E U R O P E A N
BUSINESS AIR NEWS ISSUE 215
JUNE 2011
Three celebrate top awards for safe flying
A splendid 11 BGAD Business & General Aviation Day day of business aviation September 20th, 2011
www.bgad.aero
FRENCH REGIONAL REVIEW The worst is over, but recovery is slow for business aviation in France Pages 15-17
Kuwait-based CL605 buyer has Casablanca in his sights
The editor-in-chief of a Kuwaiti news and entertainment company has taken delivery of a Challenger 605. Ahmed Al Jarallah’s acquisition will be operated by Gulf Wings. Al Jarallah cites the long range capabilities in linking key cities such as Kuwait City and Casablanca as key reasons for his choice. See page 8 for the full story.
The EBAA has awarded six Safety of Flight Awards this year, including three platinum awards for 50 years or 100,000 hours without an accident. DC Aviation, a gold award winner, has also recently renewed its IATA operational safety audit – a rare achievement among business aviation operators. All commercial airline members of IATA are required to pass the organisation’s operational safety audit (IOSA) as a condition of membership, but only a few of Europe’s largest business jet operators, of Jetalliance including Austria, NetJets and PrivatAir, their subjected have operations to the same scrutiny. DC Aviation has recently passed such an audit for the third time. The IOSA reviews the safety and quality assurance of operational airline’s an management and control systems. More than 350 airline companies worldwide subject themselves to these rigorous demands, but there are only a few business jet operators that do the same. DC Aviation believes it is setting new standards in this area. In March, five auditors at DC Aviation reviewed over 960 standards and processes in all areas related to aviation law, ranging from technology and safety to quality management and flight operations. This year approximately 50 new questions had to be answered, compared to the previous audit in 2009. “DC Aviation is the only Germany-based operator of business jets that, for years, has been able to attest to the high safety standards at the demanding level established for airlines due to the IOSA
certificate,” the company says. The 2011 EBAA Safety of Flight Awards were presented to six organisations for outstanding safety records, post-European a during Business Aviation Safety Workshop cocktail reception. Aero-Dienst, Gestair and PrivatAir received the highest platinum award, while Tyrol Air Ambulance, Robert Bosch and DC Aviation were awarded the gold award for 40 years or 80,000 hours without an accident. Tyrol Air Ambulance is the first air ambulance company award. the receive to Transporting 3,000 patients a year, the company has flown 81,000 ambulance flight hours in four decades without an accident.
Flight operations director Uwe Marx received an EBAA platinum Safety of Flight Award on behalf of Aero-Dienst this year and continues to work on safety.
Operating from Innsbruck, Austria, the company has carried more than 46,000 patients, including vips such as the former Czech president Vaclav Havel and the late British prime minister Edward Heath. The company has been recognised for its airlifts for children from crisis regions, including Chernobyl (1986), Romania (1989/90) and Croatia (1991/92).
INAER orders GrandNews for EMS and offshore Business aviation through the eyes of the cabin crew
INAER has signed contracts for four AgustaWestland GrandNew helicopters and one AW139 medium twin for offshore transport and two EMSconfigured GrandNews. These contracts mark the first application of the GrandNew in the European EMS and offshore transport markets. The GrandNew helicopters for offshore transport will be configured with six forward-facing cabin seats, the first time such a seating layout has been fitted to the type.
José Caparroz Martínez, industrial general director of Grupo INAER, said “The AW139 has set a new standard in the offshore transport market in its category for worldwide operations, increasing capabilities and business opportunities for the operators, while the GrandNew offers outstanding navigation and mission capabilities in the light twin category. The adoption of one more AW139 and the introduction of the GrandNew represents a tremendous addition to our fleet
capabilities, thanks to their excellent performance, payload and technology.” AgustaWestland boasts a growing presence in the Iberian helicopter market, where the company has logged orders for more than 50 helicopters from its commercial helicopter range. These perform missions including EMS, SAR, firefighting, passenger transport, vip/corporate transport and offshore transport. In April the Italian government awarded INAER the management of its
fleet of amphibious firefighting aircraft, involving the operating management and technical maintenance of 19 Canadair CL-415 aircraft. The company has now completed the prior tasks of maintenance and fine-tuning of the aircraft and the training of over 50 pilots, fulfilling the first objective of the contract with the entry into service of six aircraft at the bases at Ciampino (Rome), Lamezia and Genoa. The provision of a total of 15 aircraft is envisaged.
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PERSPECTIVES Pages 9-14
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