Ian Goold/TUNIS
Airlines in the Middle East and North Africa are planning to work together to cut costs. The carriers, which include the national airlines of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, will begin with a pilot scheme for a joint handling operation at the UK's London airports.
The planned move, which reflects an inclination towards greater co-operation among Arab carriers driven by increasing global competition, could be extended to additional European airports. There is already a collective agreement covering the provision of airport approach charts by Jeppesen.
Almost 20 members of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) agreed the plans at their annual assembly in Tunis on 18-19 May. Joint handling at London would involve 13 airlines, almost all of which operate at Heathrow. The AACO hopes to have completed talks with vendors by August, says secretary-general Abdul Wahab Teffaha. An appointment is planned by the start of 1999.
Initially, the AACO is looking for passenger/baggage, cargo/mail and ramp handling services. Carriers could opt for any or all elements. A second phase, which might coincide with joint handling at Paris or Frankfurt, could cover catering and technical services, while a third could be for joint passenger reservations operations.
Teffaha sees the initial co-operation on the handling of Arab airlines at overseas airports as leading to other possible similar joint efforts.
The carriers recognise that they must address their survival in the globalised airline industry. Teffaha acknowledges that no major airline alliance group includes a substantial role for an Arab carrier.
Source: Flight International
