...
The inside story for safer cabins
September 17, 2020 00:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBThis week’s programme for the African and Middle East aerospace, defence and aviation market takes a look at changes in the cabin that should affect passenger confidence and safety. Roger Patron from the UK’s completions company RAS – an interiors business known for its work on head of state cabins, most recently with two West African countries – has turned its attention to commercial aircraft cabins and developed a shield which sits between seats and protects fellow passengers from ...
Training in place for aviation bounce back
September 10, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBThis week training takes the centre stage in our weekly news magazine programme for the Middle East and Africa. A leading light in the Women in Aviation movement in the Middle East, Kinda Sarrage, joins us in her ‘day job’ role as vice president sales, for the commercial aviation arm of L3 Harris in Middle East, Africa and South Asia. She talks about the latest initiative to increase pilot numbers for Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom shows great prospects for recovery. Meanwhile in Africa...
Stay safe on board … or else. Firm warning on passenger behaviour
September 03, 2020 00:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBThe former CEO of Kenya Airways, Sebastian Milosz, joins his IATA colleagues for The overview of the industry recovery – or lack of it – as passengers ignore safety rules and put public confidence in doubt. Mikosz explains the law – and how crews should respond to such behaviour. As IATA’s CEO Philippe de Juniac outlines a new three-point plan for global recovery, Chief economist Brian Pearce and Mikosz explain how the Middle East and African connectivity is faring. Getting aircraft...
Industry hopes sink as restart held back – IATA explains why
August 27, 2020 00:00 - 17 minutes - 11.7 MBThis week’s programme features Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East who talks to Alan Peaford about the challenge of persuading governments across the region to invest in their aviation industry now and keep airlines and airports alive, rather than delay and pay more later. Albakri, who will be taking up a new role with IATA, speaks about the progress that had been underway in Africa with SAATM and explains how connectivity will help Africa ...
Start-up airline a ray of positivity for West Africa
August 20, 2020 00:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MBThis week’s Times Aerospace podcast for the industry in Africa and the Middle East introduces a new aircraft planned to launch from The Gambia next year. Fly WestAf’s managing director Richard Powell talks to Hilka Birns about how the concept for an airline that will reflect the youth and vitality of the West African market came to be, and why he believes that the model for the regional carrier could be perfect for these challenging times. “I think if you look at any investor history...
Turning the data to operational advantage
August 13, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBDigitalisation, data and analytics are key elements of the new ‘industrial revolution’ and in this week’s programme we talk to Honeywell Aerospace about its holistic approach to bring the data together. We’re told their adoption will lead the way to benefits measured in efficiency, cost savings, smart operations, predictive maintenance and so on – all of which aerospace now needs more than ever in the new normal taking shape after Covid-19. The challenge remains to make sense of the ...
AfriJet and Accenture on why new business models work.
August 06, 2020 00:00 - 23 minutes - 16.1 MBThis week’s news-magazine podcast talks about the new world of aerospace defence and aviation as the industry evolves into its new position. CEO of AfriJet, the hybrid carrier from Gabon, Marc Gaffajoli talks to Anuradha Deenapanray about how the commercial airline/business charter operator survived the pandemic and is now ready to collaborate with others to feed traffic from central and west Africa. Gaffajoli also explains why the airline’s recent IOSA certification will help spring...
Steps to recovery – and the sum of the parts
July 30, 2020 00:00 - 24 minutes - 16.5 MBThis week’s podcast looks at two main issues that are part of the recovery plans for aviation in Africa and the Middle East. Of course passenger confidence is one. The need for everyone in the aviation industry to be a PR person for the airline business is clear. We need to inform friends, family and others about the safety measures in place to prevent COvid 19 spread – and understanding air systems to keep cabins safe is one of those. We talk to Laurent Hartenstein from Liebherr Aer...
Hope realised as UAE reaches for the stars
July 23, 2020 00:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBThe successful launch of the UAE’s Hope Mars orbiter from Japan marked an historic moment, not just for the emirates, but for the whole of the region. In this week’s podcast we hear first hand from the Director-General of the UAE’s Space Agency, Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, and get the inside track from space editor Steve Nichols about the nerve-wracking moments when things looked like they might not go as planned. And this week should have been Farnborough Air Show, instead the organisers...
Region's airports set to shake off the gloom
July 16, 2020 00:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBAli Tounsi the head of Airports Council International across Africa joins this week’s action-packed programme from the team at African Aerospace and Arabian Aerospace. He talks to Anuradha Deenapanray about the challenges facing Africa’s airports as many begin flying internationally again this week. Airports are also utilising more in the way of biometric technologies for the restart and technology editor Steve Nichols hears from Miguel CEO Leitmann, CEO of Vision Box, the specialist...
