UAS International Trip Support (UAS) has won the Innovation in Business Aviation category at the 2019 fourth annual Sapphire Pegasus Business Aviation Awards, held this year in Sint Maarten in the Caribbean.

Established in 2000, UAS has continental headquarters in Houston, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and Dubai, and regional offices in Beijing, Nairobi and Lagos.

The award is the fourth endorsement for UAS at the awards, which recognise excellence in the EMEA region. In 2018, the company won the title of Service Provider of the Year, while co-owner/founder and executive president Mohammed Husary scooped the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, UAS was awarded the accolade for Charity Effort for its CSR activities.

“Innovation in Business Aviation continues to be one of the most popular categories in our awards which salute best in class professionalism,” says Sapphire Pegasus founder Antonia Lukacinova. “It recognises companies that are consistently passionate about improving their services, practices and technology.

“UAS was a popular winner, with industry peers voting online and industry judges praising the 20-year old company for its commitment to rolling out innovative solutions for its clients.”

The award honours UAS' commitment to innovation in all areas of its business, including global trip support, technology, air charter and executive travel. In recent years, the firm has invested in the development of its own aviation technology suite UAS Evolution, which is designed specifically to make business aviation operations more time and cost-effective.

“Innovation is key to our strategy at UAS and our investment in technology development, and enhancing the customer experience is testament to that,“ comments Husary. “UAS Evolution technology is being positively received globally. Most recently, we've joined forces with Honeywell to provide global connectivity to the business jet fleet of Hongkong Jet with UAS LinkEvolution for flight services and communication, combined with Honeywell GoDirect cabin services for passenger connectivity. We will continue to invest in technological innovation and ensure our beloved industry continues to evolve.”

The Sapphire Pegasus Business Aviation Awards were founded by Media Tribune's Antonia Lukacinova in 2016 to recognise excellence in companies and individuals within the business aviation sector around Europe, Africa and the Middle East.