A resilient South African flight attendant, Sibongile Sambo, after facing rejection, establishes her own aviation empire – SRS Aviation.
Sibongile Sambo, a brave 42-year-old woman from South Africa, who is extremely passionate about flying was once rejected by South African Airways because she could not meet their minimum height requirement.
But not one to easily accept defeat, Sambo decided to take matters into her own hands as she became an entrepreneur and launched her very own airline called SRS Aviation.
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Sambo sold off her car and used her mother’s pension to obtain a license for flying from the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
She also raised more capital to make things work and today Sambo’s company is the only one in Africa which is owned by a black woman.
SRS Aviation provides charter flights to include helicopters, luxury, and tourist flights around the world. The crew from Johannesburg has flown to locations as far as Germany and the U.S.
After she gained the license, the maiden flight of the aviation company took off in 2004 for the South African government.
Sambo told CNN, that a tourist charter flight could cost around $1,000 whereas a head of state traveling on a VIP aircraft to the United States, would be around $200,000.
Sambo has not only successfully achieved her passion for flying, but she has also helped three African women in achieving their goal of flying by getting their private pilot licenses, and they are now full-time employees of the company.
Despite being in a male-dominated industry, she is proud of her success, which initially looked quite difficult.
Her company works together with another well-known South African aviation company, MCC Aviation, which provides them with aircrafts, technical support, and operational support.
To repay the investments and belief people made in her, Sambo now feels it is her turn to invest in others, and she wishes to see more women entering the aviation sector.
Ultimately, the growth of the aviation sector in Africa will lead to increased growth for her and her company.
Her company offers clients professional and personalized flight options including VIP charters, tourist charters, game count and capture, cargo charters, and helicopter services to various destinations in Africa and around the world.