European Business Air News October 2011 by Stansted News Limited

E U R O P E A N

BUSINESS AIR NEWS ISSUE 219

OCTOBER 2011

SWISS REGIONAL REVIEW Pages 17-18

FBO 2 201 G ‘Best seller’ N I T VO XLS+ is the third NOW for Air Hamburg N E P Perfect promises transparency in O

Air Hamburg ceo Floris Helmers and flight operations manager Capt Jan Strobel were at Hamburg recently to celebrate the first visit by their latest fleet addition, a third Citation XLS+. As soon as it can be added to the AOC it is expected to be busy, as the XLS+ is the most requested model in Air Hamburg's nine-strong Citation fleet. See full story on page 4.

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Business aviation through the eyes of the air charter salesperson

dealings with aircraft owners

Geneva-based Perfect Aviation has added a UK AOC to its Portuguese approval, and opened a base at Biggin Hill with a pair of Learjet 45s. The company is listed on the Swiss stock exchange, and claims to be unique among business aircraft operators in reporting its results in line with IFRS international financial reporting standards. The group auditor is PWC and the company prides itself on its ethics which focus on operating entirely transparently. Using a secure web portal that was designed in-house, Perfect shares every supplier invoice and logs all expenditure with its aircraft owners. The company says that it never accepts commissions from suppliers and all leveraged benefits are passed back to the client. Says ceo Will Curtis: “For too long some practitioners in the business aviation industry have hidden their real charges and remuneration from clients and instead explored convenient deals with suppliers; typically fuel and handling companies, maintenance companies and insurance suppliers. “This is an unsustainable model because, quite apart from the

Perfect Aviation ceo Will Curtis.

contractual implications between client and the aircraft management company, such practices are increasingly likely to breach criminal laws such as the UK Bribery Act. Within 10 years we believe there will be no possibility of receiving undeclared kickbacks or supplier rescissions,” he adds. The new base at Biggin Hill is complemented by an operations base in Lisbon and sales offices in Monaco, Moscow and Beijing, where Perfect intends to increase its presence to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in China.

Perfect has built an experienced team at Biggin Hill, including newlyappointed ground operations manager Gary Whitecunas, quality manager Barry Holloway and director of maintenance, Nigel Cooper. The company operates six aircraft under management. The UK-registered Learjet 45s join a Challenger 604, Learjet 60XR and Falcon 2000EX EASy, all under the Portuguese AOC, and a privately managed Global Express XRS, based in Moscow. Further large cabin aircraft are planned to join the fleet before the year end. Will Curtis was appointed ceo of Perfect Aviation in early 2010 with a mandate to restructure and develop the company for further growth. Marketing efforts have been bolstered, including the launch of a range of new leisure-driven travel incentives through the Perfect Travel Club. Perfect Ski will see the company launch direct flights with its Learjet 45 fleet from London City Airport to principal ski airports during the winter, while Perfect Shopping offers exclusive shopping packages in Paris and Milan. See our review of business aviation in Switzerland from page 17.

Concierge lays plans for steady growth Aircraft management company Concierge Aviation has been awarded its UK air operator certificate and now offers a Kemble/Lutonbased Learjet 40XR for charter. “We are now into our next stage of development,” said managing director Glen Smith. “This achievement is a key step towards our long-term future, as we can now offer commercial charter services on our growing fleet of managed aircraft. The strategy is to enhance our service standard and to ensure our clients experience the highest levels of professionalism. “Obtaining our AOC will help us to develop credibility. Some financial institutions will only allow the aircraft they finance to be operated by AOC-holders.” Concierge Aviation was launched as a private aviation specialist and has developed a portfolio including charter sales, aircraft management, aviation consultancy and aircraft sales and acquisition services. The company is looking to add aircraft to its fleet through a comprehensive aircraft management programme, prioritising the long-term interests of the aircraft owner while balancing utilisation and hourly rates with consideration for depreciation and wear and tear. Concierge says that its consultancy work is Continued on page 4

PERSPECTIVES Pages 8-16

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OCTOBER 2011 3

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Why an Olympic summer will certainly not be business as usual Air charter and private aircraft operators all over Europe who might find themselves flying to the London area during summer next year need to be planning carefully already. So urged Trevor Jones of Gama Aviation during the recent BGAD show. The imposition of restricted areas and temporary flight routings, the requirement for slots at normally unregulated airports, and the general level of anticipated congestion, will all lead to challenging conditions. Anyone approaching Farnborough from the south, says Jones, will need to allow an additional 15 to 20 minutes on

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their trip time, as well as accounting for nearest available alternates being further afield. For some aircraft this might have implications for available payload and range. Additional slots and extended airport operational times will be made available, but those with experience of previous major events, such as Cedric Migeon of ExecuJet, wonder whether the provision might fall well short of demand. And managing customer expectations is going to be difficult. Airport slots might well become virtually unobtainable as the

EDITORIAL COMMENT

ExecuJet saw 1,400 movements in three weeks at Lanseria during the World Cup.

