Angola-based aviation services company Bestfly has been awarded an Angolan AOC by the country's CAA. The certificate enables Bestfly to offer third party charters out of Angola with its managed fleet of seven Angolan-registered aircraft, all of which have been inducted under the AOC. The operator completed its first charter flight under the certificate in October.

The AOC took two years to achieve and required Bestfly to adapt its operations to meet the standards required of a commercial operator. Attaining IS-BAO operator status in April of this year eased the process.

The company's Angolan-registered managed aircraft are all now available for charter and include a Hawker 400XP with medevac capability, a Challenger 600, two King Air 350s, a King Air 200, King Air 90 and a Grand Caravan EX.

Next on the agenda for Bestfly is a bid to establish its international AOC, which it hopes will be in place by the end of Q1 2016. Until that is achieved, the company's managed fleet of Aruba and Bermuda registered aircraft will continue to operate under private rules.

“This is an important milestone for us and we are very pleased to have achieved it,” comments MD Nuno Pereira. “Our clients can now place their aircraft in the charter market with the aim of offsetting ownership costs. We anticipate an increase in activity as a result.”