Bruce Dickinson helping an African airline fly

For the world's biggest rock bands the small East African nation of Djibouti doesn't usually appear on their itineraries. Nestled between Somalia and Eritrea at the entrance to the Red Sea, the hot and arid country seldom features on lists of global tour dates. Yet there is one multimillionaire rock star who recently flew into town - Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of heavy metal elder statesmen Iron Maiden. Instead of performing a concert the 56-year-old was in Djibouti because of his other job - as owner of an airline business. A qualified pilot, Mr Dickinson has spent the past 16 years juggling his commitments on stage and in the recording studio, with a second career flying commercial planes; in 2012 he set up a company called Cardiff Aviation. Based in south Wales, the business provides maintenance, training and operational support to a host of airlines. The visit to Djibouti saw Mr Dickinson sign an agreement with the country's government to help re-launch the nation's former flag carrier - Air Djibouti.