Cape Town - “South Africa and in particular Cape Town, has arrived,” was the sentiment shared during the launch of the African Air Expo SA.
The African Air Expo SA was launched at Avenue at the V&A Waterfront Dockyard on Wednesday.
The Air Expo brand was established by aviation-related event management company Adone Events, which is responsible for between 10 to 12 similar events in cities such as Paris, Farnborough (UK), New Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Geneva and Dubai.
The expo is organised in collaboration with Global Centre of Excellence and Neonhive, and endorsed by the City of Cape Town, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, Airports Company South Africa, Wesgro, Cape Town Tourism and Brand SA.
Scheduled to be held from February 10 to 17 next year, the expo will be the first commercial, general, civil, airport infrastructure, tourism and technology exhibition and conference on the African continent.
Adone Events CEO Didier Mary said: “When we do this expo, it is mainly to support the aviation groups. The idea is to have a potential of national and international exhibitors. They are all coming to the same place for a week, a gathering event to talk about, to meet, and do business.”
The target group is commercial and general aviation with the main aim human capital development, Mary said. The event will also feature a programme for young people.
The conference will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) with 50-100 aircraft (ranging in sizes) exhibited at the Cape Town International Airport.
Mary said they expect 15 000 people to attend the event which is by invitation-only. Delegates will include airlines, aircraft owners, operators, pilots, aviation enthusiasts, trainees, aviation executives, industry experts, and regulatory bodies.
The expo is expected to include 300 exhibitors, 80 aircraft, 90 country delegations, and 40 000 international attendees. According to the organisers, it will also include $200 million in international media coverage and $50 billion in deals during the event.
Global Centre of Excellence managing director Mobeen Motara said: “There are peripheral effects that will come out of this particular event that are phenomenal, the scale and the magnitude is huge.
“I can't think of an event in South Africa which will attract the kind of international and local visiting constituencies that this particular event, if managed well, will be able to,” Motara said.
“Africa accounts for 54 countries, 1.2 billion people. It’s a massive market that we’re looking at and if we’re looking at passengers, tourism, cargo, human capital development, that’s what I mean by peripheral effects to come out of this particular activity.”
According to an Airbus study, South Africa only accounts for 3% of the workforce in aviation, with the need for 17 000 new technicians, 14 000 new pilots, and 23 000 new cabin crews, between now and 2041.