As
the Dubai government’s business aviation hub at Al
Maktoum International Airport within Dubai World
Central (DWC) begins to take shape, Jet Aviation and
its joint venture partner, the Al Mulla Business
Group, are outfitting a brand new facility in the
shared terminal at Dubai South.
Jet
Aviation plans to go operational at the world’s
largest purpose-built VIP Terminal in Q3 2017, and
intends to hold a Grand Opening at the Dubai Airshow
in November 2017.
The
up-scale 600-square meter FBO will feature three
customer lounges, a conference room, crew lounge and
operations center, two prayer rooms, shower
facilities and a separate sitting room for
chauffeurs. A large Duty Free store is also located
at the executive terminal.
Until
a hangar facility at Dubai South becomes available,
the company will offer line maintenance services
through the FBO and continue to provide base
maintenance services through its MRO facility at
Dubai International Airport.
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Dubai
South VIP Terminal. |
“We’ve had a number of recent developments in our
global FBO network, but given the policy emphasis on
migrating business aviation traffic through Dubai to
DWC, we are very pleased to soon reopen our FBO
operation at Dubai South,” said
Stefan Benz,
senior vice president and general manager, MRO and
FBO, EMEA and Asia. “We wanted to ensure we can meet
future capacity requirements without compromising
style or comfort, and we look forward to welcoming
customers to our newly outfitted facility at the VIP
terminal.”
Jet
Aviation’s facility in Dubai has handled more than
25,000 aircraft and received numerous awards for its
24X7 domestic and international handling services.
Most recently, it was voted Best FBO in the Middle
East & Africa in the 2017 Professional Pilot PRASE
Survey, its 7th such honour.
The
company's maintenance and FBO location was
established in May 2005 as a joint venture company
with the Al Mulla Business Group. The facility has a
total of 4,200 square meters (45,192 square feet) of
hangar space, a workshop area of 1,000 square meters
(10,760 square feet) and a two-story FBO building
with an area of 1,050 square meters (11,300 square
feet).
The
facility holds EASA #145.0317 maintenance approval
and is an FAA #U8JY426Y repair station. It also
holds Bahrain CAA, Bermuda DCA, Cayman CAA, India
DGCA, San Marino CAA, Saudi Arabia GACA, UAE GCAA (NAA),
Pakistan CAA and Afghan CAA approvals. Jet Aviation
Dubai is an authorized service center for
maintenance and warranty support to Boeing BBJ, the
Gulfstream G150, G200, GIV and GV, G450, G550 and
G650 series, the Dassault Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X
series, and full service capability for Hawker
Beechcraft 800/900 series, Airbus ACJ series and
Embraer Legacy aircraft. The company expanded its
VIP handling service delivery to Al Maktoum
International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC)
in December 2012.
Aircraft
management and charter operation opens in Malta
In
further news, Jet Aviation has announced a joint
venture agreement to establish an aircraft
management and charter operation in Malta. The
company is working to obtain an air operator’s
certificate from the Civil Aviation Directorate in
Malta, which it expects to receive in Q3 2017.
“The
Malta operation is an ideal complement to our Swiss
and German operations - and a very strategic
addition to our aircraft management and charter
business in EMEA,” says
Jürg Reuthinger,
senior vice president and general manager of Jet
Aviation’s aircraft management and charter
operations in EMEA and Asia. “Adding an additional
AOC in the European Union, Jet Aviation customers
benefit from further flexibility in their choice of
registrations and operation."
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(L to R):
Claudio Peer, VP Sales, Aircraft
Management and Charter, Jet Aviation,
EMEA and Asia; Rob Smith, Jet
Aviation Group President; Jarka
Sommeregger, CEO, Luxury Business
Jets; and Jürg Reuthinger, SVP &
GM, Aircraft Management and Charter
Operations, Jet Aviation, EMEA and Asia |
The
joint venture partner, Luxury Business Jets, is part
of a large holding company based in Slovakia. “It is
a great opportunity for us to increase our presence
in the aviation sector together with a strong and
experienced partner like Jet Aviation,’’ says Jarka
Sommeregger, CEO of Luxury Business Jets. The
company has arranged for two aircraft, a BBJ1 and a
Legacy 600, to be operated under the new Maltese AOC.
These two additional aircraft will join Jet
Aviation's growing aircraft management and charter
fleet in EMEA.
In
addition to the Malta operation, Jet Aviation
continues to grow its aircraft management fleet. The
company has signed four new aircraft management
agreements in EMEA this year, including a Global
6000, a Global Express, a Learjet 60XR and a
Gulfstream G650. Luxury Business Jets a.s. is owned
by the Grafobal Group a.s., a holding company based
in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Although many of the companies in the group have
been in business for decades, the holding group
itself was established in 1998 in order to combine
the activities of various companies owned by Mr.
Kmotrik. Grafobal Group manages a wide array of
global investments ranging from printing, packaging,
distribution and sale of goods, media and
advertising, to real estate development, healthcare,
sports and, not to forget, air services. It operates
in more than 10 countries and currently employs more
than 6,000 people. Based on its annual revenues, it
is the largest non-financial company owned solely by
Slovak capital. |