At this moment of receding Covid 19 figures in the African continent and the corresponding relaxation of travelling restriction, the rich experience of Brussels Airlines Sierra Leone General Manager, Estelle Van Eeckhout relives dark memories of the pandemic toll on the aviation sector and cast an optimistic picture of what the future holds for Sierra Leone and the Africa continent going forward…
A-Z: What was the experience grounding your fights as a result of the pandemic?
Estelle: Of course we were affected by the pandemic crisis in several ways, however we are now looking towards the future – we are optimistic people. I think everybody had a tough time during the pandemic, and it is the biggest crisis our company and the aviation sector have faced ever.
As far as Brussels Airlines is concerned, Q3 2021 is the first quarter that is profitable, since the beginning of the crisis. it’s a small profit, but still. For us this is a good sign that things are going better in Europe and in Africa.
A-Z: Can you put figures around the loss of revenue in totality that the company incurred and how you have been able to make up for the loss?
Estelle: On this, you can find lots of information our press website actually for the figures are many so I will not go into details. I have also printed out the last press release about our resumption of the third quarter. On the same website you can find other information on any figures.
Brussels Airlines’ revenue in the first nine months of the reporting year rose by 12% year on year to EUR 380m (previous year: EUR 339m), while operating income was 7% higher than last year at EUR 402m (previous year: EUR 374m).
Operating expenses decreased by 10% to EUR 544 million (previous year: EUR 607 million) due to lower personnel expenses and expenses for external technical services as well as further effects of its successful restructuring program Reboot Plus.
Adjusted EBIT in the first nine months was EUR -142 million (previous year: EUR -233 million); EBIT in the reporting period was also EUR -142 million (previous year: EUR -256 million), with the previous year’s figure burdened by impairment losses on aircraft and rights of use for aircraft amounting to EUR 31 million.
Brussels Airlines closed the third quarter with an Adjusted EBIT of EUR 1 million, compared to EUR -51 million in the same period last year. In June 2021, Brussels Airlines restarted its hub structure and significantly increased its offer during the summer months in response to the increased market demand. The summer peak, which traditionally ends beginning of September, lasted much longer this year due to a catchup effect.
A-Z: What do you foresee in resumption of flight towards economic rejuvenation not only for your company but for African economies?
Estelle: Often people forget that it’s not the Airlines that stimulate the economy. The Airlines responds to the demand in the market. So the more dynamic the economy of the country is, the more passengers would fly and the more airlines would come. The airlines are the consequence of the economy activity not the primary actor as many people seem to think. With the pandemic, what we have observed is that in Africa, generally speaking, the market recovery is faster than in the rest of the world, probably because the economy is more dynamic, younger as well. So there is a faster recovery on the African continent and Sierra Leone even more than some other countries in Africa.
In terms of rejuvenation, our CEO has unveiled last week Brussels Airlines new identity, you will soon be discovering our new visual identity. After ‘going the extra smile’ and being ‘your friend in the air’, now ‘You’re in good company’ with Brussels Airlines!
A-Z: There are safety concerns in the context of global fight protocols at this material time, if so, how are you responding to such concerns?
Estelle: Safety concerns, can be various, and I do not like to talk about ‘safety concerns’ as just only one. COVID related, we speak about health related measures, and indeed we have passengers who are concerned that they are close to other people in the plane and the fact that the virus can circulate. Airports have strict rules in terms of wearing masks, and washing hands, social distancing etc.. On board Brussels Airlines aircraft, the air is renewed every three minutes, in a vertical manner, and through filters which are used in the medical sector. Secondly, mandatory wearing of masks and finally, we have some measures that have been taken onboard to limit the number of interaction. For example, we do not have inflight magazines onboard anymore. But our passenger still can access our magazine, in a digital form. This reduces interactions, and keeps the service available.
A-Z: What is the projected level of foreign travel to Africa compared to past Christmas and New Year figures?
Estelle: You know Africa is a big continent and it is difficult to generalize because some countries have reopened their airport and lifted restrictions earlier than other countries. Globally, Brussels Airlines has thirty five percent more capacity this Christmas compared to Christmas last year. When you look specifically to the Sierra Leonean market, we have levels of booking that are closed to the one of 2019. Last year we really had a very high peak. We had six to seven flights per week in December 2020 and January 2021!
A-Z: Rolling into the New Year what do we hope to see as new development to enhance the travelers’ confidence and attraction to the Brussels airlines?
Estelle: Brussels airlines, is here. Our main focus is the reliability, regularity and consistency. In Sierra Leone, we are partners with the people, since decades, in bad times (war, Ebola, Covid), but also for the good times (political stability, bringing trade missions and economic development). We are the only airline which office remained open during the COVID flight suspension, mainly to advise our passengers, give updates, when no one else was there to explain the situation and tell stranded passengers what to expect, what to do, who to talk to.
We also contributed to building solutions with NACOVERC for the reopening of the airport in July 2020.
The reward is that people do trust us. To me, that is the most important: we are trustworthy, and our customer know it.
A-Z: What are the challenges so far?
