AfBAA Begins Landmark African Bizav Research Project

The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) has launched a multi-phase research initiative intended to build the most comprehensive data-driven assessment of the continent’s business aviation sector. The first phase of the project is already underway, AfBAA announced today.

Independent consultancy Seefeld Group is conducting the research for the industry group. The company specializes in behavioral economics and strategic marketing research.

AfBAA said the effort is designed to assemble a unified dataset that the organization will use to deepen its understanding of business aviation in Africa, deliver information to its members, and recruit new members. Initial findings will be presented at the Aviation Africa event in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 9 and 10.

According to the association, the first phase of the project takes an iterative, data-first technical approach encompassing fleet, economic, and maintenance analyses, along with a review of how the industry is portrayed in media. The research covers nonscheduled aviation activity—including business jets, turboprops, and helicopters—as well as UAVs, mirroring the breadth of AfBAA’s membership.

“This type of research is long overdue for our members and those seeking to operate effectively in Africa. We anticipate that the data will provide foundations for smarter investment, create platforms from which to increase advocacy, enhance safety, and enable more resilient operations and business longevity,” said AfBAA chairperson Dawit Lemma.

Lemma added that the initiative “will aggregate and analyze raw data to avoid bias and negative perception and will contest existing information that is often fragmented, nominally anecdotal, and frequently based on perception, not reality.” He said the study would examine not only which aircraft types operate on which routes, but also their missions and the effect of business aviation activity on regional economies.