John Kelly has been appointed to the position of President – Middle East, Türkiye and Africa (META), with immediate effect. Before this role, Kelly spent six years as Senior Vice President of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the Group’s Civil Aerospace business. He joined Rolls-Royce over twenty years ago, in 2001, as a graduate trainee in the defence business. He rose to become a senior manager before joining Civil Aerospace.
In his new role, Kelly will assume group-wide leadership and representation for the Group’s Civil Aerospace, Power Systems and Defence businesses across the META region, engaging with senior government and industry stakeholders.
Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land and employs over 150 people across Africa with an extensive reach across the region.
Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace serves over 20 African airline customers across 15 countries. The company has over 50% market share in powering the African wide-body aircraft market, with engines installed on over 80 wide-body aircraft in service and another 30 on order. Since 2017, the company has supported the inception of three new airlines and delivered over 30 new aircraft. Rolls-Royce also powers a large proportion of the regional aircraft market, with over 95 aircraft in service.
Rolls-Royce Power Systems Africa provides world-class power solutions and complete life-cycle support and is headquartered in South Africa. The company supports Africa’s growing power generation, marine, rail and industrial sectors, providing vital power solutions to datacentres, mining, oil and gas, shipping, locomotive and agriculture companies across the continent.
Rolls-Royce Defence innovates power and propulsion solutions to meet operational requirements to protect, secure and explore. The company works closely with several African Governments, serving many defence forces.
Main Menu
Rolls-Royce announces appointment of John Kelly to President Middle East, Türkiye and Africa
Share this Article
Tuesday June 2, 2026
Brazil’s Azul Linhas Aéreas (Azul) has confirmed an order for four additional Airbus A330-900 aircraft, reinforcing the A330neo as the backbone of its future long-haul fleet. The order was previously listed as undisclosed and takes the airline’s A330neo b... Read More »
Tuesday June 2, 2026
Bell Textron has delivered a new Bell 407GXi helicopter to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), following the purchase announcement made at Verticon earlier this year. Celebrating 75 years at its Fort Worth, Texas headquarters, Bell continues to suppor... Read More »
Tuesday June 2, 2026
International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced a new commercial agreement between Aer Lingus and AISmartPlan, an AI-powered aircraft maintenance planning platform, following a successful collaboration through the IAGi Accelerator programme. AISmartPlan joine... Read More »
Tuesday June 2, 2026
StandardAero’s Board of Directors has appointed Paul McElhinney, a 35-year aerospace industry veteran and StandardAero’s current Lead Independent Director, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will succeed Russel Ford who will retire after 13 years lea... Read More »
Tuesday June 2, 2026
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported a decline in global passenger demand for April 2026, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt international air travel and push up operating costs. Total passenger demand, m... Read More »
Tuesday June 2, 2026
Honeywell has revealed the new brand identities for its automation and aerospace businesses as it prepares to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies on June 29, 2026. The move marks a major milestone in the company’s transformation and foll... Read More »
Monday June 1, 2026
Vietjet Air (Vietjet) and the Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) of Thailand have signed an agreement to develop an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre at U-Tapao International Airport. The signing took place during Vietnamese leader To... Read More »
Monday June 1, 2026
Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is strengthening its aerial emergency response capabilities with the acquisition of two Leonardo C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft under the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) programme. The investment is designe... Read More »
Monday June 1, 2026
Textron Aviation has completed a major expansion of its flight test hangar at the company’s East Wichita Campus, strengthening its ability to support growing global demand for the Cessna SkyCourier and ongoing development programmes across its turboprop airc... Read More »
Monday June 1, 2026
WestJet has disclosed the planned retirement of Diederik Pen, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of WestJet Group, and President of WestJet Airlines. His departure is expected no later than the first quarter of 2027, subject to the appointmen... Read More »
Monday June 1, 2026
Titan Aviation Leasing (Titan), an Atlas Air Worldwide company, and Bain Capital have sold a Boeing 767-300ERF to Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG). The transaction demonstrates Titan’s proactive approach to... Read More »
Friday May 29, 2026
Leonardo has opened a new helicopter maintenance and support facility at Elstree Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, marking a further expansion of its presence in the UK aerospace sector. The new site, Leonardo’s tenth operational location in the UK, represents a m... Read More »
Friday May 29, 2026
ST Engineering has disclosed that Jeffrey Lam will assume the role of Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer from June 1st 2026. He will step down from his current positions as Group Chief Operating Officer (Operations Excellence) and President of Commercial Aer... Read More »
Friday May 29, 2026
Sopra Steria has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire the Manufacturing Engineering business of Daher Industrial Services (Daher) in a move designed to strengthen its aerospace engineering capabilities and deepen its position within the European avia... Read More »
Friday May 29, 2026
Atlas Air Worldwide (Atlas) has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire a 49% minority stake in Air Atlanta, the Iceland-based global provider of ACMI and aircraft management services with operating platforms in Iceland and Malta. The transaction creates ... Read More »
Friday May 29, 2026
South Korean start-up carrier SUM Air has gone live with the AMOS maintenance and engineering platform from Swiss AviationSoftware (Swiss-AS), creating a scalable digital foundation ahead of its first aircraft delivery. The move makes SUM Air the fourth South ... Read More »
Friday May 29, 2026
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have announced that Ukraine intends to acquire an initial batch of up to 20 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft, while Sweden intends to donate up to 16 Gripen C/D aircraft to Ukra... Read More »
Thursday May 28, 2026
Heli-One has opened Brazil’s first Sikorsky-authorised S-92 Customer Support Center, expanding maintenance and support capabilities for operators of the heavy-lift helicopter across South America. The new facility will provide both scheduled and unscheduled ... Read More »
Thursday May 28, 2026
The Royal Thai Navy has ordered two Airbus C295 aircraft in an enhanced transport configuration, strengthening Thailand’s military airlift and maritime surveillance capabilities. The aircraft will support a wide range of missions, including logistics transpo... Read More »
Thursday May 28, 2026
Textron Aviation has signed a multi-aircraft agreement with Hamburg-based Platoon Aviation that will make the charter operator the largest Cessna Citation Longitude fleet owner in Europe. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2027. The Citation Longitude, Textr... Read More »


























