Sample business plan for New airline in South Africa

[SouthafricaTom]

I am new to this forum and hope that I'm posting in the right place. I am from South Africa and have been interested in the aviation industry for quite a few years now. I need your help in getting a sample business plan for a startup airline.

I want to start an airline and have a few investors that is willing to look at my plan. I however don't know where to start with a business plan. Is there anyone out there that has a sample or two that I can use.

With the Soccer world cup coming to South Africa in 2010, its the right time to start an airline in South Africa.

Can anyone please assist me.:ok:

[Hansol]

Think you should seriously reconsider if you are not sure what the component parts of your business plan should be.

[SouthafricaTom]

I might have expressed myself wrong. I know what the plan should consist of, its just that the way I found this forums was by searching for other samples of Airline business plans. the search revealed a thread in 2003 where there was some members asking the same question about sample business plan.

I therefor thought that if I ask again I might get the same reply. To answer your statement that I have to rethink my idea - I have 're-thinked' this idea for the last three years and everytime there was someone that convinced me not to take the idea forward.

Two of my ideas was already adopted by highly successful South African low cost carriers because I gave out to much information at that time.

I am currently getting as much info as required to get my plans of the ground and therefor I am still asking for any info that the members might have to assist me in my venture

[wan2fly]

You have started something now pal...
All you gonna get is the usual cronnies on ere saying that it will never work never take off your just a paper airline then if you do take off they will say you will never last !!!!
Have a look at the other start up carriers on here !
I say good on you tho - You have guts to start a new one - the people that will knock you down on here seem to know lots and lots about Airlines but NONE of them never have or havn't got b***s to do it...
Good luck with it all.
Just brace your self now for a tidal wave of negatives. :ugh:

[PAXboy]

Not a tidal wave but it is difficult to know what to say if we do not know what type of carrier you want to be? Since that would reveal too much information ....

However, on the LCC front, if you are thinking of that style (you mention your ideas were pinched by other LCCs) then with ZA having two (or is it three) LCCs [Kulula + 1time], as well as three main line carriers [SAA + Comair + Nationwide] and two regionals [Air Link + SA Express], as well as the usual crop of failures [SunAir x2 etc.] that market would appear to be ready for consolidation rather than expansion?

You are doubtless aware that SAA are planning to launch their own LCC? PPRuNe African Aviation forum (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=229169) and whether they do or not, it will influence your decision 100%.

Sorry not to be of more help.

[Cyrano]

Tom:

BAE Asset Management have revamped their website and now include some information about the type of business plan they expect to see from startup airlines looking to lease their aircraft. This might be helpful for you.

The overview of what they are looking for from a startup is here. (http://www.baeam.com/default.aspx?m=8&mi=120)

The business plan outline they suggest (PDF) is here. (http://www.baeam.com/gfx/uploads/textbox/AIRLINE%20BUSINESS%20PLAN.pdf)

Hope this helps.

C.

[SouthafricaTom]

To Wan2Fly - You are so right, and thanks very much for the comments.

South Africa has a few low cost carriers, and set to get more as you guys stated. My angle however is to expand to the rest of Africa, especially servicing the smaller landing strips that mostly caters for tourist. This will only be the beginning. After establishing a name we will then expand to start competeing with the like of Kulula and 1Time.

I worked in quite a few African countries and it was amazing to see how high the demand from tourist are to fly from Johannesburg to these smaller airstrips. The lodges in most of these areas have to organize their own charter planes in order to get tourist there.

I am not afraid to say that I am new to this area, but I have been studying hard to get my knowledge of the aviation industry up to scratch. I have however got quite extensive experience in managing multi million dollar projects and would use this experience to get the correct team together to start this project

[MarkD]

Don't forget to leave plenty of pages for "political considerations" :rolleyes:

[SouthafricaTom]

Thats true. It was is still is amazing to see the politics involved in especially African countries. But if you are naive about the fact that African countries has alot of politics then one should stay very far away .

Thanks for the comments, you guys help alot

[Hansol]

One thing you should give very careful consideration to is cashflow. Work out how much you need for the first two years and double it. The lack of cash is the main problem with most start ups, that an over ambitious business plans.

[SouthafricaTom]

For sure. Cashflow is definetly the most important. My plan is to do the income and balance sheets, together with a cashflow budget and then to let various financial people look at it before forwarding it to possible investors. I will be sure to put plenty of 'fat' in the cashflow statement

Thanks for the tip

[robo283]

Just remember the truism: The best way to make a small fortune out of the airline industry is to start with a large one.

[come on]

Good luck with your venture, just steer clear of the "flywho school of airline economics"