PHOENIX AVIATION – 25 Years of Reaching New Heights

Kenya’s buoyant aviation market looks set to fly higher than ever over the net two decades as the industry across the continent continues to boom. According the International Air Transport Association, the African aviation market will grow by 5% annually until 2040 thanks to the big commercial carriers adding more and more routes to their schedules and smaller budget airlines servicing second-tier airports, bringing travel opportunities closer to larger portions of the population.

It is expected that, by 2038, the market in Kenya will double with an additional 11.3 million passenger journeys, more than 449,000 more jobs and a US$11.3 billion (Sh1.1 trillion) boost to GDP.

Kenya is among the top three aviation markets in Africa with some of the strongest potential for growth. But, away from the traditional passenger carrier market, there is even more possibility for expansion and the perfect example comes from Nairobi-based Phoenix Aviation.

SILVER ANNIVERSARY

Founded in 1994, Phoenix Aviation celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and marked the occasion with the announcement that it would launch a new aeromedical offering, designed to meet the unique needs of clients requiring air ambulance services around the continent.

General Manager and Accountable Manager at Phoenix Aviation is Peter Wanyutu who tells Enterprise Africa more about a quarter century of success for the business.

“This year Phoenix Aviation celebrates 25 years of providing excellent aviation services,” he says. “Phoenix Aviation plans to launch our new fully-fledged aeromedical wing – Phoenix Global Air Ambulance (PAA). We will have some marketing campaigns culminating in a gala event to be hosted in Nairobi.

“In the last 25 years, Phoenix became the biggest air ambulance company in the region. In addition, we provided the best executive charter services in the region,” he adds.

In its early days, the company started out as a maintenance and charter operation, servicing local clients on the African continent. The charter service was aimed at VIPs and was sold on the premise of saving time travelling across large distances. As the Phoenix reputation grew, the company was approached by more and different clients on the lookout for specialist providers. The first major form of expansion came when Phoenix started with an air ambulance service, providing evacuation flights from surrounding areas of conflict.

Alongside the United Nations, Phoenix was a vital cog in various missions across East Africa.

“Phoenix Aviation has been a UN approved vendor for many years,” confirms Wanyutu. “Supporting UN missions around the world has been an important part of our business. Currently, we support UN missions in Africa with urgently needed aeromedical evacuation for frontline personnel requiring specialised medical care.

“This came about as a result of the conflict in our neighbourhood,” he continues. “For many years, Kenya was surrounded by countries that going through civil war. The humanitarian situation was grim, and Kenya was an island of peace and a base for most of the organisations offering humanitarian aid. Phoenix became one of the aviation companies supporting the UN during this time.”

Many of these situations involved work in hostile environments and transfer of patients to hospitals across the world. Phoenix has built a partnership network in order to complete these missions in the fastest and most efficient manner.

Much has changed in the region since the mid-90s. Today, technology has improved beyond comprehension and the socio-economic-political climate in East Africa is more stable. This has helped the aviation industry to grow and service providers, both local and international, to gain a foothold in the market.

FLYING HIGHER

Becoming an industry leader has been no easy feat and Phoenix Aviation has had to climb a long way in challenging conditions to make it to the top.

“Times have changed since 1994,” laughs Wanyutu. “There has been advancement in technology and many new operators in the region. Competition is now high. At the same time, many airports have been developed in the region allowing more aviation access.

The regulatory framework has and continues to evolve, directly impacting the industry. The industry is very different now.”

Boasting a fleet made up of luxury jets from the likes of Cessna and Beechcraft, Phoenix has shaped a position that is the envy of the rest.

“Our unique fleet allows us to meet varying customer needs depending on the areas of operation,” says Wanyutu.

“There exists significant competition in the aviation industry. Many new players have come into the industry and the customer now has a greater variety to choose from. Due to our excellent services, we have managed to carve out a niche. Much of our business is outside Kenya. We have developed a strong brand in Africa and our customers are from many countries.”

This widespread customer base has helped the company to build international status and is the catalyst for further development through one of marketing’s greatest tools – word of mouth.

“From our perspective, the only way to solidify our position is by offering the best-in-class service. By offing the best and most efficient service, the market will reward us,” details Wanyutu.

“One of our key milestones was obtaining the EASA TCO (European Union Aviation Safety Agency Third Country Operator) approval. This allows us to fly unrestricted between Africa and Europe. This has greatly enhanced our air ambulance capabilities.

