For those tracking the development (and high-level normalization) of ‘the new cold war,’ this week has been a doozy. U.S. President Joe Biden departed for the G7 summit in Cornwall with a rare bipartisan win in his pocket. His U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, a $250 billion bill aimed at countering Chinese competition in a number of hi-tech areas like semiconductors and robotics, passed with a 68-32 majority. Some predict that it could ...
Category: Aviation
In a Bid to Get People Back in the Air, Ethiopian Airlines Deploys Chinese Tech For Rapid Passenger COVID Testing
Ethiopian Airlines is hoping that a new Chinese-made COVID-19 rapid testing facility at its hub in Addis Ababa will resuscitate its passenger business. The airline partnered with BGI Health Ethiopia, a subsidiary of China's biotech giant, the BGI Genomics Co, to build the new testing center at Bole ...
With Chinese Engineers Back on Site, Zimbabwe’s New International Airport is Almost Half Done
Construction of the new international terminal at Harare's main airport is now 46% complete according to Zimbabwean officials who credit the return of Chinese engineers for the recent progress. Chinese staff on the project had been unable to get back into ...
With Its Chinese Parent Company on the Verge of Bankruptcy, the Fate of Ghana’s Africa World Airlines Looks Grim
The future of Ghana's largest airline is up in the air now that its parent, Hainan-based HNA Group, has effectively buckled under the weight of almost $100 billion of debt and widespread reports of embezzlement.
Shock and Disbelief Over the Government’s Request for Passengers to “Self-Quarantine”
Political cartoonists in Kenya are channeling the public's anger over the government's request to passengers arriving on the China Southern flight from Guangzhou to "self-quarantine" themselves for 14-days. Cartoons like this circulated all weekend on Facebook and Twitter amid growing public ...
China Southern Resumes Direct Flights to Nairobi Sparking Widespread Outrage Over COVID-19 Risks
239 passengers arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday aboard a China Southern flight from Guangzhou. The flight marks a resumption of the airline's direct route after a 15-day hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in China. The plane's arrival sparked widespread ...
Beijing Rallies to Defend Ethiopian Airlines’ Decision to Maintain Direct Flights to China
Now that China is becoming increasingly isolated due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the government appears to be making a concerted effort to stave off being disconnected entirely from the ...
Ethiopian Airlines CEO: Stopping Direct Flights to China is Not an Option
It looks increasingly unlikely that Africa's largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, will join most other African airlines and temporarily halt direct flights to China due to the coronavirus outbreak. While six of eight African carriers have stopped flying to China out of fear of transporting passengers infected with the ...
Kenyatta Addresses Coronavirus Crisis But Avoids Any Direct Criticism of Ethiopian Airlines’ Decision to Continue Direct Flights to China
The visiting Kenyan president acknowledged that Kenya lacks the resources that China has to battle the worsening Novel Coronavirus outbreak but he added that his government is doing everything possible to ...
So Far, Africa’s Been Spared… But Why?
While Southeast Asia and other regions around the world brace for a rapid escalation in the number of people infected with the deadly Novel Coronavirus, Africa, so far, has been spared. There are a number of factors that might explain why no cases have been reported on ...
There Are Lots of Ways to Still Fly Direct Between China and Africa
Amid growing concern over Ethiopian Airlines' refusal to halt its direct flights to China in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak that is ravaging Wuhan and other regions in China, it's worth noting that a number of other airlines continue to transport passengers ...