Increased Interest in First AfBAC Highlights Continued Importance of African Business Aviation

Ahead of the first African Business Aviation Conference, (AfBAC 2016) to be held in Cape Town 17-18 November, Rady Fahmy, Chief Executive Officer of AfBAA, has confirmed delegate registrations have topped that of any previous AfBAA event, with more than 150 delegates registered ahead of next week’s inaugural meeting.  “We are delighted to see that delegates value the event enough to register in advance. We genuinely look forward to meeting them all,” said Fahmy.

Built on the success of the AfBAA Regional Symposium, AfBAC has evolved into a two-day conference that is set to welcome an impressive list of influential African business aviation executives, in addition to international attendees exploring operational opportunities on the continent. The new, annual flagship event will encourage innovation, discussion, and debate about the topics that will ensure stability of the Business Aviation sector in Africa.

In another first, a dedicated afternoon session debating the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Africa, a continent that is said to lend itself well to the opportunities presented by this rapidly developing technology, will also be conducted.

During the event Tarek Ragheb, Founding Chairman of the Association, will announce a new Board of Directors, which will have the baton of governance passed to them. They will be introduced to delegates, and have their roles and activity defined for the next there years.

As momentum builds sponsors are also confirming their involvement. Bestfly, the Angolan business aviation company has confirmed it has taken the leading sponsorship position for the first time at an AfBAA event. Nuno Pereira, Bestfly MD has supported AfBAA since launch, has been an active voice throughout the Association’s development and was appointed as Vice Chairman of the Association in September 2016. The Diamond sponsorship firmly demonstrates his commitment and belief in the potential of the Association.

“We are taking AfBAA to the next level with this event,” says Fahmy. “It has a whole host of new elements built in, aims to encourage participation from all sectors of the business aviation arena, and will highlight our achievements over the last year. It is meetings like this that underscore just how important sharing information in this emerging market is. We thank our sponsors, and particularly Nuno and his team at Bestfly, for their Diamond level commitment. Without them all this type of activity just wouldn’t be possible.”