Freedom for Latin America The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments and other stakeholders in Latin America to unite to give aviation the freedom to succeed by improving aviation safety, making badly needed investments in infrastructure and reducing the heavy tax burden on the industry. "The freedom to succeed depends on having the right conditions in place. Many of those conditions are beyond the control of the airlines--or at least require industry and government to work together with a common vision and purpose," said IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler. He urged governments to use aviation as a catalyst for economic growth and development in the region. Aviation supports more than 4.6 million jobs and $107 billion in GDP in the Latin America/ Caribbean region. But this could be much more. Americans travel an average of 1.8 times a year. Chile has the region's highest propensity to travel. But it is still at 0.7 trips per year. "There is great potential to be achieved if we work closely with governments to secure our future," said Tyler. According to Tyler, IATA is strongly aligned with the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) to enable aviation to achieve its economic potential. "ALTA is a partner of IATA in this region and we are working in harmony to move aviation forward." He identified three areas that are vital to enabling aviation to fulfill its economic potential in the region; safety, security and infrastructure. "The freedom to succeed begins with safety because without it success is not sustainable. Earlier this month, we announced our analysis of the industry's 2011 safety performance. It was a stellar year--the best in history: 2.8 billion people flew safely on 38 million flights." However, Tyler noted that the picture in the Latin America/ Caribbean region was not as bright. "Although Latin American airlines achieved a 32 per cent improvement in the Western-built jet hull loss rate compared to 2010, the 2011 performance was still 3.5 times worse than the global rate. LATAM traffic is 6 per cent of the global total but it accounted for 27 per cent of jet hull losses. If this does not improve, then the current rate of traffic growth means that in six years, carriers here will experience a major accident every eight weeks. Clearly that is not sustainable." Tyler cited the success of the IATA Operational Safety Audit, which is a condition for membership in both IATA and ALTA, as a means of improving safety. "The accident rate for non-IOSA carriers in LatAm is five times worse than for those airlines that have met the standards. Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama recognise this and have incorporated IOSA into their safety oversight. Peru is expected to follow in 2014. I cannot understand why all Latin American governments don't do the same. It can only help." Tyler noted the importance of information sharing to identify emerging safety trends and take actions to mitigate risks. "A decade after the tragic events of 9/11, we are much more secure but perhaps not equally wiser in the way that we accomplish passenger security. Does the security experience of long lines--which is a particular issue at several large hub airports in Latin America--plus unpacking, disrobing and often intrusive checks, need to be that way?" Tyler cited IATA's Checkpoint of the Future that will differentiate screening using passenger information that is already being collected for immigration purposes. This will be combined with technology that allows passengers to walk through checkpoints without stopping, disrobing or unpacking.Tyler also cited the need to harmonise passenger data exchange within the region. He said that aviation's sustainability is also highly dependent on adequate airport and air traffic management infrastructure. "To be candid, I have big concerns about this region. Infrastructure clearly is deficient in many countries but I do not see a level of urgency among governments to fix it with holistic solutions. Bottlenecks created from neglect and underinvestment could choke future growth." Tyler noted the recent airport privatisations in Brazil are intended to help that country fast track much needed investment in airport infrastructure ahead of the FIFA World Cup and Olympics events. However, the high prices paid by the new airport investors for the concessions are a matter of concern. "The investment must be recouped through efficiency improvements that enable traffic growth, not in higher charges to airlines," said Tyler. IATA boss also cited the need to open more airspace that is currently restricted to military use and to reduce the heavy fees and user charges imposed on travel and tourism across the region. "At least $4 billion is collected from airlines and their customers. There is very little transparency on what happens to that money. But a best guess is that less than a third stays within the sector." "The future is bright for Latin American aviation. Now, governments in the region need to do their part by working with all stakeholders in the areas of safety, security, infrastructure and charges to ensure that the freedom to succeed is not an empty phrase. IATA is a willing and able partner in this effort," Tyler said. Morocco welcomes Solar Impulse The Kingdom of Morocco will become the