African Business Aviation Association adds new Professional Member category as it restructures membership options.

Monday 18th May 2015

The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) announced today at EBACE 2015 that it has added the category of Professional Member to its membership categories. It follows a restructuring of the membership options as it aims to make its services available to the complete spectrum of the African Business Aviation community.

The Professional status is targeted towards individuals that have an interest in African Business Aviation, but are not necessarily part of a company or corporate structure. Pilots, flight attendants, private owners, freelance media, aviation educators, individual consultants, commercial operators with an interest in executive aviation, and anybody with an interest in African Business Aviation, from a personal perspective, would be encouraged to join in their own name. Professional Members will be entitled to limited access to the data and research produced by the Association, discounts where available on AfBAA services and the networking opportunities provided by the AfBAA events.

The new option will complement the restructured Premium, Corporate and Affiliate Membership categories. Premium Members will have access to premium features enabling heightened brand awareness, in addition to special products and services access. Corporate Membership is designed for those who own, operate or service the Business Aviation industry in Africa.

Both these classes have voting rights. Affiliate Membership targets companies affiliated with African Business Aviation and hold the same vision as AfBAA to support and develop the continent's economic growth through Business Aviation. As with the Professional category members do not hold any voting rights.

The new structure confirms the formal closure of Founding and Launch Memberships whose members have been integral in supporting the growth of the Association. These members are now well established as part of the Association and benefit from their initial status.

"We want the Membership structure to be inclusive so that any individual who wants to contribute to the development of Business Aviation in Africa can be a part of AfBAA. We would like to offer the complete aviation community in Africa a voice that can shape the future development of the continent's economies," said Tarek Ragheb, Founding Chairman.

AfBAA plans to maximise its presence at the African Pavilion Booth A065 to encourage new membership "We are keen to showcase AfBAA, the only Pan-African aviation association, as a professional, inclusive and active body with a genuine commitment to supporting the development of the future of Business Aviation in Africa. We can only do that by ensuring all stakeholders have an opportunity to influence the future which is why we've carefully designed the new membership categories," added Rady Fahmy, Executive Director. AfBAA will be signing up new members at the African Pavilion Booth A065 during this year's EBACE and hope to welcome its hundredth member at the show.

About AfBAA

The African Business Aviation Association was launched in May 2012 to represent the interests of Africa's aircraft owners, operators, and suppliers to the Business Aviation community in a single voice. AfBAA currently has 93 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 Rady Fahmy, work with the Founding Members to lead development of the Association.

www.afbaa.org