The Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association of South Africa (AMD) has established a dedicated aviation committee as one of its key working committees.
The decision, made public this week (18 December) by way of a press release, has it the need for an aviation committee follows AMD participation in the BRICS (with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as founder members now joined by Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates) Business Council 2024.
“During the discussions, it became evident that closer alignment with the BRICS Aviation Working Group was essential to positioning South Africa as a competitive player in the global aviation landscape. In response, the AMD Board approved the formation of the Aviation Committee at its final meeting of the year in November 2024,” the statement reads, implying it is a new AMD committee and doesn’t replace the space committee announced in the Association’s second newsletter of the year.
This view is strengthened by the statement referring to the “new” aviation committee with three objectives.
They are collaboration with the BRICS Aviation Working Group to “ensure South Africa is part of global conversations shaping the future of aviation”; working with aviation regulators addressing “critical regulatory challenges”, streamlining processes, and uniting shareholders to explore innovation, knowledge sharing and advanced technology development.
The Aviation Committee joins the Policy and Strategy; Marketing; Innovation and Future Defence; Space and Manufacturing committees as platforms for a new programme of action. This approach, according to an AMD newsletter, “reflects a commitment to precision and adaptability, aligning SADI (South African defence industry) goals within its sphere of influence, reach and control”.
The Aviation Committee “offers a unique opportunity to contribute to shaping the future of aviation in South Africa and to collaborate on initiatives that foster innovation, growth and regulatory alignment”.
“Together, we can position South Africa’s aviation sector as a global leader,” the statement has it, adding “key participants” have been invited to join with an appeal to “other interested entities, industry players and individuals passionate about advancing South Africa’s aviation sector to join this critical initiative”.
