ROYAL SWAZI AIRWAYS LOOKING AT FLYING NATIONAL AIRLINE AT SIKHUPHE
01/03/2014 03:00:00 By Alec Lushaba
RSNAC will soon be moving from Mbabane to operate at the international airport.
With His Majesty King Mswati III expected to officially open the multi-billion emalangeni international airport at Sikhuphe on Friday
With His Majesty King Mswati III expected to officially open the multi-billion emalangeni international airport at Sikhuphe on Friday, the Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation is working around the clock to revive the national airline which operated two national aircrafts, Fokker 28 and Fokker 100.
In an exclusive interview with RSNAC Board Chairperson Nokuthula Mthembu this week, she said government mid-last year gave them a mandate to operate as a national airline company with a national identity.
She said they would soon be moving from Mbabane to operate at the international airport as it was a norm with big international companies. This was further collaborated by Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority Marketing Manager Sabelo Dlamini, who said they were working with RSNAC in ensuring that the country operates a national airline again.
Mthembu, as RSNAC board chairperson was asked to explain their strategic goals now that the construction of an international airport at Sikhuphe was complete and ready to be opened by His Majesty the King Friday.
She responded as follows: “The Board received cabinet’s mandate to revive Royal Swazi National Airways Corporation to operate as a national airline company with a national identity mid-last year. The objective of reviving the airline is to ensure that Royal National Airways is a player in the airline industry regionally and internationally.
“The completion of Sikhuphe International Airport therefore presents Royal Swazi National Airways with an opportunity to fulfil this mandate as well as to contribute significantly to the promotion of civil aviation in Swaziland.
“As part of this mandate, the board is tasked with the responsibility of engaging a consultant to conduct a study to examine, analyse and make recommendations on the revival of this national airline.
“In this regard, the board is in the process of identifying a suitable consultant that will carry out the said study. The whole process (i.e. consultant engagement and study development) is expected to be completed three months after contractual engagement of the consultant.
Are there considerations to buy or partner with an international operator to operate from Sikhuphe and what would be an ideal situation for your board?
Notwithstanding the outcome of the study, there are on-going negotiations and discussions with potential strategic partners to fulfil our mandate. The issue of whether to lease or buy an aircraft is subject to availability of funds. However, the study seeks to bring forth the best strategic option to be followed by the board in the revival of RSNAC as a fully fletched national airline.
Of note is that the airline industry is broad and diverse and revival does not only constitute buying an aircraft, there are issues of organisational structure (for technical, administrative and commercial personnel) to comply with civil aviation regulations and international standards and best practises; maintenance; fuel; ground handling services; and safety and security standards – all of which are critical for airline operations.
Without pre-empting the outcome of the study, the ideal situation for the board in the short- medium term would be to lease. This would be a cost-effective move considering the position RSNAC is in at the moment.
For some time since we sold our two aircraft, RSNAC has been mainly reduced into ticket sales agent, what would be your strategy going forward?
In the airline industry, ticket sales are an integral part of airline operations. Therefore, in this case, ticket sales forms part and parcel of the revival process as a unit. Effectively, the sales unit falls under the commercial department.
Is RSNAC going to move to Sikhuphe?
Sikhuphe will be our platform for operations because that is where business is projected to be.
What is the latest position of the CEO? Has the internal disciplinary process finished to a point that you can go ahead and engage a new person?
Disciplinary matters are between the employer and employee and therefore I am not at liberty to divulge board information in this regard. However, the new mandate of the board is also to hire a CEO and a CFO for the corporation in an effort to strengthen and professionalise the organisational structure.
How is this situation affecting your organisation?
Like any other organisation, RSNAC requires a solid management structure to drive its strategic plan and ensure that RSNAC thrives as a business.
As indicated above, the board has been mandated to ensure that a proper organisational structure is in place for the revival. In conclusion, there is a need to revive RSNAC so as to take advantage of the state of the art international airport at Sikhuphe and to operationalise the air service agreements that the country has signed with a number of countries on air services.
RSNAC, as a national flyer, is a vehicle through which the Kingdom’s air transport needs could be met. The airline industry worldwide thrives on both passenger and cargo services. As part of its strategy, RNSAC would have to maximise on both in order to take advantage of the emerging market presented by the existence of an international airport like Sikhuphe: bearing in mind that Swaziland is a landlocked country.
It is therefore our outmost belief that as a board that the time to revive RSNAC is now. For us at RSNAC, Sikhuphe International Airport is a “gateway to Africa and to the rest of the world”.
