Hugh Flynn

The transaction saw the ASL fleet grow to over 100 owned-and-managed aircraft, significantly broadened its European capabilities, and laid foundations for market entry in South-East Asia and India. ASL Aviation Group continues to successfully build its business in line with an overriding mission, a clearly defined vision, and five corporate values.

Safety, people, reliability, quality, and profitability are the core values that permeate through the group businesses, creating and promoting synergies that are the bedrock for growth. The overall aim is unambiguous. ASL’s constant goal is to be an extension of its customers—the preferred ‘neutral’ service provider. The group’s success in maintaining its impartiality has enabled it to work closely and simultaneously with major brand companies that are in competition with one another.

In essence, ASL is in the aviation business, but the mix of aviation businesses in the group is eclectic. It comprises freight, passenger, humanitarian and aid and relief flying, aircraft leasing, and aviation support companies. In the past year, before the latest acquisition, the five companies in ASL Aviation Group carried upwards of 150,000 tonnes of freight and 755,000 passengers. Overall market presence covered Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and the Antarctic.

ASL promotes a strong communication culture across the group companies, using, among other means, the ‘indaba’ process to promote interaction and collaboration. Based on the South African Zulu term used to describe business gatherings and important concerns for discussion, the premise behind indaba is that ‘we cannot get where we need to be by remaining where we are’.

Hugh Flynn, the CEO of ASL Aviation, says ‘indaba’ is a driving force behind the group’s business operations.