Games approach, and those who wish to travel to the sporting

sibilities reallocated to cope with peaks in demand. After the final whistle of the World Cup Final itself hundreds of passengers were looking for hundreds of aircraft – and so needed to have been told the tail number to look for, he says. Chaos can easily ensue in the absence of carefully planned and implemented systems. Gama Aviation says it has internal teams in place to plan for next summer's challenges, and I would think this is a first step that all operators ought to consider sooner rather than later. David Wright Managing editor

action itself might find little alternative than to make the final leg of their journey on public transport. Helicopter access is going to be difficult, given the organisers’ commitment to hosting a ‘green Games’. But early planning can help. Migeon says that during the World Economic Forum his Zurich FBO contracts with hire car companies well in advance to ensure there will be available limousine transport, and negotiates monthly rather than ad-hoc billing with key ground suppliers to save on admin during busy periods. Staff levels are increased, and work respon-

Air Greenland orders two EC225 helicopters for all-weather missions Air Greenland has placed its first order for Eurocopter’s EC225, acquiring two of the medium twinengine helicopters for duties that are to include search and rescue and allweather passenger transport. “After a long and hard evaluation, Air Greenland decided to purchase Eurocopter’s EC225, and we are confident this is the right helicopter for our operations in the harsh environment in and around Greenland,” ceo Michael Binzer says. The aircraft will be delivered in 2014 and will join other Eurocopters in the Air Greenland fleet comprising ten AS350 B3 and two AS350 B2. “This order marks a milestone in Eurocopter’s long relationship with Air Greenland, and is another endorsement for the EC225’s proven capabilities in the most severe operational conditions,” Eurocopter’s Thomas Hein says. The EC225 also recently won a Spanish national competition to select a new helicopter for maritime search and rescue, and pollution control operations. This marks one of the first stages in a national rescue plan to be implemented by the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency (SASEMAR), and is designed to provide large helicopters for missions in the southern part of the Bay of Biscay and in the Canary Islands. The new EC225 is to replace one of SASEMAR’s Sikorsky S-61N helicopters, and will operate maritime SAR and surveillance operations in all weather conditions.

JetFlite International bases a Challenger 601 in Moscow US-based JetFlite International has expanded its Moscow presence by adding a Challenger 601 based at Vnukovo airport and expanding its sales and dispatch staff there. “From our perspective, Moscow is an emerging market and there is a lot of opportunity there,” says ceo Bill Cripe. “This summer in Moscow we are flying one of our aircraft over 80 hours a month in charter. We have been offering a Gulfstream G200 out of Moscow and were confident enough that we moved another aircraft, a Challenger 601 there. There is a good chance we will also be adding a Gulfstream GV there.” The company has also hired two dispatchers to work in its Moscow office as well as two sales people and a mechanic. JetFlite International has three major hubs; New York, Moscow, and the US west coast. Carrie Simpson, vp sales and owner relations, says: “Our customers fly out of Moscow to throughout Russia and Europe, the United States, the Galapagos Islands, Seoul, Korea, Asia, even Kabul, Afghanistan.”

Observer offers Hessen police lower costs

The EC225 acquisition agreement was signed in the presence of Thomas Hein, Eurocopter’s vp sales and customer relations for central Europe, Michael Binzer, Air Greenland’s ceo, and Jens Wittrup Willumsen, Air Greenland’s chairman of the board.

Offering enhanced capacity, range and autonomy, the EC225 is equipped with cutting-edge technical innovations for navigation and SAR, says Eurocopter. The twin-engine EC225 has already been deployed worldwide for civil and military search and rescue, as well as offshore and passenger transport missions. It is the latest

generation of the Super Puma/ Cougar family, which has logged more than four million flight hours. It is designed to meet the highest safety standard levels and is backed by system redundancy, a highly capable automatic flight control system, and the capability for full deicing which allows flight in all known icing conditions.

