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The leading PR agency for the African aerospace industry.

We provide hands-on support and senior counsel to raise, enhance and protect the
profile of organisations in aviation, defence, space and their supporting sectors.

Est. 1992

Over three decades’ experience in the aerospace industry.

20+

Clients incl. airlines, OEMs, associations and institutions.

6+

Strategic partners across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

A force-multiplier for in-house communication’s teams.

Plane Talking is a strategic communications and reputation management agency based in Cape Town, South Africa. We specialise in raising, enhancing, and protecting the profiles of organisations in aviation, defence, space and their supporting sectors.

With over 30 years’ experience, we provide hands-on support and senior counsel to aerospace manufacturers, airlines, airports, government agencies, research institutions, consultancies, and more, both in Africa and across the globe.

Linden Birns
Managing Director

Dillon Birns
Account Director   

Coral-Ann Viviers
Account Executive

How can we support you?

Communications Strategy

We conceptualise and execute targeted communications campaigns, leveraging news, digital and social media in combination with stakeholder relations, to advance your strategic ambitions.

Content Creation

We produce compelling written, audio and visual content for owned and earned media channels — and in a variety of languages.

Media and Publicity Activations

We create and identify opportunities to promote and gain media traction for clients’ offerings and solutions.

Media and Stakeholder Relations

We identify and connect clients with influential decision-makers in the public, private and civil sectors.

Public Advisory / Executive Council

We provide reliable situational intelligence to help clients navigate the sectoral, policy, political, economic, social and cultural landscapes in order to influence key stakeholders and decision-makers.

Media Monitoring and Reporting

We monitor the media to assess the traction, treatment and reactions to our clients’ messages, news about their business, competitors, suppliers, customers and stakeholders.

Crisis Communications

We identify risks to our clients’ reputation and guide them in responding to crises with the potential disrupt or damage their image.

Media / Spokesperson Training

We prepare spokespeople for effective media and public engagement, including interview preparation and delivery.

Access our global network of aerospace experts.

To take advantage of the increasingly global and interconnected world, Plane Talking has established a network of peers across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Middle East.

Our professional and experienced associates provide on-the-ground communications and market engagement support for our clients’ campaigns in those territories.

Generating trust, traction
and tangible impact.

We work with local and international organisations in engineering, science, technology, and innovation-driven sectors.

From original equipment manufacturers and suppliers to commercial airlines and industry groups, we craft clear and consistent communication campaigns to position companies as thought leaders, influence public policy, and support business growth.

What our clients say about us.

“Over several years I have valued the professional and dedicated support and advice provided by Plane Talking. Linden and his team provided media relations and public affairs services to Airbus in sub-Saharan Africa. They also have an established comprehensive network of journalists, editors and industry contacts across Africa. Linden was also intimately involved in the comprehensive review and overhaul of Airbus’s group-wide crisis communications policy and provided crisis support to Airbus on several occasions over two decades.”

Stefan Schaffrath
Head: Media Relations
Airbus

“Plane Talking provides a professional, efficient, friendly and extremely competent communications service that helped showcase our work and build our reputation as a newly emerging innovation ecosystem player in South Africa. Dillon and Linden have gone above and beyond to provide a wildly varying range of quality content that spans from geospatial technologies to women entrepreneurs in townships, to water technologies to address water treatment residue to name but a few. They have unfalteringly adapted their approach to the different contexts, help us launch grant funded competitions, promoted our work on local media channels, supported with the launch of events and everything in between.”

Marisa Naidoo
Country Lead: South Africa
Innovate UK

“I had the pleasure to enjoy a highly trusting and successful business relationship with Plane Talking. For more than a decade, the 28 member airlines of Star Alliance entrusted Linden and his team with several assignments, including the planning and execution of several joint Crisis Management & Communications exercises. He was an always accessible and highly knowledgeable advisor on — at times — complex media and communications-related issues concerning the African continent and beyond.”

Christian Klick
VP: Corporate Office
Star Alliance

“Plane Talking has been instrumental in helping SITA expand its presence across Sub-Saharan Africa. Their team possesses extensive knowledge of the complex African aerospace and aviation market. This enables them to provide timely and strategically valuable insights that significantly benefit SITA, its reputation, image and campaigns to grow its business in the region.”

José Valencia
Head: Marketing (MEA)
SITA

Contact Us

We are always interested in hearing from companies and organisations who are keen to engage in the African aerospace sector. Whether you need communications support, have questions, or want to explore collaboration opportunities, our team is ready to assist.

Plane Talking is a proud member of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) and Public Relations Consultants’ Chapter (PRCC).