The company’s growing presence sees demand coming from customers across new routes – especially on the air ambulance side – and the result is Phoenix Aviation looking at expanding its fleet to continue differentiating itself from competition.

“Geographically, we have a unique advantage because we are within a 10-hour reach of any point in Africa,” explains Wanyutu. “Many of our evacuation flights are destined to Europe, Asia or North America. Due to this growing demand, we are looking at some long-range jet options that will give us non-stop access Europe, Asia and Far East. This will increase the comfort of our passengers and reduce the trip times. Our charter and medevac customers will welcome these advancements. We have not settled on any specific OEM’s yet.”

VIP EXPERIENCE

Operating from a sophisticated engineering centre at Wilson Airport, Phoenix Aviation has the knowledge, experience, technology and innovative thinking available to it that other charter aviation businesses simply do not have.

For this reason, the company has become one of the go-to choices for VIP chartering, government private hire, and air ambulance services. Building the private hire side of the business will be a focus for Phoenix in the future, as Wanyutu confirms.

“In the last 25 years, Phoenix became the biggest air ambulance company in the region. In addition, we provided the best executive charter services in the region,” he states.

“VIP charters have been a key revenue steam since our inception. We have provided governments and corporations with VIP charter solutions for their Heads of States, Heads of Government, Prime Ministers and government delegations etc. At present, we have some government contracts providing VIP transport around the world. This is a niche we intend to develop in the coming years.”

In 2014, the company was given the go-ahead from the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority to operate chartered passenger and cargo flights to China. The aim of the exercise was to transport Chinese delegates and business heads to Kenya, around the country to mining regions, and back. This is the type of business that the company has become recognised for. The Operations Control Centre handles all details to ensure a smooth, on schedule and valuable experience.

“Phoenix Aviation benchmarks itself to global aviation standards. In our business segment, we have to evolve to changing technological and customer requirements. I believe Phoenix has developed the acumen to change as required,” says Wanyutu.

Of course, a significant challenge that the company will have to face in the future is the environmental impact of air travel. Over the past quarter century, the number of flights taking off globally every day has increased dramatically. The CO₂ volumes produced from the expenditure of jet fuel has been under the spotlight, and the industry has been put under pressure to make changes.

Phoenix Aviation operates a modern fleet, with efficient and economical engines, but Wanyutu is keen to state up to date to ensure the company’s reputation remains premier.

“There exists many opportunities for the aviation industry to further reduce the carbon footprint. Being a highly regulated industry, it requires balance,” he says.

“The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has published Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for CO₂ emissions reports prepared by aeroplane operators, in accordance with the provisions of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Phoenix Aviation is following this closely.

The aviation industry has made great strides towards operating in a sustainable and ethical manner. With the advancement in technology, we are reducing the use of paper and other natural resources. From a flight operations perspective, navigation technology has greatly improved with Performance Based Navigation (PBN). ICAO and other regional aviation bodies are agreeing more direct routes to cut down on emissions.”

According to the Air Transport Action Group, the global aviation industry produces around 2% of all human-induced CO₂ emissions and is responsible for 12% of CO₂ emissions from all transport sources. Clearly, more needs to be done to ensure sustainability in the market but, fortunately, Phoenix Aviation is cognisant of the challenges faced by the industry and is working hard to ensure efficiency. All aircraft types operated by the company are subject to periodic proficiency checks and engineers are sent to training facilities in the UK and USA to complete courses.

But, even with the greatest intent, some companies have been held back from making significant investments thanks to slack economic performance in various African markets. Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, and Nigeria have all underperformed in recent years but Wanyutu remains confident.

“We are projecting a growth in our business over the next 12 – 24 months. We offer unique services and the economic fluctuations will not affect our plans,” he says.

In the future, according to the GM, the business model of Phoenix Aviation will help to continue with growth. For 25 years, excellence in service delivery has helped the company fly with the best. As the industry and technology involved makes advances, the company is willing to adapt to continue best serving its clients. “The long-term plan for Phoenix is to consolidate our business model,” says Wanyutu.

“Economies in Africa are growing and the infrastructure in improving every year. This will enable access to areas that were hitherto not served by aviation. New markets will be created. Phoenix may evolve into scheduled passenger services for these new markets.”

As Africa’s air travel market booms, Phoenix Aviation is perfectly positioned to take advantage of all that the skies can offer, consistently delivering a completely personalised experience, delighting clients with every journey.