editorial/ cover story - Air World

AVIATION NEWS
display at the Africa Aerospace
and Defence (AAD) show at
Waterkloof Air Force Base
outside Pretoria.
The aircraft in question has been
brought especially for the event.
It is equipped with the most
advanced technologies and
features the new Armonia cabin,
designed for ATR by the
prestigious Italian designer
Giugiaro. The ATR 72-600 is the
best selling regional aircraft in
the world and offers the lowest
seat mile cost and CO2 emissions
in the regional market.
Its presence is meant to showcase
company's determination to meet
growing demand in one of the
world's most vibrant economies
and its trust in the African
regional aviation market
potential.
ATR has substantially developed
its presence in the Africa and
Middle East region, increasing by
30% its fleet of aircraft as well as
the number of its operators within
the last three years. ATR counts
today 35 operators in this region,
operating more than 100 ATs.
Their feedback is very positive
and this let us believe that this
market will keep growing in the
near future. Our investment there
is the proof of our confidence in
this market.
This also demonstrates how ATR
is applying its regionalization
vision to be close to its
customers.
As evidence in support, the
company has recently set up a
new training center in
Johannesburg, South Africa, thus
marking a new stage in its global
training policy. It emerges as a
center of excellence for not just
South Africa but worldwide
offering access to world-class
training technology and solutions
to commercial aviation industry.
(Tokyo) - The International Air
Transport Association (IATA)
called on Japan to capitalize on
the economic benefits of air
transport by improving the
sector’s competitiveness.
“I am a Japan optimist. And in the
case of aviation, these last few
years have seen some of the most
promising changes in Japanese
air transport,” said Tony Tyler,
IATA’s Director General and
CEO. Tyler’s remarks to the
American Chamber of
Commerce in Japan highlighted
the opportunities that are being
created with the introduction of
new capacity into the long-underserved
Tokyo market as well as
market liberalization.
Japanese aviation comprises the
world’s third largest domestic
market, about 5.5% of global
traffic and 11% of global industry
revenues. “Japan is important to
global air transport. And air
transport is critical to Japan.
Could this island nation have
grown to be the world’s third
largest economy without
effective air links? The answer is
no. In fact, there is no clearer
example of the aviation industry
being a catalyst for economic
growth than Japan where it
provides vital—irreplaceable—
links to global markets. But I
believe that aviation could be an
even more powerful force in
Japan’s economy,” said Tyler.
An Oxford Economics study
revealed that aviation has a
significant footprint in the
Japanese economy, supporting
0.7% of GDP (JPY 3.135 trillion)
and 0.7% of the Japanese
workforce (429,000 jobs).
Including aviation’s contribution
to tourism, the figures rise to
1.0% of GDP (JPY 4.501 trillion)
and 1.0% of the workforce
(620,000 jobs).
Comparing the impact of aviation
on the Republic of Korea’s
(Korea) economy to that of Japan
illustrates the potential for
aviation to play an even larger
role as an economic catalyst in
Japan. “In Korea, air transport
and related tourism activities
support 2.2% of GDP and about
2.1% of the workforce. So,
aviation has twice the impact on
the Korean economy as it has in
Japan. Aviation has the potential
to deliver many more benefits in
Japan,” said Tyler.
Tyler focused on two findings
from the World Economic
Forum’s (WEF) Travel and
Tourism Competitiveness Report
to illustrate the need to focus on
strengthening competitiveness:
• Visa Requirements: When
analyzing the number of
countries granted visa-free entry,
Japan ranked in 76th place while
Korea ranked at sixth place
alongside Malaysia, Singapore
and Hong Kong. “This is a big
handicap if Japan is to make its
ambitious target to increase
inbound tourism to some nine
million visitors this year with an
emphasis on attracting
international meetings,” said
Tyler.
• Cost Competitiveness: Of
the 139 countries in the WEF
rankings, Japan ranked at 106 on
airport charges and ticket taxes
while Korea was 33rd. This
corresponds to a Leigh and Fisher
benchmarking survey of airport
charges which found Kansai
International Airport to be the
second most expensive airport in
the world and Narita to be the
Strengthening Japan’s Aviation
Competitiveness
-Reducing Cost of Infrastructure
sixth most expensive.
The leakage of domestic transit
traffic to hubs outside of Japan
illustrates the impact of Japan’s
high cost environment. While
approximately 1.4 million
travelers make
d o m e s t i c / i n t e r n a t i o n a l
connections at Narita annually,
about 500,000 use Seoul’s
Incheon airport as their transit
point. “This is just one
illustration that the negative
impact of high costs on the
aviation business in Japan is real
and measurable. At a time when
Narita is struggling to utilize
capacity, it can ill-afford the lost
business,” said Tyler.
“There are opportunities for
positive change. The New Kansai
International Airport Company—
the merged entity managing Itami
AIR WORLD October 2012-14