Mr. Sebastianaan Spijkers was recently appointed Brussels Airlines country manager for Uganda and South Sudan. He spoke to Julius Businge about their operations and the pertinent issues in the aviation industry:
What are the main pillars of your management style as a manager?
I enjoy seeing my team involved in anything Brussels is implementing so that the goals and targets we set are achieved as a result of all of us putting in our effort. I encourage brainstorming where everybody is given chance to pitch an idea. I don’t want to run the institution alone. It is not a single man’s story.
How would you assess the aviation industry in Uganda currently?
The industry is very competitive. Brussels Airlines has been here since 1968 and we have continuously kept on flying. The market in Uganda is open and that is why you are having this hyper competition. This is good to the customer; the person flying today is paying half the cost they paid 5-6 years ago.
What is your competitive advantage?
It is easy for us because we believe we offer the best products and services on the market today. Like I said, we are an experienced airline and have been in this market longer. So we know what Africa is all about and we have been working for it for a long time and we won’t stop. When Ebola hit West African countries we did not stop flying there but some players did. We care about our customers and we don’t run away from them when they are in trouble.
Given your wide experience in the aviation industry, what would you say are the main regulatory challenges that are facing Uganda’s industry in comparison to other markets in the region?
Uganda is very competitive and liberal market. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is very serious when it comes to regulation and all the airlines know that. Nevertheless, there are things that could improve. The other key issue is that we are heavily taxed here. The airport taxes we pay in Uganda are higher than those at European airports. The other issue here is that the operator of the airport and the regulator of the industry (CAA) in Uganda is the same, which is a very tricky situation to be in. Preferably you would need to have these two roles separated. For instance in Belgium, the airport is operated by a private company, while the industry is regulated by the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority. I think there will always be a conflict of interest if these two roles are performed by the same entity.
Globally, air transport has recently faced safety- related challenges; how has Brussels responded to the situation?
It depends on what kind of safety challenges that you are talking about. When it comes purely to aviation safety, as a European company we have a lot of safety standards which we must adhere to. We are regulated and certified by the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority, European Association for Safety of Airlines, International Civil Aviation Organisation, and International Air Transport Association among others. So we have all the certification and security needed to fly. On a daily basis, we do maintenance of our aircraft to ensure that we safely serve our customers. It is true that what happened to the Malaysian aircraft sometime back was tragic, and they caused tension and fear among travellers. But that said, our figures have not reduced because of those incidents.
Globally, what other major challenges is the sector facing at the moment?
You will realize that there is no level playing field in some markets where government directly supports an airline. The one that is subsidized will have cheaper ticket fares compared to the private airlines. This is a true story globally. The other challenge has to do with the high costs resulting from high fuel prices, high certification fees, taxes, aircraft maintenance charges among others.
What key developments is your airline implementing to improve services in Uganda and the region at large?
Like I said, we are a personalized airline. We have high technology flatbed seats in Business Class, all new seating comfort in Economy Class and a revolutionary entertainment system with large individual screens for the entire cabin. These classes are all popular today. We are implementing some corporate social responsibility in the various markets we operate including Uganda. We fly three times a week to Entebbe. We also have the Bfamily product where we create space and give priority to family members travelling as a group to check-in and sit together.
What is your reading of the future of aviation industry in Uganda and the region at large?
In Uganda I think we are at maximum limit of capacity. Many new entrants came into the market because the number of people flying into Uganda kept increasing. This attracted many players. That said, I see the future of aviation in Uganda being very bright as longer as we as airlines work together with various government agencies. For East Africa, I see economies doing well and that will continue to have a positive impact on the aviation industry.