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Sibongile Sambo dreamed of being a flight attendant with South African Airways, but she was rejected. One day, she decided to start her own aviation company. Now, she is the CEO of SRS Aviation – the first fully black, female-owned aviation company in South Africa.
A lifelong dream
Sambo was born in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga. She was interested in flying from a young age, dreaming of travelling all around the world. Unfortunately, she did not meet the minimum height requirement to be a flight attendant. Rather than wallow in self-pity, she decided to create her own company. Sambo began with a small loan from her mother and her aunt, which helped her secure the needed contracts to start off and founded SRS Aviation in 2004.
Breaking into a male-dominated industry
Breaking into the aviation industry was very difficult despite receiving all the funding necessary.
“I had to learn the different background operational needs before a flight. I had to call around and find out from different people what I needed to do,” Sambo recalls.
She had to learn the language of the industry as she went along. “Even the clients themselves assisted me because they had run (similar) contracts before.” Then there was the added challenge of dealing with a male-dominated industry.
“Most people saw (my entry) as very awkward, and initially, people never took me seriously,” she said. “I had to prove myself more than 10 times. I told them I’m here, I’m here to stay, I’m here to grow this business, and I’m here to make changes as well, because I’m young, I’m very innovative and I want to bring a new spice into the industry,” Sambo said.
A tremendous growth
It was a challenge, but the company managed to break in.
“What I’m proud of about our company is that we have managed to penetrate the male-dominated industry,” Sambo said.
There were some tough times, but they have managed to stay strong. She believes that “being able to communicate with people at different levels has probably benefited [her] the most in [her] career.” She also noted that men take her more seriously when they realize that she is just are or more intelligent than they are.
“So I stay knowledgeable; I read continuously and attend conferences and industry events regularly,” she said.
Now she has partnered with the company MCC Aviation – they are established and have access to resources like aircraft, technical, and operational support. The airline offers flights within South Africa and internationally. There are professional and private options:
“It could be a tourist charter for $1,000 or could be a head of state traveling on a VIP aircraft to the United States, which could be about $200,000,” she explained.
SRS Aviation also offers maintenance, sales and fleet management services to private jet owners. She plans to expand the helicopter services and her company throughout Africa.
“Aviation is growing in Africa. We are going to grow with the growth in Africa.”
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