The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) is set to be re-energised under a new leadership team announced on the eve of EBACE.
Dawit Lemma and Craig Middleton have been appointed chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Kigali, Rwanda-headquartered body and have pledged to “build on key pillars [of AfBAA] to generate momentum, raise visibility, and demonstrate credibility across the continent and internationally”.
Lemma replaces Alcinda Pereira – owner of Angolan operator Bestfly - while Middleton, director of sales and account management at General Aviation Services, takes over the vice-chair post from Gavin Kiggen of ExecuJet.
Lemma, who is also founder and chief executive of Ethiopian business aviation services provider Krimson Aviation, says Africa is too often characterised globally as a corrupt, underdeveloped, unprogressive continent. “We are making great strides to change that perception in the business aviation market as the growing economies across the region are creating more and more high-net-worth individuals and companies are adopting business aircraft,” he says.
This has resulted in a burgeoning inventory of aircraft and growing infrastructure to support the fleet. “There was a time when Africa was seen as the dumping ground for very old business jets, but the fleet is getting younger as new-generation aircraft are being purchased in increasing numbers,” he adds. He concedes, however, that much still needs to be done to boost the industry and its association’s membership.
AfBAA represents 40 civil aviation authorities across the continent and a “diverse membership” of around 50 companies, although this is well below the association’s 150- strong membership peak in 2017.
Lemma blames the slide largely on the Covid pandemic which forced many companies to reassess their finances. “Membership of our organisation was not seen as a priority so many withdrew,” he says. “We now have a mission to get most of these companies back on board and grow the membership both internationally and locally,” says Lemma.
“To do this, we have to strengthen communication with our members, illustrate how hard we work to represent each of them on important issues, and to advance African business aviation as a whole.”
Members rely on AfBAA to lobby on their behalf, identify common issues that need resolving, “and act as a single voice with regulators, industry, and international organisations”, he says.
