Two South African specialist aerospace communications and consulting companies, Hi-Fly Marketing and Plane Talking, have entered into an alliance, to provide a wider range of services to Africa’s expanding civil aviation sector. Both companies are based in Cape Town, while Hi-Fly Marketing also had a presence in France.

Plane Talking specialised in public and media relations, executive council, strategy and crisis communications. Hi-Fly Marketing specialised in commercial strategy, marketing, talent sourcing and management consulting. In alliance, they can now provide a comprehensive suite of consulting services to airlines, airports and industry organisations.

“Hi-Fly Marketing and Plane Talking are ideally placed to support the industry in enhancing operational efficiency, sourcing talent, and strengthening the profiles of African aviation businesses in an increasingly competitive market,” explained Hi-Fly Marketing CEO Alexandra Guillot. “Although we have collaborated previously, with this alliance, we will actively promote our complementary services and capabilities.”

Previous collaborations between the two companies have included work for clients on brand and service visibility, as well as communications projects, in Africa. These clients have included global aviation information and communications technology group SITA (not to be confused with South Africa’s State Information Technology Agency), and France-based international specialist aircraft maintenance software company ADSoftware.

“Partnering with Hi-Fly Marketing allows us to extend our strategic communication services to a wider audience,” pointed out Plane Talking MD Linden Birns. “We are particularly keen to explore opportunities in Francophone Africa, where the growing sector has historically received less focus than its Anglophone counterpart. Together, we aim to help aviation companies across the continent overcome industry challenges and reach their strategic goals.”

The alliance between the two enterprises has taken place at a time when forecasts are projecting that the African commercial air transport sector will increase in size by 100%, over the next 20 years. This requires the proper resourcing and preparation of the continent’s airlines, airports, air maintenance organisations, air navigation agencies, ground handling facilities, air cargo facilities and training centres.