Mission Aviation Fellowship UK

What Mission Aviation Fellowship UK does

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK (MAF UK) is a Christian humanitarian charity and company limited by guarantee (registered number 3437446; charity numbers 1064598 in England and Wales and SC039107 in Scotland) founded in London in 1945. It operates as the UK fundraising and support arm of the global Mission Aviation Fellowship network, the self-described world's largest humanitarian air operator. Using a fleet of more than 130 light aircraft, MAF provides subsidised air transport for over 1,500 aid, development and mission organisations (including UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, Red Cross, Medair, Tearfund, and the UN International Organisation for Migration) across 25+ low-income countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The organisation's core product is humanitarian flight services delivering medical supplies, doctors, relief workers, school materials, food, and medicines to communities isolated by terrain, conflict, or absence of road infrastructure.

The business model is donation-led rather than commercial. Revenue is generated primarily through individual donors via direct debits, one-time gifts, legacy giving, and monthly subscriptions, with suggested tiers ranging from £10 to £250+. Secondary revenue streams include merchandise sales (books, journals, greeting cards, apparel) and corporate partnerships. Fundraising and donor engagement are conducted across multiple channels: the maf-uk.org website, Wingmate mobile app, JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving platforms, the Flying for Life podcast and magazine, church resources, social media, and UK recruitment events. MAF UK operates from headquarters in Folkestone, Kent, and a Scotland office in Glasgow; its 67 UK-based staff support a global workforce of more than 1,300 operating across regional programme bases in countries including Angola, Chad, South Sudan, Uganda, Indonesia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and Australia.

Supporting the core flight service, MAF UK operates the Mission Aviation Academy, a training platform comprising the Future Pilot Programme, Pilot Progression Pathway, and Engineer Training Scheme, delivered in partnership with MATC at Teuge Airport in the Netherlands. The MAF Co-Pilot youth programme engages younger supporters. The organisation holds UK registered trademarks (3026860, 3026908, 3026915), has received recognition including the Award of Honour from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and the Chevalier in the Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, and operates joint data controller agreements with Stichting MAF (Netherlands) and Mission Aviation Fellowship International under an integrated but independently governed global structure.

Name

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK

Legal name

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK

Website

https://maf-uk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK is a registered Christian charity that operates humanitarian light aircraft flights serving 1,500+ aid, development and mission organisations across 25+ countries, delivering medical care, emergency relief, and supplies to remote communities, funded primarily through individual and corporate donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aviation Services

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219), Flight Training (611512)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian, Relief & Government Cargo Airlift (THABAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanitarian / Relief Airlift Operators (TLADAAAM)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aviation services
• Medical air transport
• Remote community access
• Aid and development flights
• Mission pilot training

Headquarters

HQ city

Folkestone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Primary revenue stream from individual donors, regular givers, and supporters who contribute through direct debits, one-time donations, fundraising events, and legacy gifts. MAF also receives corporate donations and operates a Wingmate App for real-time giving.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of books, journals, greetings cards, apparel, and other branded merchandise through the MAF shop. Includes titles authored by founders and staff such as 'Hope Has Wings', 'Many Adventures Followed', and 'Immeasurably More'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK (MAF UK) operates a fleet of light aircraft (primarily Cessna and similar fixed-wing aircraft) to provide humanitarian air transport for more than 1,500 aid, development and mission organisations across 25+ low-income countries. The charity flies medical staff, emergency relief workers, supplies, pastors, and essential cargo into communities that cannot be reached by road due to terrain, conflict, or infrastructure gaps.

Product overview

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK operates as a humanitarian aviation charity offering flight services for aid, development, and mission organisations across more than 25 countries. The core product is MAF Flight Services, providing critical transport for medical supplies, doctors, relief workers, and essential cargo to remote communities. Supporting the mission are the Wingmate App for mobile donations, a Gift Catalogue for cause-based giving, and various publications including the Flying for Life Magazine and podcast. MAF also operates the Mission Aviation Academy, which encompasses training programmes: the Future Pilot Programme (for those starting from zero flight experience), the Pilot Progression Pathway (for licensed pilots), and the Engineer Training Scheme. The organisation runs a Shop selling books, merchandise, and stationery products. The MAF Co-Pilot youth programme engages young supporters in the mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mission Aviation Academy: Training program that equips Christian aviation professionals with skills, faith and resilience to serve communities worldwide. Includes Future Pilot Programme, Pilot Progression Pathway, and Engineer Training Scheme.
• Future Pilot Programme
• Pilot Progression Pathway
• Engineer Training Scheme
• Wingmate App
• Flying for Life Podcast
• Flying for Life Magazine
• MAF Co-Pilot

