Jetcraft is meeting Africa’s growing need for private aviation

Jetcraft, a global leader in business aircraft sales and acquisitions, is celebrating 60 years in the industry and remains poised to elevate African businesses to new heights. 

The Covid-19 pandemic affected global airline operations, but Africa was particularly hard hit — making it impractical to seek other modes of transport due to the vast surface area of the continent. And now, more than ever, business owners need to travel without constraints and have control over their environment.

As a result, there’s a growing interest in private aviation in Africa, and Jetcraft is meeting this demand by sourcing aircrafts for clients in growing markets and in established aviation hubs. 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, investors and business jet operators are taking an interest in the abundance of natural resources and business opportunities. Private aviation's primary role is to enable convenient access to regions of the country that are underserved by airlines. 

“Private aviation is an exciting part of fulfilling business opportunities across Africa. While we’re expecting the bulk of transactions to take place in economic powerhouse countries such as SA and Nigeria, we’ve also brokered transactions in Ghana, Togo, Uganda, Angola and Namibia over the past year,” says Danie Joubert, Jetcraft’s vice-president of sales in Africa, Jetcraft.

“What’s common to all of these transactions is that private aviation has been identified as a smart way to create new business opportunities, while offering greater convenience and proving to be cost-effective when measured against frequent first-class air travel.”

Every aircraft model and type — in all locations

Jetcraft is active in diverse markets, which is evident in the wide range of aircraft models the company has access to. Jetcraft is seeing increased interest in some of the later turboprop models, which are fuel-efficient planes that fly at lower altitudes than jets and offer better solutions for domestic operations. This is ideal for customers who fly to destinations away from major cities. Meanwhile, the demand for long-range and larger cabin jets persists. 

Jetcraft's “boots on the ground” global mantra means the company can fulfil these diverse transactions and ensure they're never more than a few hours away from a customer. The value this offers was recently demonstrated when Jetcraft made an aircraft inventory purchase and managed the closing in Africa — as per the seller’s requirements — before completing a sale to an international buyer outside the continent.

The local presence meant the company could integrate with the regional pre-purchase inspection facility, provide local support to inspectors from the destination country, liaise with revenue authorities, and interface with local export agents.

“Thanks to our global structure, we’re able to execute complex international transactions, including business aircraft sales, acquisitions, and trade-in transactions, ensuring deals go smoothly,” says Joubert.

“With an experienced and skilled international team, we’re able to provide deep local knowledge across the globe. We’re looking forward to building on our track record of making the most challenging transactions viable in Africa and beyond.”

Africa’s future in aviation 

We see a bright future for the African business aviation sector and, with investment into new industries and markets, combined with growing demand, there is cause for optimism.  

Jetcraft's expertise in the local market and contacts mean they can tailor services based on the clients needs. The company is well placed to seize opportunities regardless of which markets grow the fastest and which aircraft models are in demand. 

“The combination of heritage, expertise and local knowledge, alongside our use of data, means we’re able to find the right buyer or seller,” says Joubert.

“We’re excited to support clients as they benefit from the new business opportunities that exist across Africa — and we’re prepared to seize the opportunity and demonstrate our commitment to being the fastest and the best when it comes to managing complex aircraft transactions.” 

This article was paid for by Jetcraft.