EAN, Nigeria's first FBO, to partner with Banyan Air Service in Florida

Tuesday 30th October 2012

Evergreen Apple Nigeria (EAN) Ltd which opened the first fully fledged FBO and MRO for business jets in Nigeria in July 2011, announced today at NBAA an innovative partnership to work closely with Banyan Air Service, Florida's leading and award winning FBO operator.

The new partnership will see Banyan transferring its extensive experience and skills to EAN by sharing knowledge, resources and contacts with the aim of supporting and developing EAN's customer focused service strategy, which lies at the core of both companies' business models.

"Banyan Air Service, now in its thirty third year, is a widely respected and popular FBO in the USA, which has mastered customer service in all aspects of their operation. Our focus is on premium customer service and safety and the Banyan business model is a fine example of how we would like our business to develop," said Segun Demuren CEO of EAN. "We are a fledgling business and the first in the market to respond to the needs of a growing business aviation fraternity in our country. We are delighted to start sharing best practice, knowledge and resources with Banyan as we evolve and fine tune our operation." Through close collaboration Demuren anticipates that EAN will improve its systems and processes which in turn will fine tune its service offering. Sharing this knowledge will support EAN's ambition to run a successful and efficient FBO model that can then be extended across the African continent.

Strategic plans are already under way to implement the partnership. Banyan's CEO, Don Campion, and James Torrey, lead project manager, visited EAN in early October where they undertook a complete audit of EAN's systems. This resulted in a detailed schedule for changes and improvements with advice on implementation now being shared. Key members of the EAN team, including the Head of Operations and Facilities will visit Banyan early in January for training in ground ops and facilities management.

"We congratulate Segun and his team for establishing such a professional and attractive FBO at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos with a full suite of facilities and EASA approved MRO. We look forward to working with the dedicated EAN team to support their long term goals and objectives to create a network of high quality, customer driven FBOs in Africa," commented Campion.

As part of the collaboration Banyan Air Services will host EAN during NBAA and will participate in a number of joint meetings with international suppliers of fuel, FBO software systems, air charter and ground services. A formal Memorandum of Understanding is expected to be signed within the next month.

• Banyan Air Services will exhibit - Booth 2766 - at NBAA 2012

Photo:

Left to right: Don Campion, President Banyan Air Service (based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport)Segun Demuren, Managing Director/CEO Evergreen Apple Nigeria