Africa's top airline chiefs have called for a collaborative strategy to enable successful airlines share resources and expertise with the commercially viable airlines to accelerate economic development across the continent.

The Kenya Airways (KQ) Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni, the Air Seychelles CEO Captain David Savy said that the continent's profitable airlines must join forces with the other commercially viable airlines across the continent to grow.

"We have strong feelings about aviation in Africa, how do we make sure we who are successful ensure we make others like Air Rwanda successful. We have a lot we can do with each other," Naikuni said during a banquet party for visiting aviation dignitaries.

The Boeing Corporation, an American airplane maker, has launched a new campaign targeting mainly African and Middle East airlines to acquire its latest design, the 787 Dreamliner carrier, suitable for long haul flights and huge cargo compartments.

Boeing Corporation CEO Allan Mually, who is also the president of the corporation's Commercial Airplanes Division, arrived in Nairobi Thursday for an African marketing tour, which sources said would culminate in high-level talks with the Ethiopian Airlines.

Kenyan carrier, the Kenya Airways was among the first three African airlines to acquire the 787 Dreamliner jets.

Air Seychelles has also secured a deal through which it would gain access to the new commercial plane.

Naikuni called for closer working relationships with other African airlines, insisting that the intensifying competition on the African skies should be a better sign for the improvement of services.

"We need to work together as Africans. I have told the Group of Eight, club of the world's most industrialized nations, that even though Africa is poor, it does not need money for aid, we need to develop human resource," Naikuni reiterated.

Captain Savy said Kenya Airway's success is a role model for other African airlines." It is not a question of size, KQ is the star airline of Africa, and it is an example for other airlines

The aviation chiefs were unanimous that Africa's development depends on the speed at which the continent develops its human resource capacity and devises ways and means of pulling its resources.

Meanwhile, KQ has opened a new training complex for aviation experts, which it says would enable the airline to provide better services.

The Boeing Corporation has invested heavily in the new training complex, dubbed the Leadership Center, aimed at developing a world- class aviation training facility in Africa.

Currently, Kenya trains most of its aviation experts in South Africa and Ethiopia.

KQ executives say it would be open to aviation firms and would eventually be opened up to other sectors.

Source: Xinhua