Page 9 - World Airnews Magazine January 2021 Edition

NEWS NEWS

WE HAVE LIFT OFF

By Heidi Gibson

successful South African operator with a world. We’d rather be a high-quality niche
decades long track record for safe and reli-

outh Africa’s newest airline is able operations and who are fully licensed player on a big route than a large network On the tarmac at the Cape Town
player serving many routes. Having said

Scalled LIFT. It got its name from to operate scheduled services. The Lift that we will be opportunistic regarding launch of South Africa’s newest

eight creative South Africans who partici- team supports Global on the commercial higher volume regional routes. airline aptly named LIFT - co-founders

pated in the country’s largest-ever naming and customer services side and we believe Gidon Novick (left) and Jonathan
competition, where over 25,000 suggested that our shared “can do” philosophy will be WHAT HEALTH AND SAFETY Ayache photo by Louis Vosloo

names were received. Apart from captur- beneficial to us as a business as well as the PROTOCOLS HAS LIFT PUT IN PLACE industry to rethink its relationship with passengers and be more
flying public.

ing the marvel of the physics of flying, the TO DEAL WITH THE COVID-19 WHO IS GIDON NOVICK? ‘customer obsessed’. This can be achieved by bringing together
name encapsulates a view of the world WHAT IS THE ROLE OF YOUR CRISIS? ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING Gidon grew up in South Africa and studied to be chartered industry experts, technology and a fresh perspective and strate-
DIFFERENTLY?

and beautiful country. PARTNER JONATHAN AYACHE? AND accountant at the University of Witwatersrand. He did an gic approaches from other sectors.” Q
Co-founder of LIFT - South Africa’s WHO ARE THE OTHER MEMBERS OF The SA government has put very compre- MBA at Kellogg School of Management and joined Comair
newest airline Gidon Novick and Jonathan YOUR TEAM? WHAT WILL BE THEIR hensive protocols in place and have also in 1998. Gidon’s father, Dave Novick, spent 50 years at

Ayache are behind this brave initiative. ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES? been quite pragmatic regarding travel Comair building it into one of the most successful airlines

Novick confirmed three of Global’s seven Jonathan is driving the project. He is restrictions (just this week they have fully globally with an unbroken profit record.

A320-200s would be used for the oper- an incredible leader. His seven years at opened international travel into SA). Gidon launched kulula.com in 2001 and was joint CEO
ation. Global has the necessary existing Uber have given him a deep understanding WHAT ROUTES WILL YOU FLY AND of Comair from 2006-2011 and launched the SLOW airport

scheduled domestic air services license, Air of optimising the customer experience and WHAT IS YOUR FLEET NUMBER AND lounge concept in 2009. He then left Comair to run Discov-

Operator’s Certificate (AOC), and Air Main- smartly using technology. He is supported AIRCRAFT TYPE? ery Vitality 2011-2014.
tenance Organisation (AMO) registration by a superb team of industry veterans in all A year later he launched an investment fund called Lucid

in South Africa to carry out the operational the specialist airline areas (airports, revenue The operation will be an all Airbus A320 Ventures and boutique hotel group Home Suite Hotels

side of the venture. They spoke to World management, customer support etc). fleet. Global have a long history with these (currently rated #1 Joburg Hotel in TripAdvisor). Refurbished GSE

Airnews editor Heidi Gibson. WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU aircraft and have built a strong mainte- Four years later he co-founded SA Harvest a non-profit

nance and support infrastructure. The

WHY THE NAME LIFT? HAD TO FACE AND WHAT KIND OF aircraft is perfect for our initial primary organisation with the objective of ending hunger in South We buy and sell

Africa.

In a nutshell it’s all about optimism. Lift is a SOLUTIONS HAVE YOU HAD TO route - Joburg - Cape Town.

new kind of airline with a different and more COME MANY PEOPLE COULD NOT BELIEVE
flexible operating model which uses technolo- UP WITH? THAT YOUR COMPANY WOULD GETTING TO KNOW JONATHAN AYACHE

gy to offer a world-class customer experience. Every day involves problem solving. Our DARE TO THINK SERIOUSLY Prior to joining LIFT, Jonathan was CEO at Uber for seven

WHAT WILL MAKE LIFT DIFFERENT team are energetic, creative problem ABOUT LAUNCHING AN AIRLINE years finishing up as the head of operations in sub-Saharan
solvers. We’ve achieved some good

FROM OTHER SA DOMESTIC milestones - there is a booking system up IN OUR CURRENT CLIMATE. WHAT Africa. As one of the first Uber employees in Africa, he had
AIRLINES? HOW DOES IT DEFINE and running, we have a beautiful brand CONVINCED YOU THAT YOU COULD the privilege of working with the smartest people in the world

ITSELF IN THE CURRENT MARKET? and most importantly we have a star team AND WOULD GO- AHEAD WITH IT? to build and scale the Uber business on the African continent.

The business model is fundamentally in place. Ironically, it feels like the best time. The He took the company from hundreds of trips in two cities to
millions of trips in 15 cities across seven countries.

different. We are leveraging off surplus competitive environment has been reset.

capacity in the industry to create an WORLD AIRNEWS IS THE Input costs are low. Forecasting demand Before that he was a senior business analyst at Eighty20

efficient and flexible operating model with LONGEST SERVING- 48 YEARS will be our biggest challenge and that’s why - a management consultancy based in Cape Town South

minimal fixed costs and no debt. - INTERNATIONAL AVIATION the flexible model is so critical. Africa specialising in data-driven research and analysis.

His role involves data analysis, financial and statistical

We are building a customer obsessed MAGAZINE WITH A LARGE WHERE ARE YOU GETTING YOUR modelling as well as meeting with and communicating

culture where every decision will be made SECTOR OF OUR READERSHIP STAFF FROM? findings to clients. During his time there he worked on www.airbusiness-gse.com

starting with the customer’s needs. For ex- AND STAKEHOLDERS COMING There are thousands of high-quality projects in the hospitality, financial services, housing,

ample, we are introducing flexible air travel FROM AFRICA. DO YOU HAVE ANY industry personnel currently unemployed insurance, banking and retailing sectors.

where all fares will include free changes LONG- TERM OR MEDIUM-TERM or employed by airlines in business rescue.
The LIFT founding team combines industry experience

and cancellation (to a credit). PLANS TO EXTEND THE AIRLINE’S Hopefully the industry will recover and once with fresh thinkers from the technology and hospitality Air Business GSE Gulf and India : +971 56 447 5207
ROUTES TO OTHER AFRICAN

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS MODEL? COUNTRIES? IF SO WHEN AND again provide opportunities for these people. sectors. 1 rue de la Haye 95731 Roissy CDG Central Africa : +235 66 55 33 33
West Africa : + 225 01 01 52 62

HOW DOES IT WORK WITH GLOBAL? WHICH COUNTRY? The Lift team have been very lucky to be able “Similar to the way Uber has transformed the point-to- France South Africa : +27 72 521 65 63
gse@airbusiness.fr

LIFT is working with Global Airways The operation will initially focus on Joburg- to pick and choose and attract the point mobility, there is a huge opportunity for the airline Tel. +33 17 379 17 17 Русский: +374 91 150 566
Asia: +65 9616 4106

Operations (Pty) Ltd t/a Global Airways, a Cape Town, the 12th busiest route in the best talent. Q
World Airnews | January 2021 World Airnews | January 2021
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