WELCOME

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of The Bench and AviaDev teams, Karibu Kenya! 2023 marks the seventh edition of AviaDev Africa and this year’s event is our best attended to date.

When we embarked on this journey, our ambition was to deliver a meaningful platform that offered the right mix of focused business to business meetings, networking and conference sessions. We never wanted to be the biggest, but we wanted to deliver a quality experience that would encourage delegates to come back year after year. We will continue to innovate and listen to your feedback, but we are encouraged by the new routes and business deals that have been delivered as a result of the platform. Even more powerful are the relationships built across the event which endure, especially in an industry as niche as ours.

Our theme for 2023 is Engage, Energise, Elevate.

In an environment of online meetings, webinars and Artificial Intelligence, it has never been easier to connect, but it has never been harder to make a connection. Live events will continue to be important as a forum to engage. The enthusiasm and energy surrounding this event will energise the discussions and ultimately elevate our great industry to connect Africa domestically, regionally and internationally.

AviaDev Africa 2023 has attracted a record number of airlines of all shapes, sizes and ownership structures, which is an indication that the industry is willing to come together to craft a more robust and resilient future. The meetings that will take place over the coming days will play a part in the future connectivity of Africa, driving economic development, creating jobs and opportunity for the next generation.

Our conference programme has been curated and developed by our advisory board, comprising a huge range of experience. The topics and speakers have been identified to offer thought-provoking, realtime experiences and ideas of how to move the industry forwards.

A special thanks to our host partners, Kenya Airports Authority and our official carrier, Kenya Airways for their support.

Our incredible sponsors include a wide variety of service providers and OEMs from across the African continent and the globe. This shows that there is real belief and interest in seeing African Aviation thrive.

Finally, we are delighted to be able to deliver a sustainable conference. We have made a real effort to both minimise our impact on the environment, whilst maximising our impact on the local community with our charity run, ambassador and outreach initiatives.

I wish you a productive, energising and fun conference and my team and I look forward to engaging and supporting you over the coming days.

Warmest regards,

Jon Howell, CEO & Founder, AviaDev Africa