Sabre Network emphasises importance of technology

Airlines and other relevant stakeholders across the country’s aviation sector have been warned against the dangers of not embracing the importance of technologies to the development of the sector.

The warning was issued by the international global solution distribution firm, Sabre Network West Africa to airlines, travel agents and other stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation sector to embrace technology during the tenth year anniversary of the company in. Lagos.

for enhanced performance.

While it was unanimously agreed at the gathering that technology was a tool for enhancing performance within the aviation community, the various speakers at the event declared that with improved technologies in the global aviation sector that it was necessary for stakeholders in the sector to device a means of being relevant or risk being left behind in the scheme of things.

The Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Sabre, Mr Dean Bibb on the occasion emphasised the importance of mobile technology as the vehicle that drives global aviation which he said Nigeria could not afford to ignore.

While acknowledging that there were 94 per cent of mobile penetration in Nigeria, Bibb urged stakeholders in the sector in Nigeria to be more proactive in the discharge of their duties to their clients.

Nigerian born Gbenga Olowo, President, Sabre, West Africa, lamented the infrastructural deficits in the Nigeria, saying that these add up to the expenses incurred by the company and other operators in the industry.

“We supplied our own power 10 years ago and as at today, we still generate our own power. Internet was sluggish and despite the few improvements, it is still sluggish. 10 years ago, the telephone was good, but today, it’s going bad and might even be worse if care is not taken. Power is a major challenge here as you even need to charge your backups.”

“Sabre is an open platform with applications and we are spreading on the continent. We are between eight to 10 per cent in Ghana; we are in Liberia and even Sierra Leone, but some of the needed infrastructure are no there in those countries. For instance, some of them are not even on the Billing Settlement Plan (BSP).”

On his own, the Managing Director of Spring Fountain, Mr Tunde Fagbemi in his presentation entitled, ‘Emerging Trends in Technology that are Changing the Aviation World,’ explained that Sabre Network operates a leading global travel market place, which processes more than $120 billion global travel annually.

Fagbemi declared that that the only challenge facing the country’s aviation industry was the refusal of players in the sector to be informed, stressing that the sector was too sensitive in terms of safety, security and comfort to be left in the hands of non-interested participants.

“Nigeria would be left behind if we don’t adopt or adapt technology in the sector. We are refurbishing an airport without the runway. Yes, our runways are bad. Which of our airports is compliant in terms of technology and if care is not taken, we will soon become a second hand airport of the world,” he warned.