New name, same commitment to uncompromising standards of excellence - interview with Kristina N’Diaye, Jetfly Training

There are some people you just click with right away. It’s that feeling when you feel like you’ve known the person you’ve just met for years. That’s exactly how it felt when I had the pleasure of meeting Kristina N’Diaye, Sales and Operations Director at Jetfly Training. The main purpose of my visit was to learn more about Jetfly Group’s global rebranding, which we announced during AERO Friedrichshafen 2026. But their booth was packed, and we were caught up in various aviation discussions with visitors. So, given how busy the show was for both of us, the interview ended up taking place after AERO. I’m pleased to share the essentials of our conversation:  

T.O.: As we were more than busy at AERO 2026, we do it now via Zoom, but I really want to know everything. And first obvious question, how you ended up in aviation ?

K.N.: It's a very funny story, you will laugh about it. A little bit like the secret zone. Since I was active working, so since I was eighteen years old, I was working in automotive industry, and I was traveling a lot by the aircraft. And I was afraid every time. I arrived at Switzerland, nine years ago. As I speak six languages fluently, I was thinking about where I will restart my career. When I arrived at Switzerland, I was a mother of two kids and I was on a career break, let's call it like that. And I decided to start working the aviation, because I wanted to fight against my fear, to understand better what is happening. I sent my CV to one aviation company, a business aviation company. It was Fly7, now Jetfly, and I ended up there. So, I started just by curiosity, by using my talent for languages. I wanted absolutely to keep this multicultural system, and I end up in the aviation. Please don't ask me the question if I'm still afraid of flying, okay?

T.O. : I won't, but I, I'm confessing still don't like turbulence, even knowing everything, all the technical background.

K.N.: It's just something which is irrational because fear is irrational, and I'm not able to explain why I'm still afraid. It's really a lot about the human aspect. 

T.O.: At 50skyshades we've published the information during AERO about your group global rebranding. You're not Fly7 Training anymore. Now you are Jet Fly Training. Tell me everything.

K.N.: Actually, it was very important step for the group. In 2019, Fly7 has been sold to Jetfly, but decided to keep the unique name Fly7 and Jetfly. So, there was still Fly7 here in Switzerland which was doing management of the aircraft and the training, so Fly7 Training, Fly7 Management. After six years, the objective of the rebranding was to create the stronger group and the stronger global identity. Because there were still some people who didn't know that Jetfly, it's actually Fly7 and opposite. We wanted was to create a stronger brand, but the quality behind of the training remines the same. The organization is still the same, the instructor lot the same, the simulator is still the same. Now just behind a stronger brand. This is what we wanted to propose to our clients.

T.O.: I saw it like giving your customer confidence about the exceptional level of in all structures you have. It's not just about the name; it's about the quality and...

K.N.: And the connection between our departments. We wanted to give to the client, as you said, this knowledge about excellent connection between the departments. Jetfly training, it would never be able to be such a good training center with the great quality and services we provide if wouldn’t have on site directly Fly7,now Jetfly On Demand. Anytime we need to provide any flight training, we have directly the aircraft on side. We could just go to the operation and we can manage to. Have the aircraft for the training. That's why when the client is coming here, there is never any issue about missing aircraft. We have more than 60 PC-12 aircraft available. Can you imagine the power? Employees knew it before, but not clients. This is also one of the reason for  a complete rebranding. 

T.O. : They were missing the crucial information about how easy operations is within the company between departments. I saw how busy you were at AERO. Can you share with us latest trends in aviation training? What is the situation on the market? 

K.N.: I could answer this question very technically, which I will also do. And I can share my feeling, from someone who is inside and who is working here daily several years. I am Sales and operational director of the training department already six years. So, I can see the progress. At the beginning, it was the big boom because we have been the first NGX FSTD simulator in Europe. Last five years, we had been only around... surrounded by the production of NGX, PC-12 NGX. So it was the real boom and the people they have been coming and we saw a lot of interest, even if it was not a full flight. We had more than a 3,500 to 4,000 hours per year. Only on one simulator. Can you imagine how much also CO₂ we saved? I did the calculation and there is several thousand of the tons of CO₂ saved because of training on simulator. This is my feeling. This year, we can see the slight drop down because new products came up and it's PC-12 Pro. It's normal that the market, clients are are waiting, what will happen? How many aircraft will be on the market? Will all the company already, the business aviation company have this aircraft? Do we need to train people now or we could wait? I would say this ssituation longer for two months. And now I can see that demand is back. If Pilatus produced more than 100 or about 110 aircraft maximum production per year where, let's call 50%... and goes to US or maybe even 60, and the rest stays in Europe. There is still on the market much more NGX aircraft than the PC-12 Pro. There is not enough aircraft on the market to completely lose the business. So that's the first point. So the business is still running a lot. What is important for us, we are communicating. That is why our booth at Aero 2026 was so full. We are not doing only class rating initial or now it's called SET rating initial one. We are also doing recurrent training for all the AOCs who are providing the business chartering with this aircraft. So we are doing their OPCs, training flights, IFR, so instrument rating, LPCs, for all European AOCs. And as you have seen, also, Tatiana, during the Friedrichshafen.

