The evening of Friday 8th April saw the spectacular inaugural presentation of the Sapphire Pegasus Awards. The awards dinner and presentation took place in the impressive Boscolo Hotel in Prague.
The evening started with a champagne reception in the beautiful foyer of the Boscolo hotel. As guests took their seats for dinner they were treated to a special performance by Crystalle and her special dance performance titled WINGED- Thoughts on Flying. The formal proceedings started with a series of welcome speeches by members of the Advisory Board, Fabio Gamba (EBAA) gave the opening address and was followed by Dagmar Grossmann (CEPA Expo) and Anna Serejkina (RUBAA).
In his opening remarks Fabio Gamba, CEO of the European Business Aviation Association, commented “This initiative could not come at a better time as I believe that in these challenging times, it is important for us to also celebrate our successes.” He went on to say that “These awards are a tribute to the Business Aviation industry, especially in central and Eastern Europe, and it is with pleasure that the EBAA is involved with an event that recognises excellence in Business Aviation.”
The evening was conducted throughout by London Toastmaster, Richard Birtchnell, and the Awards were presented by members of the Advisory Board. The Award winners were as follows;
I. Business Jet Operator – Meridian Air Company
II. Broker – Aircraft Broker – Colibri Aircraft
III. MRO Facility – Jet Aviation
IV. Handler/Service Provider/FBO – FBO Riga
V. Business Aviation Airport – London Farnborough Airport
VI. Innovation in Business Aviation – Vertis Aviation
VII. Lifetime Achievement – Brian Humphries
VIII. Business Aviation Journalist / Topic Coverage – Charles Alcock
IX. Outstanding Business Aviation Performance in Russia – Vnukovo 3
X. Woman in Aviation – Erica Da Veiga
XI. Charity Effort – UAS International Flight Support – Dubai, UAE
XII. Outstanding Integration of Social Media – BAA Training – Vilnius, Lithuania
XIII. Outstanding performance in CEE – Dagmar Grossmann
A special “Outstanding Achievement” Award was presented to Dagmar Grossman for her lifetime dedication and work to Business Aviation and the aviation industry in central Europe.
Antonia Lukacinova summarised the Sapphire Pegasus Awards by saying “We have been pleased to honour all the nominees and at the same time express our gratitude for their service to the industry and its clients. We congratulate the award winners and let it be known that receiving the Sapphire Pegasus Award is a great achievement and recognition of the highest level of excellence.”
The Sapphire Pegasus Awards are organised by Antonia Lukacinova and Media Tribune and are sure to become an annual “must attend” event. The 2017 Sapphire Pegasus Awards will take place in Prague in April 2017.
