Africa’s massive landmass, young population, and natural resources make it one of the most exciting emerging economies on the planet. Opportunities abound throughout the continent for the investment in infrastructure vital to support the future growth of business aviation, which in turn, supports the growth of the wider economy. Here, the UAS Africa team shares its thoughts on investment opportunities in Africa.
FBO Facilities
Africa lags behind other continents in the area of FBOs which are only found in a few countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Mauritius, and Egypt. Yet, FBOs are central to supporting and encouraging the growth of business travel in Africa. The good news is many airport authorities now see the need for public-private partnerships to develop FBOs.
Maintenance and Supply
Growing aircraft ownership and expanding fleets mean aircraft maintenance is in high demand in Africa, however, facilities are thin on the ground. Although Ethiopia and South Africa have comprehensive MRO facilities for large aircraft, more maintenance facilities are badly needed. Aircraft spare supply and distribution is another area that has traditionally been overlooked by investors. Long waits are common as simple parts must be transported from Europe, America, and the Middle East only to face cumbersome customs clearing processes.
Airport Facilities
Minimal parking space and the inability to accommodate large aircraft are common issues at African airports. Despite economic growth on the continent, some countries are forced to continue to rely on neighboring countries to ship their goods by air or transport large numbers of passengers. This impedes significant economic growth. Therefore, there are great investment opportunities to develop airports that can accommodate large aircraft with modern terminal facilities and technology to better serve passengers.
Accommodation
The availability of good hotel accommodation in and around airports creates a multiplier effect on business growth and infrastructural developments. Growing urbanization in African cities is rapidly creating chaotic traffic jams and insecurity and thus boosting the popularity of airport hotels. A nice example can be seen in what began as an experiment with a 5-star hotel within the Lagos FBO some years back. It has since become extremely popular with crew and business travelers, a strong indicator that more investment in this area would be welcome!
For support with your flight operations in Africa, contact UAS
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Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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