At the recent AfBAA Safety and Training Workshop held alongside the Aero South Africa exhibition — Southern Africa’s leading event for general aviation — Dawit Lemma, Chair of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), provided a comprehensive overview of the association’s direction, emphasising the broader role business aviation plays across the African continent.
Defining Business Aviation in the African Context
Lemma opened with a call to re-examine the definition of business aviation, highlighting that it should not be limited to corporate jets or high-end aircraft. In the African context, aircraft serve diverse and essential roles — from small planes used by farmers to access remote locations, to helicopters supporting anti-poaching operations. These examples, though modest compared to traditional Western interpretations, fall within the definition of business aviation as aircraft used as business tools to save time.
This functional diversity is a defining feature of business aviation in Africa, and AfBAA’s approach seeks to integrate these realities into how the sector is represented and developed on the continent.
AfBAA’s Strategic Focus
AfBAA operates as a sector-specific association focused on business aviation in Africa. Its strategic direction for the future is guided by five core pillars: membership, governance, international engagement, public relations, and communications.
A cornerstone of the organisation is its Safety and Training Committee, AfBAA’s longest-standing committee since its formation in 2012. Lemma, noted its technical focus and role as the educational driver of the association. The committee is committed to improving safety across African business aviation, countering the often inaccurate perception of the continent’s aviation standards.
Collaboration with IBAC and Promotion of Safety Standards
AfBAA collaborates closely with the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), a global body that represents the international business aviation community. IBAC holds observer status at ICAO, enabling it to engage in global regulatory discussions on behalf of the sector.
IBAC is responsible for two key voluntary safety standards:
- IS-BAO: International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations.
- IS-BAH: International Standard for Business Aviation Handling.
These standards are designed by the industry, for the industry, and provide structured safety management systems tailored to both flight operations and ground handling. They follow a staged approach (Stages 1 to 3) and apply to a wide range of aircraft types — fixed-wing, rotary-wing, unmanned systems, and advanced air mobility platforms.
Bridging Gaps Between Industry and Regulation
Lemma stressed the practical benefits of engaging with IBAC’s Standards Industry Partners Programme (IPP), a forum where industry stakeholders and regulators collaborate to improve aviation governance. While Africa currently lacks representation in this programme, AfBAA has submitted a proposal for an African operator to participate, with the goal of ensuring the continent’s perspectives are included.
He also highlighted the challenge of applying uniform regulatory requirements across vastly different operators. Using an example from Ethiopia, he illustrated the discrepancy between the safety audit requirements applied to a major international airline and those expected of a single-aircraft operator. Such cases underline the need for more context-sensitive regulation — a goal that can be supported by IBAC task forces working alongside CAAs.
Enabling a Cohesive Business Aviation Ecosystem
The closing remarks focused on the importance of developing a coherent ecosystem for business aviation in Africa. Rather than implementing international standards in isolation, Lemma noted the need to contextualise them for local conditions. In this regard, AfBAA aims to serve as a bridge between global frameworks and African realities.
As African business aviation undergoes a period of transformation, shaped by emerging technologies and frameworks such as the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), AfBAA and IBAC are positioning themselves not only as advocates, but as active contributors to the sector’s growth.