first Arab country to welcome Solar Impulse aircraft in the spring of this year. After its inaugural flight to Paris and Brussels in 2011, the Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg's solar airplane will attempt, for the first time ever, to fly over 2,500 km (1,550 miles) without using a drop of fuel, finally landing in Morocco. This trip will coincide with the launch of work in the region of Ouarzazate to construct the largest solar power plant ever built. During May or June, Solar Impulse will take off for its longest ever flight, crossing the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will take turns to fly the aircraft on its 48-hour journey, with a scheduled intermediate stopover near Madrid to change pilots. This long-duration flight will serve as a dress rehearsal for the round-the-world flight in 2014. It will allow the Mission team to gather additional experience in cooperating with international airports, integrating the prototype into regular air traffic patterns, and managing the logistics of maintenance. "We didn't have a moment's hesitation in accepting the idea of working with Morocco", declared André Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse. "This destination corresponds fully with the goals we had set ourselves, in terms of distance and flight duration." He added: "Flying as far as this, powered only by solar energy will be excellent training for the round-the-world trip." The Solar Impulse team will be welcomed in Morocco by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), whose role is to develop Morocco's solar energy plan. This program is the most ambitious not only in the region but world-wide, in terms of its innovative strategies and large-scale integration of solar technologies. When they arrive in Morocco, the pilots will symbolically present to their hosts samples of the solar technologies exploited by Solar Impulse. Morocco intends by 2020 to build five solar complexes, generating in total 2000 megawatts and preventing the emission over time of 3.7 million tons of CO2. The solar-thermal power plant in the region of Ouarzazate, which will have a capacity of 160 MW, is part of the solar complex, housing a range of solar installations which, by 2015, will generate a total of 500 MW. "We are full of admiration for the vision of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI and the intelligent energy policy adopted by Morocco. We are delighted to support it. Theirs is a pioneering project, which clearly demonstrates that the clean technologies we are promoting with Solar Impulse also have a role to play in everyday life," declared an enthusiastic Bertrand Piccard, initiator and President of Solar Impulse. In his reply, Mustapha Bakkoury, president of the Management Board of MASEN, confirmed that "it is quite natural, given the convergence between our respective convictions and goals, that Solar Impulse and MASEN combine forces for a project that brings to life the ideals and values that inspire us." EVA AIR joins Stars Star Alliance has accepted the membership application of EVA Air. "After careful evaluation we concluded that Star Alliance offers the best match for EVA Air," stated James Jeng, chairman of EVA Air. "Our networks complement each other and we will expand the existing alliance flight options in the growing cross-strait market. In addition, our partnership with Air China makes the Star Alliance especially attractive to us," he added. The decision to accept the Taiwan-based carrier BR underscored the network's long-term strategy of seeking growth and providing access to new regions that show strong economic potential and development. Frankfurt-based Star Alliance has built up its presence in the Asia-Pacific region and will have eight member carriers based in the region by mid-2013. "The airline will add many new routes to our global network, with a specific focus on the growing Far East aviation market," said Mark Schwab, chief executive officer of Star Alliance. He said BR is a very good fit for the alliance, with a specific focus on the growing Far East aviation market. "Many airlines try to fly to China. But not everybody can. For example, no foreign carrier is allowed to operate on the cross-straits market. This is a unique service. BR [will] become a member at a good time," BR president KW Chang added. BR will become the second Taiwanese carrier to join an alliance, after competitor China Airlines (CI) joined SkyTeam last year. "This will increase choices for our customers and is in line with our mission of being the leading global airline alliance for the international traveler. Through its membership in Star Alliance, EVA Air will be able to offer its customers access to a global network, along with seamless travel and status recognition within the various member carrier frequent-flyer programmes. The integration process is set to begin, with teams at both EVA Air and Star Alliance completing the needed work before a new airline can join the Star Alliance network. Air China (CA), which joined Star in 2007, will assist in the integration process as the mentor airline. "I hope �ê� this will be a win-win situation and collaborate in the important cross-strait market," CA SVP Xiao-Hang Zhao said. "Our brand recognition will increase while the cost of air transshipment will be lowered," he added.
