As the old saying goes, you wait ages for a bus and then two come along at once. For Vito Gomes, the same goes for awards, not that he was waiting.
Earlier this month, the UAE-based aviation veteran won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Aviation Achievement Awards (AAA) ceremony in Dubai. The company he founded, Aviation Services Management, was also awarded the 25 Years of Excellence Award in the Flight Support Services category at the same event.
“I am honoured to receive these awards,” Gomes told CJI. “Although it bears my name, this recognition truly belongs to every member of the ASM team. I would like to thank them for being with me throughout this journey. When we started with a small team of 2-3 members, we had not imagined it would go so far and one day it would be a leading provider of services for major airlines and general aviation industry. What makes me proud and happy is that those people who started with me back then are still part of our journey today. My team is the main reason why we have won these awards.”
Gomes began his journey in Aviation as a trainee with Air Portugal back in the early 1980s. He then joined Abu Dhabi Airport in 1985 and worked in cargo, passenger, and ground handling where he observed that there are some critical service gaps between airlines, operators, and service providers. In 1994, Gomes was tasked with the foundation of an airline from ground up, an experience that further highlighted the existing service voids. This became a catalyst for establishing ASM in 1998, with a vision to fill those gaps.