The Hessen Police Service in Germany is to add a Vulcanair P68 Observer to its fleet after extensive evaluations as the optimum platform for supporting longer surveillance missions. The aircraft will be capable of missions of up to nine hours when fully equipped, at a fraction of the cost of helicopter operations. Hessen State Police air operations will also no longer be limited by adverse weather conditions as the P68 has full de-icing capability and digital avionics. One key benefit is that high value surveillance equipment can be transferred from the helicopter fleet to the Vulcanair P68 aircraft quickly and efficiently. “We contracted Airborne Technologies of Austria to integrate Hessen’s police thermal camera and other equipment,” says Remo De Feo, ceo of Vulcanair Aircraft. “We are committed to assisting our partners to develop more flexible and cost effective airborne surveillance solutions,’’ said Airborne Technologies ceo Wolfgang Grumeth. “We supported Vulcanair in Hessen’s police evaluation process, to make sure all of their equipment could properly be installed on the P68 aircraft. The result is that the police force will be able to increase its operating capability while at the same time reducing its costs, which is good news considering today’s limited and restricted budgets!”

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CLOSE TO THE HEART OF LONDON

4 OCTOBER 2011

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Turkish air ambulance selects Legacy

Air Hamburg has added a third Citation XLS+ to its fleet.

‘Best-seller’ XLS+ is the third for Air Hamburg Pilots from Air Hamburg recently sampled the steaks on the menu at the Texas Road House branch in Wichita, a ritual always observed when collecting aircraft from the Cessna factory. They had travelled to take delivery of a Citation XLS+ on behalf of its owner, and to undertake the ferry flight back to Germany. The new aircraft became the third of its type operated by Air Hamburg and the ninth Citation in the fast-growing fleet. Half of the fleet has a date of manufacture 2009 or younger. “We have picked up every single aircraft with our own crew so far. It is too much fun to give it away!” says director of marketing and sales Mike Ulka. “The routing is always the same: Wichita, Quebec, Goose Bay, and Reykjavik to Bremen.” The latest arrival’s systems are identical to its stablemates with Proline 21 cockpit, and the interior is similar to that of another XLS+ operated for the same owner. “Our customers love it because they get a jet with the cabin of a midsize jet for the price of a super light jet with an attractive range of 1,800nm,” says Ulka. “It is the perfect aircraft with a huge baggage compartment to travel throughout Europe. It is our best-seller.” Air Hamburg has hired two additional captains and two copilots and sent pilots from its staff to FlightSafety to add a second type rating on the XLS+. The aircraft was passed straight into the hands of

Atlas Air Services for work required before it can join the AOC. As a relatively young company, founded in 2005, Air Hamburg has been quick to harness social media networks as a means to attract new business and keep customers informed about its activities. “Both Twitter and Facebook are used to keep all our customers/followers informed at the same time,” says Ulka. “And we find new clients, who like our special offers only available for our Air Hamburg followers. From time to time we throw empty legs on the market for €100 a seat!” When the third XLS+ was scheduled to arrive in Hamburg for the first time (see front cover), the company offered a free flight for two lucky fans among the 1,000 it has on Facebook. Over 1,200 subscribe to the company’s Twitter feeds. Air Hamburg is also listed in the Fly Victor web site which is planning a German launch this autumn, and has already carried out one flight booked through that system. Aside from the virtual world, the operator has plenty of fans in realworld Hamburg too. Directly next to the general aviation centre at the airport it operates the Café Himmelsschreiber, which was created mainly to offer an exclusive lounge for jet customers before takeoff. Located very close to the runway and taxiways, the café can also be rented for private parties, like weddings or business events, with high quality catering from its own kitchens.

Acropolis and Triair complete safety audits UK-based international aircraft charter operators Acropolis Aviation and Triair Bermuda have become Wyvern ‘Wingman’ operators, demonstrating their commitment to the highest standards of aviation safety operations. The companies, based at Farnborough and operating a UK-registered Airbus A319CJ and a Dassault Falcon 7X, completed their first auditing process in June after which they officially gained their status as approved operators. Each ‘Wingman’ operator undergoes strict twice-yearly on-site safety audits and is continually monitored to ensure that the highest standards of maintenance, aircraft and aircrew safety practices are maintained.

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Kocoglu Aviation will add an Ankarabased Legacy 600 to its fleet this November after signing an air ambulance contract with the Turkish ministry of health. Dubbed ‘the Flying Hospital’, it will feature four advanced life support systems to transport intensive care patients or newborns with incubators. The aircraft will also be able to carry six passengers along with four patients or can be quickly converted to 14 passenger configuration. The company reports that the four-year-old pre-owned Legacy 600 with a flight time of around 2,000 hours was chosen for the operation due to its lower initial and operational costs and higher reliability than its competitors in the same class. “Being a proven aircraft and a variant of a highly utilised regional jet, the Legacy 600 fits perfectly to this operation and the requirements of the ministry of health,” says Efvani Aybike Koc. In 2008, Kocoglu Aviation was awarded a government contract to

Kocoglu Aviation’s current jet air ambulance, a Hawker 400XP, with flight crew Tayfun Eren and Murat Arslan.

provide EMS helicopters. This fleet now consists of an EC145, ten EC135s and eight A109E Power type helicopters, each with a crew of two pilots, one doctor and a paramedic, on duty and waiting for missions during daytime at their respective bases. The group also has a Hawker 400XP jet.

