Page 11 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2019 Online Magazine

[ INTERVIEW - AAPA ]

focus is to provide support in whatever way they can to the friends
and families of the victims and in this case, it was spread across a
very diverse international mix of nationalities.

Complex Which brings additional logistical challenges. While the airlines are
Dynamics there is a religious dimension to it and that creates cultural com-
supporting families in the aftermath of an accident, sometimes
plexities. It does become a very resource intensive process. On the
investigation front, there is a lot of interest in gathering the data and
evidence. There are some initial data available but it’s inconclusive
so we shouldn’t jump to creating a narrative. In this particular case,
there is a tremendous amount of interest because it was a brand-
new aircraft and people have several legitimate questions.

Please comment on the overall safety
performance in the Asia Pacific region?

This is the thing. Flying is extraordinarily safe and keeps get-
ting safer over time. If you look at the last 10-15 years, the safety
performance has been improving consistently. And it’s a global
performance not a regional. The safety performance has been a
global achievement, regardless of the region or aircraft type.

It is so because we have learnt from accidents, we have made
aircraft more reliable, we have made engines much more reliable,
systems and procedures are accurate, training is uniform and
high-standard. You have manufacturers who are committed to
making equipment as safe as they can, regulators provide a sort
of safeguard, and the safety record is everyone’s achievement.

In the last few years Africa’s safety performance has been
extremely good. They have had several years of no accidents at
While all reports and air passenger forecasts all. It’s consistent with international standard’s safety performance.
pointing at Asia Pacific to be the biggest driver And Ethiopian itself is one of the best known and by some measures
of demand from 2015 to 2035, Asian Airlines the largest African airline and has a good reputation. So that’s why
& Aerospace spoke with Director General the crash is even more shocking.
of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines
(AAPA), Andrew Herdman, to get a broader How is AAPA addressing current challenges
understanding of the complexity of the airline in the region?
business. “There would be about 3-4 per cent
growth for air cargo. Passenger would be much Infrastructure is a fundamental challenge not just in Asia but
stronger. Although it got off to a slow start, I globally. Alexandre de Juniac, the DG and CEO of IATA, has been
would still expect to see a little bit of growth in very articulate on that question. I was in Europe recently and the
air cargo, say about 3 to 4 per cent growth. But shortage of airport capacity and the challenge of meeting the
nothing as dramatic as 2017. Probably slower expected growth and demand in Europe is high on people’s agenda.
than last year. We also have to keep a look out Congestion of air traffic is a pressing problem particularly in Europe.
on the global trade issues,” says Herdman in an
exclusive interview with Aprajita Anil. Infrastructure is key challenge in meeting growth demand. Asia is
building a lot of new airports. New Beijing airport is going to open
What are your comments on the and that will add a lot of capacity to that market, much needed.
recent Ethiopian Airlines crash? Vietnam is building a lot of new airports and other infrastructure.
Tremendous growth in market there. Philippines is taking some
We’re very shocked. It’s always a tragedy when steps but Manila is very congested. Indonesia has been expanding.
there is loss of so many lives in such a cata- Although Jakarta has built an additional terminal capacity but the
strophic event. Like everyone else, we have a question is do they need an additional airport.
lot of questions. The way this industry is – as
safe as it is – it is because after every accident Across the region the big focus is financing all that new capital
there is a protocol for an accident investigation. expenditure, making sure it’s built in time and then comes into
In the aftermath of an accident, an airline’s main service and runs smoothly. Then you have the soft infrastruc-

ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE March/April 2019 | 11