Dawit Lemma: The colour Krimson
Dawit Lemma founded Krimson Aviation in 2014 to support business jets flying into Addis Ababa Bole Airport. It now offers full flight support, ground handling, charter brokerage and other aviation services within East Africa.
Dawit Lemma: The colour Krimson
Dawit Lemma founded Krimson Aviation in 2014 to support business jets flying into Addis Ababa Bole Airport. It now offers full flight support, ground handling, charter brokerage and other aviation services within East Africa.
“WHEN I ARRIVE IN the office my morning ops team is already there, so I am not the first in the office every day, but normally the second.
The day starts properly with a cup of coffee. Coffee is very much ingrained into Ethiopian society. I make my own coffee because I can prepare it just the way I like it, and then I will sit down and catch up with the news, both the company news and what is going on in the outside world. Once the business is done, I’ll check on all the news about Liverpool Football Club. I’m a big fan, so I always look for news about them.
After that, I look to see what our flights are for the day. Next looking at the planning board, I’ll talk to our operation officers. We look at the services for the day, what the requests are, what the concierge services are.
That allows me to schedule my day, because sometimes we might have operations in four different countries. It can get very hectic, so I decide if I need to support my team with anything. Sometimes I can be the extra person in the team, answering emails or phone calls or on the ramp.
I love getting out on the ramp and being close to the aircraft, especially during very sensitive handling operations, whether it’s a VIP or a President or just a special operation.
Starting Krimson Aviation was not my first thought. Originally, I approached Ethiopian Airlines for a job, and they gave me the option of either being a pilot, a mechanic or an office job.
After thinking about the choices I decided that I wanted to do all three. That’s when I came up with the idea of forming Krimson Aviation.
Although there is not the same level of business aircraft movements through Addis Ababa, it does benefit from being where the African Union has its meetings.
Since starting the company, we have also benefited from the partial opening of the airspace over Eritrea. It had been closed since 1998, but now it has been partially reopened, we are getting some overflight permit requests.
Running the company is a great experience, but as a pilot and a former mechanic there’s nothing I love more than being around aircraft. I love being able to get out there and see the aircraft and meet the crew. By doing that I find that I can vicariously live my former life.
On average I will spend quite a significant portion of my morning on communications, emails or phone calls. I like to get that out of the way so that my headspace is clear enabling me to focus on business development.
That takes me through to about lunch. I recently turned 40, so I’m now being health-conscience, and during lunch I will go to the gym. It helps a lot with clearing my mind from the morning, but also revitalising me for the afternoon.
The afternoon is the business end of the day for me. I usually meet my finance manager, and we will go through who has paid and who hasn’t paid.
I also try to do all of my client and vendor meetings in the afternoon. I prefer meetings in the afternoon because I can focus on the meeting, rather than having to think too much about emails I need to send or phone calls that I need to make.
Fridays afternoons are different – and one of my favourite things. I teach a course in aviation at a French school here. It is a one-year French Ministry of Education aviation course for high school kids. If they pass the exam at the end of the year then they get credit towards their Private Pilot’s Licence.
I always try my very best to leave the office every day by 18:00. I have two sons, one is four years old, the other is just one, and I realise that in the first few years of starting the company I really didn’t spend enough time at home. I’m really trying to change that.”
