GL: Merchant West is a relatively new arrival in aviation financing, which requires specialist knowledge and is a small market. Is aviation an end in itself or a bridge to access a broader market of high net worth (HNW) individuals who are aircraft owners and operators?
BV: Merchant West has been financing assets for 25 years to the local corporate market across industries and sectors, as well as to HNW individuals. Our philosophy is to put the customer at the centre of our solution design process, under the premise that clients have multiple and diverse needs. We fund solar, farming, and mining equipment just as easily as we will finance that business owner or executive's aircraft. We have the expertise in-house to finance fixed wings or rotors and see the size of the market as being offset by the big-ticket prices for these assets. Its more than funding an asset purchase - clients also require finance for avionics upgrades, engine overhauls and rebuilds.
GL: Tell us about Merchant West - do you finance aviation across Africa?
BV: Merchant West is a privately owned financial services group based in South Africa. The group has a countrywide footprint with operations in other territories like Namibia, with an appraisal of the Botswana market underway at present. Insofar as aviation assets in Africa are concerned, our focus is on financing ZS aircraft registered with the SACAA.
GL: For many ageing aircraft, avionics and engine overhauls have become the single largest item of capital expenditure. Do you find the investment pays off in the value and saleability of the aircraft?
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Esta historia es de la edición April 2023 de SA Flyer Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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EXERCISE VUK'UHLOME 2024
The South African Army's Exercise Vuk'uhlome 2024 Distinguished Visitors (DV) Day took place on 21 November at its Lohatlha Combat Training Centre. Although an Army exercise, the event combines SAAF squadrons for ground support.
LANSERIA AIRPORT implements E-Gates
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LIVING THE DREAM - Part 1: Life in the Trailer Park
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OKAVANGO ECHOES
One Okavango evening, at the luxury Khwai River lodge, a young well-bred English pilot of good character and eloquent public-school accent and I had too much to drink.
RODGER FOSTER STEPS OUT THE COCKPIT
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MARK TIERNEY'S CAFE PROPOSAL
One of the many challenges faced by African airlines is access to cost effective finance.
ENGINE FIRE!
Iris McCallum's continues her stories about her early years with Air Kenya, and we get to revisit one of her more dramatic moments.
GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
I'm sure you are familiar with the 'Leave Bug'. It's a little worm which lives in calendars. It hatches in cycles of two. Just before you are due to go on leave it grabs the last five days of duty and makes each one last for 48 hours.
AVIATION'S GOT THE CAREERS - BUT ARE YOU READY?
Now that Covid is receding into being a bad dream and the aviation industry is bouncing back strongly, the aviation press, blogs and websites are abuzz with predictions that we're facing a massive skills shortage. The only way to address this is by dramatically ramping up training to ensure an ongoing flow of new professionals into the industry
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In less time than it takes to drive from one side of Johannesburg to the other, you can fly to beautiful KZN to experience amazing scenery and some fantastic airfields and hospitality.
