She was once rejected for a flight attendant job for being too short, Today she owns an Airline!

This is the classic story of how to make lemonades when life tosses you lemons. 

Sibongile Sambo wanted to be a flight attendant so she applied to South African Airways. She was denied the job for a reason she thought was arbitrary reason – she was not tall enough.

Sibongile later decided to start her own aviation company. She sold her car and cashed out her mother’s pension, all to give her the funds to obtain the Air Operating Certificate by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for her SRS Aviation Company. SRS also partnered with MCC Aviation, a well-known company in the industry.

By the time she was done, SRS – the first 100% woman- owned African airline was ready! Her first flight was commissioned in 2004 by the South African Government.

SRS Aviation now provides personalized services including helicopter, tourist and luxury flights to destinations spanning the globe.

She lists out their offerings-
“It could be a tourist charter for $1,000 or could be a head of state traveling on a VIP aircraft to the United States, which could be about $200,000,”.

Even with such massive success, the entrepreneur plans on expanding SRS Aviation helicopter services and its operations across the African continent.

Beyond that, her passion is to get more women like her into the sky.

According to her:
“What I’m proud of about our company is that we have managed to penetrate the male dominated industry. Aviation is growing in Africa. We are going to grow with the growth in Africa.”