Those who have been receiving our services know Rosemary Kacungira for more than 12 years. Mostly they know me as the name at the bottom of the emails we send each day I receive their request. Some of my clients think I don’t have a staff working with me because they see all the emails come from me…. This is the commitment I have to the client! Although I have communicated with many of you over the years, I wanted to take this long overdue opportunity to introduce myself and thank you for being part of my life and for working with you 24/7/365.
I am the founder of Peckair aviation more than 12 years ago and then changed the name to Equity Aviation.
It’s hard to believe it’s been that long, but it has been an incredible journey so far and it really has just begun in many ways.
I live 37 miles from the airport, north of Dar es salaam, Tanzania in a small town called Mbezi Beach with my two kids Ian and Zoe. When I have time (which isn´t very often) I play tennis and do aerobic.
I could not have built this company without the unwavering support of my maid Da Rose . She encouraged me to pursue my dream. I am blessed to have her support and my family is my cornerstone in life.
I got interested in aviation business through a friend from Nairobi and I started the business by providing security services to the airlines. Many were wondering how a woman could do aviation security! In 2 years I expanded the services up to Zanzibar and increased the number of airlines.
One morning when I was at the airport, I saw a Learjet parked at the terminal and the captain was looking for help how to get catering and do the flight plan… I greeted the captain and assisted him with all the services he wanted at the airport. He advised me to start operating as FBO so I could provide the kind of services I had given to him.
I applied to the Airport Authority to operate as FBO. As you know this is the special services to be provided to the private Jet ( VIP, business travelers and owners of planes). To me it is like letting the pilot fly and I do the ground work.
I got good staff focused on FBO and bought all the required equipments for operation. I didn’t feel like I was fully prepared to start the business with full system! Did any of you have a similar experience?
Unfortunately, most of the people are trained for handling airlines only. To handle special jet really needs time and to arrange all the required services to the client you have to love this business. Just imagine landing permits, arrange crew transport, accommodation, catering, security for the aircraft, fuel etc.
The most beautiful part of the job is when the plane is touching down and to be there and see the captain open the door and find Rosemary Kacungira is there waiting….I love this part when captain comes down and says: “Rosemary, nice seeing you here” and I will reply “Welcome to Africa”.
When I expanded the services to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, planes used to land and ask for Rosemary and found I was not there although I had been communicating with them for 24hrs. Instead my good staff were on the ground waiting for them.
Building Aviation business has been a thrill for me. As many of you know, starting a new business in this market (or any market for that matter) is quite a challenge. I left my printing business of 7 years to security in aviation and FBO in high tech to pursue my passion. Many people thought I was crazy. Maybe I was, but I was determined to build a world class aviation business in East Africa dedicated to proficiency and general aviation safety.