When different experts including those at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predict 2020 to be the "worst year” for the aviation sector, it is because the magnitude of the pressure that Covid-19 has put to the industry is unprecedented.

The Association alone predicted in June that every day of this year will add $230 million to industry losses. In total that’s a loss of $84.3billion, erasing more than a decade of growth.

That is because passenger travel demand has faded as international borders closed and countries went in lockdowns.

IATA, which has 290 member airlines that handle around 82 per cent of the total global air traffic, said in June that airline revenues will fall 50 per cent to $419 billion in 2020 from $838 billion in 2019.

When Covid-19 hit, Rwanda closed its borders and passengers were barred from travelling. The national carrier, RwandAir, suspended all commercial flights, and it was only in August that it resumed operations.

By November, RwandAir had resumed 70 per cent of pre-Covid flights. Yet, the airline’s chief executive officer Yvonne Makolo is concerned that the path to recovery remains painfully slow.

"However, with the acceleration of Covid-19 vaccine development and distribution, recovery is expected but will take time to revert to previous year levels,” she said in an emailed response.

The recovery has been slow, complicated by economic downturn and lockdown measures. Some companies have responded to this by grounding fleets, scaling back service and cutting thousands of jobs.

For instance, RwandAir, which had previously suspended its commercial passenger flights, increased its footprint in cargo transport.

In May, the airline secured a deal with Tanzania that saw them transport cargo from Mwanza airport to Brussels, Belgium, and at the same time it resumed ferrying commercial freight from the Chinese city of Guangzhou to Kigali.

In a bid to prop up the airline, the government said that it will increase funding to RwandAir to Rwf145.1 billion in the 2020/21 fiscal year, up from Rwf121.8 billion this financial year.

Looking at current travel trends and the prevalence of the virus across the world, Makolo estimates RwandAir will likely be within 50-55 per cent of the target for passenger uplifts and 85-90 per cent for cargo.

With open borders and rising demand in 2021, however, the industry is expected to cut its losses to $15.8 billion.

Swapnil Karkhile, the operations manager at Satguru Travels Rwanda office, described 2020 as a "nightmare to aviation and tourism” sectors owing to the toll the crisis had on players like them.

"Looking at what we anticipated in terms of business, we achieved only 30 per cent of it,” he noted. "Nevertheless, we were able to carry out critical operations to assist people who were stuck in countries.”

Flying in Covid times

While airlines have gone ahead with their flight resumption plans, every country and airlines have a role to play to make sure that flying is safe for everyone before the world gets the vaccine.

Covid-19 certificates, airport screenings, sanitisers, robots that detect temperature, as well as physical distancing rules became a norm at the Kigali International Airport when the country reopened borders.

RwandAir and Kigali International Airport have implemented hygiene and safety protocols to limit the spread of the virus, and the national carrier provides travel insurance for all travellers.

"We believe all these measures will boost passenger confidence to travel again,” Makolo said.

Before flying, all passengers are now required to show Covid-19 negative certificate, whether they are arriving, transiting or departing from Rwanda.

Testing has been one of the most recommended measures to deal with Covid-19 pandemic, as countries race to develop vaccines and therapeutics.

Pre-boarding temperature checks on passengers have become a routine element of flying and physical distancing indicators have also become ubiquitous around airports.

At the Kigali International Airport, thermal cameras that screen people for temperature before boarding aeroplanes are installed on both arrival and departure areas.

At the same time, autonomous robots deployed at the airport are now able to perform mass screening activities when the airport. The robots have the capacity to screen up to 150 people per minute for temperature and can notify workers for detected abnormalities.

The robots also detect those walking in with no masks and instruct them to wear them.

Airport operators have put in place self-check-in kiosks that allow passengers to check-in themselves without physically meeting ticketing agents. A passenger can spend less than a minute at the kiosk.

Still, Karkhile argues that it takes longer for people to get used to new changes, highlighting that currently there are people who are now reluctant to fly due to strict measures at airports and in aeroplanes.

Beyond Covid-19

The pandemic has affected the entire aviation sector in Rwanda, but there was also good news. Before the outbreak hit, the aviation market started on a good note with Qatar Airways announcing plans to acquire stake in RwandAir.

The gulf airline said in February in Doha that it was acquiring a 49 per cent minority stake in RwandAir, boosting the prospects of the country’s carrier and allowing it to expand in the future.

The development followed another major investment deal that the airline signed with the Government back in 2019 to invest in airport infrastructure through Bugesera International Airport in Bugesera District.

In December 2019, Qatar and Rwanda signed three major agreements that saw the two parties set up a joint venture to build, own, and operate the international airport in Bugesera.

This includes the shareholders’ agreement, the share purchase agreement, and guarantee for indemnity.

"The airport is being built by our Sovereign Fund to take the capacity of 10 million passengers – single run-way airport,” Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways chief executive said at the time.

It will be the first Greenfield airport in the African region.

"Africa as a whole has not had a new greenfield airport for decades. We are building a Greenfield airport in the heart of Africa – economically developed and politically very stable to serve the people of Africa,” he said.

"In the next three years you should start to see the benefits, benefits in creating jobs, in creating economic benefits to the people, uplifting the standards of people,” he added.

Other developments

In October, Rwanda approved the revised African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) constitution, becoming the 13th African state to ratify this establishment.

The constitution, which seeks to promote coordination, better utilisation and orderly development of African air transport systems – will enter into force after the ratification of two more countries.

AFCAC is a continental consultative body on aviation.

Rwanda Civil Aviation Management (RCAA) said ratification allows a State to realise the benefits that are in the legal instrument, because without ratification, the duties and responsibilities are not assumed.

Among the benefits, RCAA said, Rwanda expects a boost in tourism revenues and jobs.

"Tourists benefit from enhanced air connectivity because of savings on airfares, more direct routes and frequencies,” the management explained. "This will ultimately lead to air travel convenience and shorter flight time.”