Something never seen before!
We are pleased to announce the organization of the SECRET HANGAR event on September 23, 2023, in Lugano.
This initiative was born in 2013 as an extraordinary gala evening, characterized by a unique location, exceptional sponsors and selected participants.
The hangar at Lugano-Agno Airport was the ideal choice to create a magical atmosphere, thanks to the attention to detail, decorations, and lighting.
“We are excited to bring back this event, offering a multicultural and international experience for the 2023 edition, celebrating the passion for travel. The focus will be on safaris in Africa, the discovery of the Middle East, its cuisine, and its cultures,” emphasizes Raffaella Meledandri, CEO of Air-Dynamic.
It will be an opportunity to introduce the audience to ultimate-places.com & wildplacessafaris.com, Air-Dynamic’s partners, with its creator and manager Benedetta Mazzini, an adventure enthusiast and specialist in African travel.
The SECRET HANGAR event will also welcome important industry leaders such as Dassault Aviation and Pilatus, celebrating the arrival of the new PILATUS PC12-NGX.
The entertainment will be of the highest level, with live musical performances by VIP guests presented by a young Swiss artist, accompanying a show focused on movement and speed.
The evening, which will also offer refined exotic food and beverages, will feature a significant charitable moment with an auction of offers to support the projects of UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Raffaella Meledandri: “Air-Dynamic is deeply committed to charity and has decided to collaborate with UNHCR to support important initiatives, including the support for aviation education for high-potential individuals. We will have the honor of hosting Maya Ghazal, a Syrian refugee and UNHCR ambassador, with whom we can share her success story.”
UNHCR, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is an agency founded by the UN in 1950. Its main purpose is to protect and assist refugees worldwide by providing basic assistance such as food, water, emergency shelter, medical care, education, and vocational training.
The partnership with the Swiss Foundation for UNHCR has two main objectives. On the one hand, it supports the Aiming Higher campaign, which aims to ensure that by 2030 at least 15% of young refugees, approximately 500,000 in total, have access to higher education. On the other hand, it supports the Emergency Response Action Fund campaign to ensure that forcibly displaced people receive protection and assistance through a strong and rapid global response.
In 2015, Maya Ghazal fled Damascus and started a new life in the United Kingdom at the age of 16 through a family reunification program. Not knowing the language, she taught herself English and overcame numerous barriers to get placed in school and resume her interrupted studies.
Through a combination of hard work and perseverance, she secured a place at university and graduated in 2022 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and Pilot Studies. She now works as a research engineer.
The example of Maya Ghazal
At the age of 21, Maya realized her dream of becoming the first Syrian refugee woman at the controls of an aircraft and aims to transition from a private pilot’s license to an airline pilot’s license. Sharing her inspiring story, Maya advocates for the inclusion of refugees, access to education, and employment opportunities to counter negative stereotypes about refugees.
Currently, over 100 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, a number expected to increase in 2023. While most new displacements in 2022 were caused by the war in Ukraine, several other crises continue to smolder without resolution, forcing a multitude of people to flee from Ethiopia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.
Raffaella Meledandri highlights the dramatic situation: “We are facing exceptional circumstances that require exceptional support: emergencies are more numerous than ever, in terms of scale and complexity, and the solutions fall short. We all know what it means to live in uncertainty, between the pandemic, climate emergency, and war. These crises are having devastating effects worldwide. We are all affected, but the most vulnerable people forced to flee are on the edge of the abyss. Only together can we change the current situation.”
The novelty of the Pilatus PC-12 NGX
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX is a versatile turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft in Stans. It has a spacious cabin capable of accommodating up to nine passengers and a large door for easy loading and unloading. The aircraft is known for its excellent short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities on runways like Lugano-Agno Airport.
The PC-12 NGX offers a comfortable and luxurious cabin environment with a comfortable flying experience even at high altitudes. The large windows allow ample natural light on board with a modern climate control system.
The PC-12 NGX has a maximum range of approximately 1,800 nautical miles (3,334 kilometers) with full passenger load and reserves. It can travel at a speed of approximately 285 knots (528 kilometers per hour) and has a maximum operating altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters). The aircraft is designed for both on-demand charter operations and private use.
