GCS strengthens African presence as it begins contract in fifth African country

Thursday 16th July 2015

Great Circle Services, GCS, the Switzerland-based aviation safety consulting company is continuing to strengthen its African presence following the commencement of a consulting role in a fifth African country. The latest contract will see the consultancy providing advice and training to support the undisclosed customer's preparation for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) which will assess the airline's operational management and control systems. The airline is scheduled to undertake the audit in 2016 and will work with GCS to ensure all the required systems are functioning safely and efficiently.

This is the fifth African country where GCS has worked in just under four years. It undertook its first contract in Africa in 2011 when based in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; it audited three airlines for safety on behalf of a major international humanitarian organization. Subsequent consultancy roles have included training an Egyptian airline's management across all matters of safety, and working with a Moroccan flight department to improve safety and compliance.

In the last year it has supported Angola's leading business aviation company Bestfly in becoming the first Angolan company to achieve Stage 1 of ISBAO (International Standard for Business Aviation Operators) by providing training for its safety managers and establishing safety management procedures. It already has plans to continue working with Bestfly to help them achieve International Standards of Business Aviation Handling (ISBAH) within the next six months.

GCS, which is marking ten years this year, has quickly established itself as a leading provider of a range of aviation business consultancy services on the continent.  Michael Grüninger, Managing Director of GCS says, "We are very pleased to be working with yet another African aviation company. We have built a reputation for understanding how to work in diverse cultures, and in challenging environments. We believe that African Aviation has huge potential and that safety of operations and airworthiness is integral for sustainable growth of the sector on the continent. We are committed to training, sharing our knowledge and improving all elements of safety across commercial, business and ground handling operations."

As a Launch Member of AfBAA GCS continues to support African Business Aviation companies in better understanding the methods of ensuring risk-aware, safe and compliant organisations. The training is designed to help aviation professionals master the highly complex aviation business environment and will be participating in the AfBAA symposium to be held in Addis Ababa in September this year.

About Great Circle Services AG 

Great Circle Services AG is one of the leading aviation safety consulting companies in Switzerland.

Established in 2005 by a dedicated team of airworthiness and flight inspectors and
specialists, GCS has pioneered many safety initiatives through numerous training courses, audits and consulting projects.

GCS provides operational, technical, maintenance, management and safety consulting services to an international client base.

www.gcs-safety.com