Working across borders: regional expansion in practice

ER Aviation has been part of the aviation industry since 1945, when the company began as a General Sales Agent for Air France in Mauritius. Over time, it expanded across seven countries in the region: Madagascar, Mozambique, Reunion Island, the Comoros, Mayotte, Namibia, and South Africa. Today, with 40 offices and more than 400 team members, it covers airline representation, ground handling, corporate and leisure travel, destination management, and charter services. The expansion was not rapid. It was progressive.

Alexandre Fayd'herbe, Chief Executive Officer of ER Aviation, describes the rationale:

"We did not expand to be everywhere. We expanded where we had a reason to be; where we understood the market, where a partner trusted us, where we could bring real added value."

ER Group's 10-year vision to 2036 sets the same clear direction: strengthening its roots in Mauritius while pursuing regional growth through a measured, opportunity-led approach, supported by asset-light models and trusted partnerships. In practice, this depends on the people driving it forward. Expansion is not a single announcement or a map with new pins. It is the daily discipline of staying consistent across countries while adapting to local expectations and ways of working.

We asked two colleagues from ER Aviation working across the region to share what this looks like from their desks.
 

Feizal Abdoollah, Country Manager — APG Madagascar (Emirates)

Feizal Abdoollah marks 27 years of service with ER Aviation this year. Based in Antananarivo, he leads APG Madagascar, driving Emirates' commercial performance across the territory: passenger tickets, cargo, trade relationships, and government liaison.

What remains constant for him is governance. Strict adherence to Emirates' policies, transparent reporting, and professional communication with all stakeholders. He tracks competitor movements and feeds intelligence back to the head office.

"You have to know your subject and stay updated. The market does not wait."

What adapts is everything else. Madagascar operates outside the BSP framework, requiring discipline around payment terms and ticketing. The market runs on price-sensitive, last-minute bookings. Trade engagement is continuous and personal, with regular visits, localised workshops, and relationship-building well beyond office hours.

Two elements have shaped his 27 years. The first is relationships. Close ties with agents, partners and the wider community are what drive consistent performance. As a Rotarian and President of Rotary Club Ivandry, Abdoollah lives that conviction beyond the office. The second is availability, especially when something goes wrong.

"Comply with procedures. Be transparent. Trust and socialise with the local market. That is how you build something that lasts."
 

Nash Emrith, Country Manager — ER Aviation Madagascar and Mayotte
 

Nash Emrith is based in Madagascar and travels regularly to Mayotte. Two markets, one role, and a clear understanding that the same approach does not work in both. What remains consistent is the reliable standards he maintains with both teams and customers. He is equally clear about their limits.

"Applying the same leadership style as in your home country may not bring the same results. You have to understand the local culture and adapt."

The differences between these two markets are concrete. In one country, customers expect full assistance and place strong trust in their travel advisor. In another, customers arrive with a defined plan and want support built around their specific needs. Agility is not optional. It is central to the role.
 

As a General Sales Agent Country Manager, his day-to-day work requires balance: keeping airline partners satisfied while serving long-standing customers whose expectations do not always align. Both are the main revenue drivers, and holding that balance is where the real work happens.

“Relationships often resolve challenges faster than processes. Consistency and commitment are fundamental. They are what build trust over time."
 

A measured approach, carried by people
 

In FY25, 67% of ER Aviation's profit after tax came from overseas operations, with three new GSA appointments, four new offices, and the integration of the APG Partner Network in Mozambique and Madagascar. Those numbers matter. But they follow something harder to measure: the daily choices of people who know their markets and apply the same standards whether anyone is watching or not.

That is what trust looks like in practice, built over years, extended or withdrawn one interaction at a time. It is what Nash Emrith and Feizal Abdoollah describe, and it is what makes regional growth, in the end, a deeply human business.