INSIGHT: Frequentis' towers of strength
July 14, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBHow remote and digital towers herald the way ahead for air traffic management This week’s in-depth focus looks at a growing digital future for the world of air traffic management. During the recent pandemic there were stories have airport control towers having to close due to a single infection. But Austrian company Frequentis says that using remote towers with full digital support gives flexibility and resilience to the air navigation service networks. In the Middle East, Frequenti...
Why Mars mission brings new Hope to the Arab world
July 09, 2020 00:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBThis week’s news magazine programme for the Middle East and Africa looks ahead to next week’s launch of the UAE’s mission to Mars. Our space and technology editor Steve Nichols hears from the UAE’s Minister of State for Advanced Science, Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, who is also Chair of the UAE Council of Scientists and deputy project manager of the Emirates’ Mars Mission. She will be explaining how important Tuesday’s launch will be for the entire region. Chuck Grieve talks to Luft...
GOING GREEN FROM THE GROUND UP
July 06, 2020 00:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBAs the global lockdown has shown how much pollution surrounds us – by its absence. All aspects of aviation are under the microscope, but this edition of our Insight series takes a look at ground handling. We all know that need to protect our planet but the post COVID-19 financial situation will be a challenge. But our guest on the programme David Feuga from ITW-GSE says it is not wishful thinking when claims that reducing emissions by 90% and lowering your operating costs at the sa...
Preparing for take-off – clean, classy and healthy
July 02, 2020 00:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MBThis week we see a move in the right direction for the industry across the region where, although some areas are still in quarantine, others are beginning operations. Business jet sales are picking up according to Jetcraft’s Pascal Bachmann. The Dubai-based head of sales for Middle East, Africa and Europe talks about how the private aviation market could see a boom as premium passengers seek exclusive space – and go the places the airlines no longer go. Etihad Airways Engineering h...
INSIGHT: When airline cabins are drier than Death Valley
June 30, 2020 00:00 - 44 minutes - 11.6 MBThis week’s special in-depth focus looks at aircraft cabin comfort and the air we breathe. We talk to Torbjorn Johansson and Peter Landquist, CEO and VP-Marketing for Sweden’s CTT. The company developed systems to rehydrate cabins to improve cabin comfort while at the same time, remove moisture from the aircraft fuselage that could turn to ice or add unnecessary weight to the aircraft. Premium classes suffer the most, with less dense seating there is less humidity – these cabins oft...
Optimism for post-Covid opportunities from African airline chiefs
June 25, 2020 00:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBThis week we meet two African airline CEOs who share a belief that now is a time of opportunity for airlines on the continent. Marie-Joseph Malé , the president and CEO of Air Austral, the flag carrier for the French Indian Ocean territories of La Reunion, and Mayotte. Malé puts the COivid 19 pandemic against a number of other challenges the airline faced before lockdown, the strategy during it – and its plans for a bright new future amid greater cooperation among the Vanilla Island ...
It’s all about recovery through technology for aviation
June 18, 2020 00:00 - 24 minutes - 16.6 MBThis week’s Times Aerospace podcast for the Middle East and Africa gets into the swing of recovery. Alan Peaford talks to Andrew O’Connor from the industry-owned IT innovator SITA, we hear how the use of new and current technology will reinstill confidence for the traveling public As airlines begin resuming operation lot of focus turns to the maintenance, repair and overhaul providers. Chuck Grieve talks to Joramco’s chief commercial officer Fraser Currie about how the Jordanian bu...
Shootings and successes - a week for airlines
June 11, 2020 00:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBThe scandal of airline shootdowns and the prospects of regional aviation This week’s programme for Africa and Middle East aerospace and defence markets has a mix of good news and bad news. In the programme, brought with the support of Collins Aerospace, we talk to Raul Villeron, the regional VP from Embraer about how the OEM is expanding its fleet in Africa and how right-sized aircraft will lead the recovery. He explains how the E2 Profit Hunter now ordered by airlines like Congo A...
Insight: Why Collins Aerospace is stepping up its game in Africa
June 08, 2020 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.4 MBCollins Aerospace, now part of Raytheon Technologies, the third largest OEM in the world – is making a drive into emerging markets and bringing with it a host of new technologies. In this special INSIGHT report, we meet the new regional director for Africa, JENS Ziesel and hear how he sees the future for Africa and its aviation industry. Austrian-born Ziesel shares his thoughts on how African carriers can skip a generation of investment in technology by European and American airlines...