Every year, there is so many new AOCs with PC-12. Do you know that it was actually Fly7 who fighted for to get approved a PC-12?  It was Yves Roch, and his AOC, which is in Finland. With them we fighted for the first approval to get this aircraft commercially approved. So it's Fly7, now Jetfly On Demand, who started with the AOC for PC-12. And now you have so many... And people, they see that this is so good aircraft, you know, because you could land everywhere. It's very safe. Made in Switzerland.

T.O. : When partners you have are just coming to say hello, it means that you're not only doing your job from the technical point of view, but you're doing the job great. Clients are willing to come, to see, and just to talk.

K.N.: Exactly. Every time when I have a new client, there are some « must do » things we’re proceeding with. First - a Zoom call, then we meet personally. I often have to answer a question : "Why you will be different than the other ones?" My answer - the service. Everybody can provide a training, but the service around is real added value. Did you know, Tatiana, when you come to my training center, therare are fresh croissant and pain au chocolat every morning? We welcome our clients like that every morening. Every client who is coming, I know his name. And I remember his name and face. We have around 4,000 clients who already passed, and I remember every name. And if not, we have a system. I go to the system, I check his passport, I remember his face. And when he's coming, I remember his name. So ourservice make a difference. The important point - now we are open also for clients worldwide. We have lot of...... North US clients- Canadian client, lot of South African client, Indian client, Bangladesh client. We are really opened for the world. Now even I opened my first discussion, very serious discussion, with the US, as there are some possibilities to get also those clients here.

T.O.: What are your plans, further expansion? What comes next? 

K.N.: Our next step is the PC-12 Pro Full Motion and expansion of the hangar. Lausanne has a small airport, where PC-12 can land, but not PC-24. We transformed a big hangar into a village inside. We build the offices and the briefing rooms and the beautiful reception, our technical zone, and rooms for the simulator. We are also holder of the NG Simulator, but this is only training tool. It's not approved and certified. And then we have certified NGX. But us now, you see the trends, what is happening. 

There is PC-12 Pro, so now we signed and we working already on the new PC-12 Pro Full Motion Simulator. Many clients were asking, when it will be ready, when it's on the market. It will be in a big extension in Lausanne. We are now rebuilding the historical hangar to put there this beautiful new full motion. It will be like NASA center. Inside we will have these beautiful protective bubbles, will be this big movement on the big machine. It will be amazing. So I'm really excited. So this is the next step. And we are talking about PC-24 simulator.

T.O.: I have one question: easy and complicated in the same time. Women in aviation. "We need more female pilots, more female engineering  professionals… » I think that there is still not enough program, there is not enough of real actions to show young ladies that there is so much more opportunities in aviation. From your perspective, what should we do different way?

K.N.: Very clever way is your way -to give the visibility to the women in the aviation. I think we need more and more women to be presented in the interviews, in social media. During the expo, you could see more and more women. For example, all my friends which are really close friends from AERO : Lea from Pilatus, Monique from Boeing, women on leading position. But larger public don't see them because they are not presented. The power of the visibility is very good. It's true that in the past, I'm talking 20, 30 years ago, aviation was fully men industry. Except flight attendants. We are not less intelligent. But we need the visibility to show the way. Watching and reading interviews will give courage to more girls. I believe that this is only the way. In our company, for example, we have the new rules. Same number of men and women hired. So, we also changed our thinking about.

T.O.:  I know that in some countries it's mandatory to have similar number of male and female employees within the company. I think that so many questions in aviation would be solved in so different way by female power, because we do things differently.

K.N.: Yes. We think differently. We can manage 5, 10, 12 things at the same time. This is one of very motivated factor for me. I love how demanding is this job. There is every day something new I didn't know the day before. And I am sure that tomorrow I will again learn something new which I didn't know today, because there is so many rules.

I found the best spot for me in this multicultural demanding department. Female touch can be in small details, but as for example our client they always remember that « special » touch.

When they leave, they are getting a handwritten card with "Thank you to join us and we are here for you for your next journey, wishing a lot of happy landings." They feel like the part of the family, and then I understand that we succeed.

T.O. : Thank you much ! I hope to visit you in Lausanne. You described your center in a captivating way, I would like to show more to our public. Meaning you might have much more « family members ».

K.N. : Thank you ! And please come, it will be our pleasure !