Business in Africa is getting a big boost from business aviation. The formation of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), which met in Johannesburg last week, is a prime example of business aviation’s positive role in economic development.
Using business aircraft to provide a dimension of air transportation that the airlines do not, entrepreneurs and companies are enhancing the ebb and flow of international commerce throughout Africa, a continent with vast potential as a source of natural resources and opportunity.
Aircraft operators and suppliers of business aviation goods and services in Africa have joined forces to assist in the constructive expansion of on-demand air transportation throughout the continent.
The association’s vision is to establish business aviation as an asset that is recognized, valued and supported by governments, their respective civil aviation authorities and enterprises throughout Africa. The founding members are committed to helping African States understand and leverage the unique value that business aviation provides for the continent’s economic prosperity. They plan to fulfill that mission through conduct shaped by the association’s guiding principles, which focus on advocacy, safety, security, integrity, service and training.
With passion backed by strong financial commitments from each founder that are designed to sustain the association during its formative years, AfBAA members and staff have the resources, experience and energy to create a forum for implementing ideas that will amplify the inherent benefits of business aircraft. The emphasis will be on documenting the demographics of the African business aviation community and developing educational programs that address the needs of operators and suppliers within Africa rather than massive trade shows such as the National Business Aviation Association Convention (planned this month in Orlando, FL) or EBACE — the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (planned for May, 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland).
The land mass of Africa is huge, consisting of more than 50 separate countries and an area roughly equal to the USA, China, Australia and India combined. About 700 African entrepreneurs and companies (not including the scheduled airlines) currently own or lease nearly 1,200 jet and turboprop aircraft for business purposes.
Prior to the formation of AfBAA, business aviation had sparse representation across the extent of the continent, with the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) centered in Dubai, the UAE addressing Northern Africa, and the Business Aviation Association of Southern Africa (BAASA) dealing with operators in and around the nation of South Africa. Until AfBAA, no group spoke for the business aviation community across the broad reaches of Africa. The new association, working with the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), will coordinate its activities with MEBAA, BAASA and other groups representing business aviation globally.
The association’s Founding Chairman is Tarek Ragheb, an Egyptian entrepreneur by birth and a seasoned business aviation professional, who previously served as a senior executive with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.
Ivor Ichikowitz, a businessman from South Africa with activities through the continent, serves as AfBAA’s Vice Chairman, and Rady Fahmy (also an Egyptian by birth) is Program Director. The association, to which I am privileged to serve as a consultant, reflects the expanding recognition that business aviation is an integral element of air transportation — indeed a partner with the scheduled airlines serving the air transportation needs of industry worldwide
Source :forbes.com