Business or Leisure – Emirates chief and the big bounce back for tourism
June 04, 2020 00:00 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MBEmirates president Sir Tim Clark was the headline act as the first Arabian Travel Market Virtual from Dubai this week. Our Marcelle Nethersole was tuned in to the debates on tourism and the shared impact it has suffered from the coronavirus pandemic. We hear from Sir Tim about the challenges of cashflow which could scupper some airlines even with government bailouts. He talks about his instinct for the great return to leisure and business flights – and shares his thoughts on when th...
Giving the A220 a business boost for Arabia’s VIPs
May 28, 2020 00:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBThis week’s podcast has a special business aviation feel. This week should have been EBACE, Europe’s business aviation showcase in Geneva, much loved by Middle Eastern and African operators. We talk to Ali Alnaqbi, the chairman of IBAC and the founding chairman of MEBAA the Middle East and North Africa’s business aviation association. We also look forward with an overview of the exciting project to take the 100-150 seat Airbus A220 and configure it to a ground-breaking VIP corporate...
Restoring confidence on return to flight – from the science to policy
May 21, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 16.2 MBThis week’s Times Aerospace look at the week for Middle East and African aerospace markets we hear from Jim Haas, Boeing’s director of product development on how aircraft cabins are as safe as operating theatres in terms of air quality and explains how the air filtration system removes viruses such as Covid-19 virtually row-by-row. We also hear from the IATA regional vice-president Muhammad Albakri on how discussions are going between the industry and world governments on getting co...
BUBBLES IN THE AIR – THE KEY TO THE RETURN OF AVIATION
May 14, 2020 00:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MBRoyal Jordanian CEO Stefan Pichler is the main guest on this week’s podcast, the former Jazeera Airways and Air Berlin chief explains how the “bubble effect” is the key to restarting passenger flights. In his discussions with host Alan Peaford, he talks about how O&D (origination and destination) flights from A-B will be the first to come back but predicts delays to the return of the long-haul connecting traffic. Strategic planning throughout the value chain is a challenge, so say t...
INSIGHT: How Angola’s corporate aviation stars came out from a cockpit idea
May 12, 2020 00:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBThis week’s special report into the world of corporate aviation uncovers how Angola’s Bestfly was born. Today Bestfly manages corporate shuttle services for leading international oil majors and mining businesses, it supplies standby medevac services for the offshore industry, has a fleet of business jets and turboprops to support companies and private individual with safe, efficient and secure flights across Southern Africa. It also has an award-winning FBO matching the concierge and...
Air transport's new normal and positive thinking
May 07, 2020 00:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBTechnology editor Steve Nichols hears from SITA’s chief executive Barbara Dalibard (pictured) on what the new normal could be, and how technology will play its part. MRO editor Chuck Grieve gets to grips with discussion on the push by OEMs into the aftermarket, and how it is going to affect independent service providers, particularly in the aircraft modification space. He talks to Nicole Noack, Managing Director, of IAMA, the independent aircraft modifier alliance. And there is some ...
Cargo, conferences, careers - its all crisis
April 30, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBThis week's news magazine podcast looks at Africa's cargo crisis, Middle East careers concerns, a virtual conference and the latest defence delivery with world-beating technology, plus all the news headlines from the aerospace and defence market across Africa and the Middle East.
INSIGHT: Special report on airline restructuring
April 29, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBWith airlines in crisis, we talk to a leading expert of restructuring and turnaround, Steven Kargman, the president of KARGMAN ASSOCIATES. He looks in particular at the challenges facing African airlines but has guidance for airlines facing potential failure
SAA crisis and private aviation challenges
April 24, 2020 00:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MBThis week's news and views from the aerospace, aviation and defence industry programme includes the future - if any - for South African Airways; and hears from Catharine Buchanan, chief operating officer of Vertis Aviation about how the private aviation sector is surviving during Covid-19
MRO and sustainable aviation fuels
April 17, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBIn this week's Times Aerospace podcast for the Middle East and Africa we talk to AJW’s Hafsa Abdul Salman about MRO in Africa and to Joshua Kitetu from Dubai's USW about sustainable fuels. Plus all the news highlights - and an aircraft interiors view from Sabeti-Wain
Drones and hands-free check in at Abu Dhabi
April 10, 2020 00:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MBAlan Peaford talks to Prof Tony Tzes about drones and robotics at Abu Dhabi AIrport and how contactless health screening at key touch points is also on its way. Also the weekly update on news from Africa and Arabia's aerospace world.
IATA shares thoughts on airline future
April 03, 2020 00:00 - 10 minutes - 13.8 MBMuhammed Ali Albakri, regional VP of IATA talks to Alan Peaford about the latest impact on the region's aviation industry plus industry updates - April 3 2020