Sky Line Transportation Trade, which became a subsidiary of Kocoglu Group in 2008, operates and maintains the 19 air ambulance helicopters across Turkey and has flown over 10,000 EMS missions during the three years. Sky Line has 16 heliports and 18 hangars in 15 cities and employs almost 300 employees. Kocoglu Aviation and Sky Line have also made it their mission to inform public and private sector representatives on the opportunities, challenges and latest developments within the aviation sector in Turkey. To this end, the first Air Ambulance Symposium was organised in cooperation with the ministry of health of Turkey in July 2010 in Bursa. A second summit will be held from November 26-27, 2011, again in Bursa and in association with Kocoglu Aviation, Sky Line and AgustaWestland under the patronage of the ministry of transport, General Directorate of State Airports Authority and Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey. Concierge Aviation lays plans for steady growth Continued from page 1

Press mob Jolie’s Diamond flight A private departure for one of Diamond Executive Aviation’s DA42 Twin Stars from Blackbushe in September turned into a media circus. Film star Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox planned to combine some essential business related matters with a spot of aviation-based enjoyment, but this was somewhat compromised by the arrival of several cars full of paparazzi with their cameras. “Ms Jolie’s flight had

been carefully organised in great secrecy, or so we thought,” said DEA’s Peter Bondar. Commanded by Chris Dawes, a senior line training captain with DEA, the flight departed early in the afternoon for an undisclosed destination and later returned to a different undisclosed airfield. Jolie (pictured aboard the DA42) holds a US FAA private pilot licence and IR and owns a Cirrus SR22 G3.

seeing the current market present interesting opportunities. “This bespoke analysis of the clients’ requirements with the wide variety of available ownership or utilisation options ensures well informed aviation decisions, identifying savings and improving the return on investment,” says Smith. The company reports that it has seen momentum in the aircraft sales business as the gap between the expectations of buyers and sellers slowly closes. “We maintain a very realistic approach,” emphasises Smith. “As the market begins its long, slow climb towards recovery, we will only expand at a rate where we ensure we are able to maintain our reputation for quality. We aim to identify the right opportunities and focus our efforts into building long-term relationships through honest, balanced advice based on several years of business aviation experience. “Our business revolves around people and personal relationships and as we expand we will develop a dedicated team who share the Concierge culture.”

NEXT MONTH EBAN reviews business aviation in the Gulf States

6 OCTOBER 2011

First news from Helitech 2011 The Helitech 2011 show at Duxford, UK, is underway as EBAN goes to press. Our full coverage will follow in the November edition, but meanwhile here are a few snaps taken during the opening morning.

This was our first viewing of the Heli Air Design Helineo Mk1, a turbine-powered three-bladed ultralight helicopter from France. Test pilot Stéphane Lignier and project manager Thierry Andre report that the Helineo has been ground running, and will shortly undertake its first hover in ground effect trials. “Three blades is new for this category of helicopter, and means it is more stable and easy to fly,” says Lignier. The manufacturer plans kit deliveries by the end of 2012 with a price tag around €250,000 plus taxes.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Packshot’s helicopter will have the right nose to be a movie star The Packshot Company believes that there will be a ready market for film appearances by the Hughes 369D it has recently acquired. “We purchased G-FASH to operate in the film and TV industry to feature in our online fashion channel Fashot.tv, as well as to pose for film work as an MH6 as used by the American 160th SOAR Special Operations Aviation Regiment,” says managing director Lee Friend. “Although she has been converted to an ‘E’ she is the right airframe pedigree being a ‘D’, the basis for the MH6 airframe. Given the number of feature films sure to be made about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars where the 160th operated we expect quite a bit of film work for her in her new allblack livery. It looks as though the American armed forces are now buying a lot of MD530s and so she will not get dated for this purpose – and will have the right nose!” The helicopter is operated and

Comlux gives passengers mobile phone coverage Italian firefighters, medevac and underslung load operators Eliwork were commissioned by AgustaWestland to demonstrate the W-3A Sokól. The company has two of the Polish-built workhorses as well as AS350s. Air crew Tedy Foppoli and Diego Casari answered show delegates' questions.

