Aketch: 43 years in aviation industry and still counting

Her affair with the aviation industry dates 43 years back. She has seen airlines emerge, collapse and merge amid aviation challenges.Dorcus Aketch, the RwandAir senior manager in charge of revenue, pricing and network planning, has seen the East African aviation sector grow from scratch, literally, to its present state. Her journey started with the East African Airlines which she joined as a salesperson in 1970. Later, she joined Kenya Airways and Virgin Airlines in Nigeria and now works with RwandAir in Kigali. Aketch shared her aviation experience with Business Times during the recent RwandAir Kigali-Accra route launch. How she got into the aviation industry Aketch says her first job was working as a post messenger in Nairobi, Kenya. She says when East African Airlines advertised jobs in the sales department, she applied. “That’s how I ended up in the aviation industry,” says Aketch.The then 21-year-old started working for the airline as a sales and reservation clerk. She rose through the ranks and was a mid-level manager by the time the airline collapsed in 1977. This, however, did not shake her as she had already acquired enough experience to get another job in the industry.Moving on In March 1977, Aketch got a job with Kenya Airways, where she worked until 2005 “when I left for Nigeria to help revamp Virgin Nigeria Airlines which was on the verge of collapse”. “Although the aviation industry in Nigeria was not doing well, I spent six years trying to revive Virgin Nigeria Airlines (now Nigerian Airlines) because of my passion for African airlines. We launched a billing and settlement plan for the Nigerian aviation sector, which helped them improve,” she notes. Past and present; the comparison Aketch says the aviation industry was very challenging in the 70s and 80s, especially technologically. It also faced a lot operational challenges when compared to the modern aviation industry.“If you did not conduct market studies well, you would not survive. First of all, Africa was just emerging as a young economy and little was known about this sector. “This made it difficult for African airlines to compete. Remember, all the nations had got independence a few years back,” she points out. She notes that because of the high cost of fuel, airlines struggled to acquire fuel efficient to cut operation costs. Aketch says in the olden days, one could not sleep while crossing the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean because of fright as the airplanes were not equipped to provide comfort unlike today. “Today, airlines provide a world-class comfort, making it possible for passengers to work while on board, and are highly efficient technologically,” she adds. Challenges in the aviation industry through the eyes of Aketch African airlines are still weak, with passenger load below 70 per cent and profits of just $100m for many of them, she notes. “This is due to high fuel costs, high taxes by the regulatory authorities, stiff competition and skills gap. We operate modern aircraft, which are expensive. This is a big challenge for the young emerging African airlines,” Aketch says.She observes that the only way African airlines can survive this on-slaught is for governments and African travellers to support local airlines. Also, African airlines need to co-operate and create an African partnership as a bloc, she adds. “This is paramount if they are to compete profitably, arguing that there is no airline that can meet the world’s aviation demands alone,” she points out. RwandAir’s position in the African aviation industry RwandAir has repositioned itself at the centre of the aviation industry in Africa. This is good for the entire region. It is now consolidating itself in the horn of West Africa, southern and East Africa and the Middle East, Aketch says.“It’s also imperative to know that when RwandAir flies to these regions, it is not flying as an individual craft but rather as a country. This is something that Rwandans must be proud of and support the airlines,” she notes.The future of the Africa’s aviation industry The African aviation industry is a vital catalyst for Africa’s economic growth and social advancement. A safe, reliable and profitable aviation industry that facilitates business, trade, tourism and social interaction on the African continent and beyond will help to create wealth and promote sustainable development on the continent. The aviation industry will continue to grow, presenting economic opportunities between Africa and the rest of the world.