UAS Launches African Headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Monday 17th March 2014

IATA, AfBAA, and UAS join forces at the UAS Africa launch gala dinner to discuss training and safety initiatives.

Today, UAS announced that it will be extending its global reach by opening a new African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa. As part of its broad program of investment across Africa, the company is building new facilities, opening offices, implementing training programs, recruiting staff, developing sales and marketing initiatives, and engaging in corporate citizenship.

With its strengthened African presence, UAS builds on its promise of being "Your Local Partner with Global reach." The regional staff will aim to leverage local experience and knowledge along with UAS's global resources to provide a full range of international trip management solutions.

Industry veteran Wynand Meyer will lead the UAS African Headquarters. Newly appointed as Director of Business Development Africa, he joins UAS from Jeppesen, a Boeing company, where he oversaw the organization's Africa, Middle East, and India ground handling network.

UAS implements IATA training for African staff.

To overcome emerging market hurdles and deliver the VIP experience clients expect from UAS, the firm is initiating an aggressive training and development program for its African employees. UAS will train all staff to fulfil its customer-centric approach to service. It will provide intensive workshops on safety to ensure standards are recognized and maintained. Furthermore staff will be equipped with the tools and skills needed to enable communications and maximise networking opportunities.

The training also includes an IATA certification course on station ground handling management. This course can contribute toward an IATA Diploma in Ground Operations once completed successfully. This is a unique opportunity for all the trainees - especially the recipients of the UAS Africa Scholarship program from the Ethiopian Aviation Academy who will also participate in the training.

It is anticipated that the UAS' investment in training will generate ripple effects that should help increase service and safety standards across Africa.

Official launch gala in association with the African Business Aviation Association.

Having operated in Africa for more than a decade, UAS recognizes the emerging potential of the continent and the opportunity for business aviation to facilitate the economic transformation of regional and country markets. UAS is working closely with the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) to identify how aviation can be used to support growth and development.

"We welcome the initiatives shown by UAS. As an Association we are always encouraging international aviation companies to consider the potential for Africa and are pleased to work closely with them to support their investment and growth," says Rady Fahmy, Executive Director for AfBAA. "A very important part of the Association's mandate is to support initiatives that contribute to the increase of sustainable business aviation activity in Africa. We want to recognize UAS for scouting and developing local talent, investing in training programs, and tackling first hand some of the challenges that operators face in Africa. These efforts are critical for raising the standards of African aviation to global levels."

As part of the launch, UAS is organizing a formal gala dinner in association with AfBAA. The goal is to establish a cooperative precedent that highlights how aviation success stems from effective collaboration among stakeholders, including airlines, governments, professional associations, and the support industry.

"The African Launch Gala Dinner is a great opportunity to drive the required conversations," says Wynand Meyer, Director Business Development Africa for UAS. "With platforms such as these, together we can tackle all challenges, keep things moving forward, and realize the potential of our great industry."

The A-list gala will take place on March 13th, 2014. It will include representatives, clients, and industry regulators as well as the following guest speakers:

Omar Hosari, CEO - UAS International Trip Support

Wynand Meyer, Director Business Development Africa - UAS International Trip Support

Rady Fahmy, Executive Director - AFBAA

Kholoud Abulkheir, Regional Head Marketing and Commercial Services, Africa and Middle East - IATA

About UAS:

With international offices across the globe, regional headquarters on four continents, and unprecedented access to civil aviation authorities and governmental agencies worldwide, UAS is strategically linked to thousands of destinations around the globe. UAS provides world-class international trip support and logistics solutions to corporate, VIP, and commercial operators.

About AFBAA:

The African Business Aviation Association was launched in May 2012 to represent the interests of the Africa's aircraft owners, operators, and suppliers to the Business Aviation community in a single voice.

AfBAA currently has over 50 members in total. AfBAA's primary objective is to promote the understanding and benefits that Business Aviation provides for the continent's economic development and prosperity through advocacy. As an active, well funded, professionally run organisation AfBAA is committed to increasing membership, raising awareness of the Association internally and externally in Africa and supporting all entities involved in Business Aviation in Africa. Chairman Tarek Ragheb, and Executive Director is Rady Fahmy, work with the Founding Members to lead development of the Association.

About IATA:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the global trade organization of one of the most dynamic industries in the world. Its members comprise some 240 airlines representing 84% of global air traffic. IATA's mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry. It is an advocate for aviation and a catalyst for the industry's development.