Wings Travel Management has opened its first office in the capital of Angola, Africa’s third largest oil-producing country.
With its corporate headquarters in London and its administrative headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wings has been providing travel management for blue chip oil and gas companies for nearly 20 years.
The new office means the TMC can better service the “growing number” of foreign oil companies operating in the region, said Tony Sofianos, Wings’ CEO.
The opening of the Luanda office demonstrates the “first-to-market” approach to establishing travel management services in the “vital” Angola area, said Sofianos.
Angola is a “key strategic market” for the firm, he said: “As a travel management company (TMC) that specialises in the oil and gas industry, we need to be involved wherever our clients’ activities take them.”
Wings’ Angola launch also forms part of a plan to build up its local bases in tough emerging markets such as Angola, with the help of local knowledge.
The TMC’s corporate policy is to hire from the local community, said Sofianos: "By hiring and training Angolans to work with our own team of oil and gas travel experts here, we all benefit.
“They provide invaluable on-the-ground knowledge of the Angolan market, and we help them develop their skills in the travel industry. Together, we create a powerful partnership.”
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