31/05/2020
GLOBAL EASING OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN AND THE NEED FOR AN INCLUSIVE, FAIR, AND EQUITABLE TREATMENT FOR AFRICA AIR PASSENGERS
The African Air Passengers Rights Association (AAPRASS) is the premier organization with the mandate to advocates for fairer, equitable, and more enjoyable air travel for air passengers in Africa, and this includes the protection of rights of air travelers in Africa. AAPRASS commensurate with governments and people of the global community, it has been very difficult for us all, since Covid-19 pandemic made landfall on the continent of Africa, we have seen several deaths and fragmented relationships. As governments of nations begin to ease the lockdown with the economies starting off again, Africa travels will be on the move again. Consequently, it has become necessary to send out a note of caution to airline regulators, against unfair measures being put in place and call on aviation authorities to focus also on the safety of air travelers as they plan Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown easing in the air travel industry.
The Association’s Executive Secretary, Amb. Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, made the strongly worded appeal in Abuja, Nigeria, expressing that African travelers have been at the receiving end of poor judgement and inadequate treatment on several fronts and their rights as air travelers is also impinged upon. He noted with dissatisfaction the lack of unified pathway for refunds for cancelled flights and compensation for African travelers, he made a call for African Governments and all international airlines and governments to seeks and implement an inclusive ease of lockdown in air travels that will also protect the rights and privileges due to all, especially Africans.
“Having reviewed several aviation regulations in some countries’ COVID-19 lockdowns easing guidelines, AAPRASS is dissatisfied with the unfair manner in which air passengers from Africa will be treated. As is at current, it is clear that unfolding events are indicative of possible infraction on personal and community rights, even before the lockdown, African travelers have suffered many poor treatments, for example the segregationally treatment of African in layover policy by some airlines and countries e.g., Qatar Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Turkish Airlines, Egypt Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines, whiles other nationals will be allowed into the country to stay in hotels during layover, some African travelers are denied this privilege. Also, in the case of poor handling of travel luggage by some airline, especially Turkish Airline. It is uncharitable to continue to allow these treatments, and in the face on the current global pandemic we can only hope that African will not be subjected to abusive flying experience once the gates of the airports open. We recall with disdain the recent experiences of Africans who themselves were either residents or visitors to China, as the pandemic spread, the Chinese authorities started picking on people of African descent within their territories, it is unacceptable”.
He argued that, ” Hundreds of complaints from members across Africa have reached our secretariat in the past few days detailing how unfair United Kingdom, some EU’s and African countries planned to treat air passengers in a bid to reopen their economy. Majority of these complaints bother on pending business transactions and unintended family separations.”Amb. Oluwafemi further stated in the release that many African air passengers according to correspondences received at the AAPRASS’s headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria from its members indicate most of them have pending transactions in the United Kingdom and Europe and have unintended family separations across countries of the world, which demand their immediate traveling. For example, the intended quarantine on arrival is going to be an extra burden, the financial burden is to be borne by the passengers while some of these travelers have just three to seven days to do their businesses outside their home countries. Besides, the time constraint is another factor that worth more than the financial cost of compulsory quarantines. “However, the examples of Greece and Spain are what we admonish other countries take queue from. The fact is that if social distancing and mask wearing are effective amongst other preventive measures, there is no need for 14-day compulsory quarantine for air travelers.
“In addition to pending business transactions, AAPRASS members also complain of unintended family separations across countries of the world. African air passengers suffer not only financial decline but also emotional pains as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, it is unjust for these travelers to solely bear the burden of the outbreak while airline operators are being bailed out. What would be the benefit of reopening after lockdowns or easing them if further strains are put on travelers to the UK or Europe? Instead of further punishment on air travelers, a synergy among airline regulators is required for a balance COVID-19 easing implementation. All travelers from Africa are advised to plan their journeys with caution and prepare themselves against poor treatment from airline and regulators of same. “African air passengers deserve equal treatment in comparison with their counterpart in other regions airline. The benefits of the aviation industry accrue more to other regions of the world than to Africa, because only two percent of airlines are owned by the region. The chunk of passengers in the region benefit European countries and the UK than the region itself, an Aviation Benefit Report in 2019 validates this”. He also warned against unethical increased of local and internationalairfares because we cannot be used as a scapegoats. As governments of respective nation ease their aviation industry, we hope to see the preeminence of safety and fairness in the implementation of the ease, we need to know what plans are in place for passenger safety at the airports and onboard the flights.
The executive secretary on behalf of the Association called on airline operators to be fair to African air passengers, he said: “these concerns we have expressed and mostly based on recent policies which will add up unfair treatments of African air passengers, and the history of abusive and poor treatment in the past. We hope to see guidelines in favor of better treatment for travelers as the lifting of restrictions on airline operators begins and post-COVID-19. It is a collective burden for us all, we are currently working on a black list of Airline operators, we will not fail to guide African travelers on the airlines that listen and deal fairly with African travelers”.
Signed:
Amb. Victor Walsh Oluwafemi
Executive Secretary, African Air Passengers Rights Association, AAPRASS
31st May 2020.
