Beechcraft wants to grow Namibian market

CHAMWE Kaira asks Scott Plumb (SP), vice president of sales at Beechcraft Corporation about his company’s plans for the Namibian market and Africa at large.

The Namibian (TN): What is the size of your Namibian market?

SP: There are currently 23 business aircraft in Namibia, of which more than half are business turboprops. Turboprops like the family of King Air aircraft manufactured by Beechcraft are ideally suited to the Namibian market because although the country has 112 airports, 94 of these have short or unimproved runways and are therefore inaccessible to many jets.

TN: What plans do you have for the Namibian market and what kind of clients are you looking for in Namibia?

SP: The Namibian business aviation market is relatively strong. Across the entire African continent there is approximately one business aircraft for every 1,1 million people. In Namibia it is around one aircraft for every 90 000 people. We believe that the economic indicators for the country outline real potential for growth, and our team, which covers the region, is building links with those currently operating business aircraft, as well as those looking to enter the market.

Potential new customers are likely to be a mix of corporations. In other countries we have relationships with government departments, particularly for special missions aircraft, and we will look to explore opportunities in this area as well for the Namibian market

TN: Can you elaborate on your current African market and plans for it?

SP: We have a very strong presence in Africa, as our aircraft provide the ideal combination of flexibility, reliability, and ruggedness. We have a wide mix of clients, from corporations and governments to high net worth individuals, and as more trade takes place between Africa and other continents we are seeing an increased demand for high quality business travel. We will be looking to further expand our customer base in all those groups. We are working with African operators who have been flying older aircraft to help them upgrade to new King Airs. This allows them to take advantage of greater fuel efficiency and thus lower operating costs, while still providing their customers with high levels of cabin refinement.

TN: How has the size of the Namibian market changed over the last 10 years?

SP: The Namibian market has remained relatively stable over the last decade. A good indication of this stability is that only one Namibian registered aircraft is currently listed as being for sale. This represents four percent of the fleet, which compares very favourably with the rest of continent, where 11% of aircraft are for sale.

TN: What challenges face the aviation business in Africa?

SP: There are a number of challenges in this sector. The continent’s business aircraft fleet is the oldest in the world and many aircraft should be replaced. Financing of new aircraft can be an issue, and this is an area in which we can help our clients, through our relationships with lenders willing to back purchases.

One challenge is actually an advantage for Beechcraft, and this is the proportion of short or unimproved runways in Africa. Across the continent almost 82% of airports have short or unimproved runways and this prevents many jet aircraft landing there.

TN: Why do you think that business aviation will expand in Africa?

SP: Africa is an exciting region in terms of growth potential for business aviation. We have seen a large number of deliveries of business aircraft across the continent over the past decade. We fully expect this trend to continue as a greater number of entrepreneurs and corporate entities seek to take advantage of the benefits of business air travel.

There are a number of key reasons for this: strong economic growth; the oldest fleet of business aircraft in the world, which makes it prime for upgrading; the fact that many of Africa’s 3354 airports are not accessible to commercial aircraft or larger business jets; strong growth in the continent’s ultra-high net worth population; and strong foreign investment in the continent. All in all we are very excited about the opportunities across Africa.