Products and services

• MAF Flight Services

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• MATC (Mission Aviation Training Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAF's preferred flight training partner located at Teuge Airport in the Netherlands. MATC trains pilots for MAF ministry using MAF's Standard Operating Procedures and competency framework. All flight training for the Future Pilot Programme and Pilot Progression Pathway is conducted through MATC.
• Asas de Socorro (Brazil)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAF partner organisation operating in Brazil with bases at Anapolis, Boa Vista, Manaus, Portovelho, and Santarem. Handles flight bookings and operations for MAF services in Brazil.
• Alas de Socorro EcuadorregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAF partner organisation operating flights from Shell, Ecuador. Handles local flight operations and bookings.
• Agape (Guatemala)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAF partner organisation in Guatemala City providing flight services. Handles local operations and bookings.
• Alas de Socorro (Mexico)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAF partner organisation operating from Oaxaca, Mexico. Handles local flight operations.
• Surinaamse Zendings Vliegdienst (Suriname)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMAF partner organisation in Suriname handling flight operations and bookings from Paramaribo.
• JustGivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform that shares donor information with MAF UK when supporters give gifts through the platform.
• Virgin Money GivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform that shares donor information with MAF UK when supporters give gifts through the platform.
• Stichting MAF (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint data controller agreement in place. Part of MAF's integrated infrastructure operating across multiple countries with shared services.
• Mission Aviation Fellowship InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint data controller agreement in place. Registered in England and Wales (company 3144199, charity 1058226). Part of MAF's integrated global operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Samaritan Aviation: US-registered charity operating floatplanes on the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea to provide medevac and humanitarian transport. Highly comparable to MAF's PNG operations, sharing the same remote-region humanitarian-aviation thesis and donation-funding model.
• Wings of Hope: US-headquartered humanitarian aviation charity that provides medical transport, disaster relief, and developmental aviation services globally. Directly comparable to MAF in donation-funded humanitarian flight operations and remote-area medical evacuation work.
• JAARS: US-based aviation organisation affiliated with Wycliffe Bible Translators that operates light aircraft to support Bible translation and humanitarian work in remote regions. Comparable to MAF in Christian-mission ethos, light-aircraft operations, and training programmes for mission pilots.
• Royal Flying Doctor Service: Australian non-profit providing aeromedical and primary healthcare services to remote and rural communities via fixed-wing aircraft. Comparable to MAF in delivering medical access to geographically isolated populations, though with stronger government funding and a larger operational scale.
• Aviation Sans Frontières: French humanitarian aviation NGO that transports aid workers, doctors, and cargo to remote regions in Africa and Asia. Closest international peer to MAF in mission scope, operating model (light-aircraft charter for NGOs), and reliance on donations and volunteer pilots.
• Adventist World Aviation: Religious-affiliated aviation organisation providing humanitarian flight services in remote regions worldwide. Comparable to MAF in faith-based operating ethos, light-aircraft fleet, and serving remote communities in low-income countries.
• AirLink: US-based humanitarian aviation organisation that partners with commercial airlines to transport relief workers and supplies to disaster zones. Comparable to MAF in humanitarian aviation logistics, donation-funded model, and serving NGO partner organisations in remote regions.
• LightHawk: US-based volunteer-pilot organisation providing free flights to conservation and humanitarian causes across the Americas. Comparable to MAF in volunteer-pilot model and donation-supported remote-area aviation services, though with an environmental rather than humanitarian primary mission.

Broad incumbents

• International Committee of the Red Cross: Large humanitarian organisation providing medical assistance and protection in conflict zones, with substantial air-transport operations. Comparable to MAF as a major humanitarian-air customer and as a co-presence in many of the same conflict-affected countries MAF serves.
• Médecins Sans Frontières: Large international medical-humanitarian organisation that operates significant air-transport capacity to reach conflict zones and remote populations. Comparable to MAF as a major institutional customer of humanitarian aviation in the same geographies, though MSF operates more broadly than MAF's air-operator specialisation.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MAFUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/MAFUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/mafuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mission-aviation-fellowship-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mission Aviation Fellowship UK