Estelle: At the moment, I think the main challenges are for our passengers. The COVID requirements that are imposed by most countries is a burden and can be expensive. People think twice before planning a trip, even a small trip…
A-Z: Is there a way to get around these challenges?
Estelle: COVID restrictions and requirements are decided by governments and there is a rationale behind it. There are also health requirements to make sure that the circulation of the virus is limited. Brussels airlines are not allowed to board a passenger who does not comply with destination and transit requirements… So we advises passengers as best as we can on the requirements, and help them to comply, or get exemptions in certain cases.
Those restrictions remain at the end of 2021, almost two years after the beginning of the crisis, one of the toughest part for our teams and passengers. Sometimes it is not easy for passengers to understand that you cannot board a flight because you do not hold the right documentation. But Brussels Airlines is not the one deciding.. ., goverments are!
A-Z: Which stakeholders are supposed to be critical factor in promoting airlines effectiveness in the post COVID 19 situation?
Estelle: COVID or not, having an aircraft and passengers flying from a country to another is a team work! The collaboration with Civil Aviation, Airport Authorities, Immigration, Health Department and other regulatory bodies is necessary to make the process as safe and smooth for our passengers.
A-Z: How supportive is Brussels Airlines to the hospitality sector in terms of cargo delivery
Estelle: Since 2019, our cargo is commercialized by Lufthansa Cargo, but of course it comes to Sierra Leone in Brussels Airlines bellies. We have cargo coming to Freetown, from round the world. Different types of cargo, but indeed also supplies for supermarkets and restaurants/hotels. Since the pandemic, we have also transported a number of COVID vaccines to Freetown.
A-Z: Are there any fears that the existing business climate is not going to be supportive of the good plans you have as a company in boosting supply chains for recovery of African economies?
Estelle: The future will show us… we have observed recently decisions from governments, which have a direct impact on the economy of a country. I’m thinking for example of the Brexit, and for something closer to Sierra Leoneans, when the UK government decided to put Sierra Leone on the red list. Now we see Morocco closing doors to the UK and France.
We have to live with this relatively new factor of ‘opening and closing’.
Yes it impacts our business, but the primary impact is for the economy of the countries, and for the people.
A-Z: And can you speak on the silver lining on the dark clouds in the coming year
Estelle : I do not think that the clouds are that dark to be honest. At Brussels Airlines, Africa has helped us go through that crisis and was really the continent which helped Brussels Airlines ’survive’. The crisis is not over, and we have seen the strength, resilience and reliability of our African markets. We look to a bright future. We are very optimistic.
A-Z: Is that the position about IATA generally speaking?
Estelle: You can find IATA position in the press (smile). It is factual. What I can say is that, from Brussels airlines point of view, the sky looks good on the Africa continent.
A-Z What is the general perception about the aviation industry in Sierra Leone?
Estelle: The aviation sector in Sierra Leone is still quite young, but a lot is being done to build. We work with authorities very eager to maintain international standards, and improve the overall passenger journey and operating context. The civil aviation that we work with is professional and looking forward to grow, looking forward to having feedback about the airlines and from other. Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority is also hosting and guiding some other civil aviation like Liberia and the Gambia.
The aviation in Sierra Leone is limited but that is not the problem of regulation that is the problem of market. Nobody would fly aircraft to a country if the aircraft has to come and/or go empty. When you have the market, more airlines will be coming. When I first came to Sierra Leone more than 6 years ago, there was about 4 or 5 airlines flying to Freetown, now it’s around 10. So the more Sierra Leone will develop, the more people will be coming.
A-Z: What is your general perceptive about the tourism in Sierra Leone?
Estelle: Tourism in Sierra Leone at the moment (and before COVID) stands on mostly 2 fields: local tourism (people living in Sierra Leone, doing tourism in Sierra Leone), and what we call ‘Visit Friends and Relatives’ (VFR), ie Sierra Leoneans from the diaspora coming to visit. A lot is being done by the Ministry of Tourism to promote the country and change its ‘brand’, and there is also a lot to be done as well by other ministries to improve infrastructures, environment protection, etc in order to welcome other categories of tourists.
A-Z: What is your general assessment of the Lungi International Airport?
Estelle: My personal opinion is that the airport that we have in Lungi does the job. It is not a super modern airport, and it surely could be improved, but it has the infrastructure in place to go through all the necessary steps that is needed from an operational point of view (check in, immigration, boarding area, etc). I agree that it may not be very ‘passenger friendly’, shops, and food court could offer more/better, and there is still a lot of ‘illegal facilitators’, which the Ministry of Transport and the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority are fighting hard.
The main issue at the moment is on the arrival side, for COVID associated protocols. The COVID measures are strong and good (note that Sierra Leone was the first country in WAF to put in place those measures, as soon as airport re-opened in July 2020!), however the airport (the location) is not fit to host the process.
Construction has started for a new terminal building in Lungi Airport. Although we have not yet been communicated on the date when it will be operational, we (the Airlines) are looking forward to be presented with the project and how the terminate will operate. This will surely bring a wind of modernism in the aviation sector, and, of course, Brussels Airlines will be part of it!