Steve Borrowdale’s Multiflight took exhibition space, and offered for sale the former US air ambulance AS365 seen here in the background alongside the third AS365 for the Great North Air Ambulance which was due for official handover during the show.

Sikorsky called on the services of Cardinal to display its S-76, the newest of its type in the UK with only 200 hours on the clock. Based at Barton, it is “the only S-76 north of the Watford Gap,” says Capt Richard Stubbs, seen here with the aircraft. Recent charter destinations have included Scottish golf courses, Battersea, Silverstone and Ascot.

Comlux is to provide passengers aboard its Airbus 319CJ, due to come into service in January 2012, with full mobile telephone access. The operator has chosen to partner with OnAir once again following the successful installation of its system on a A320 Prestige which entered into service at the beginning of May. Passengers will be able to make and receive calls and text messages, do their emailing and use mobile data with OnAir’s inflight connectivity service. “Our clients made it very clear they want to be able to communicate during flights. Offering Mobile OnAir service is part of our ongoing drive to improve our clients’ travel experience,” says Richard Gaona, ceo of Comlux. “Inflight connectivity is now a reality and it should be no surprise that people want to be able to use their phones during flights. After all, we can use them in any other means of transportation. “It is particularly true of the people who charter Comlux aircraft, for whom the ability to communicate during flights is very important,” says Ian Dawkins, ceo of OnAir. OnAir’s SwiftBroadband-based service Mobile OnAir enables passengers to use their own mobile phones and Smartphones wherever they are flying in the world. Usage is billed by the passengers’ mobile operator, in the same way as international roaming, which the company says makes it very simple to manage for any vip operator and charter.

Lee Friend, The Packshot Company md, whose 369D is operated by Fast.

maintained by Fast Helicopters at Shoreham, who are also offering type conversion training. “As she has been in refit for two months there is quite a queue developing now for this,” says Friend. Having been fully stripped for airworthiness review certification and refit by Fast, the helicopter is

being given a Fargo tank, new screens with a complete bare metal repaint by Edmondson’s at Thruxton. The engine, an RR250 C20B, has just returned from a full strip down and rebuild by H&S. “She is an unusually low hours model with only 2,500 hours and also, rarely, features an APS 841 autopilot with FITS, VOR and GS tracking,” adds Friend. “She has a colourful history, being the former property of the late John Hervey, seventh Marquess of Bristol, who some may remember, apart from being jailed for carrying cocaine in a helicopter into Jersey, was reported to have flown his helicopter snorting cocaine off the charts on his lap!” The helicopter is a ‘D’ model built by Hughes rather than by MD, which are reputedly faster than the MDbuilt ‘E’ model. “Consequently it is an incredibly nippy 500 easily achieving 135 kts and is a delight to fly,” says Friend.

Challenger 850s enter service in Middle East and Russia ExecuJet Middle East has taken delivery of a Challenger 850 completed by Ontario-based Flying Colours Corp on behalf of a private customer. “We have already experienced some success with our Execliner CRJ conversion in the Middle Eastern market, but this is the first time we have delivered a green Challenger 850 to a customer there,” says Sean Gillespie, director of sales and completions for Flying Colours. "We anticipate this will be the first of many as we understand Middle Eastern clients prefer larger aircraft.” The recently finished aircraft featured luxurious and elegant interior furnishings, including euro-burl veneer, customised gold inlays, and fine leathers and fabrics. A full selection of in-flight connectivity includes the installation of True North Simphone broadband Wi-Fi capability and iPad functionality. A second completed Challenger 850 was delivered to Russian aviation business Ak Bars Aero in late July. Both aircraft were certified into the specific countries in conjunction with the respective operators.

AirMed’s perinatal service sees early action in Kazakhstan UK operator AirMed has launched a new perinatal service, designed to safely transport pregnant women and pre-term babies, and successfully completed the inaugural combined obstetric and neonatal transfer. The perinatal service comprises specialties that will provide support not only for the newborn child, but will also enable clients to have access to highly specialised skills required for the aeromedical transfer of mothers-to-be, for example obstetrics and fetal medicine. This is something that AirMed says has only been available to clients in a fairly limited capacity before and without the direct access to the consultant teams required for this type of complex transfer. A British tourist travelling in Kazakhstan has become the first mother-to-be helped by the emergency air ambulance repatriation service after going into labour prematurely at 29 weeks. Once notified of the emergency, Mapfre Assistance and AirMed worked together quickly to ensure the customer was given the help she needed as soon as possible. After close consultation with the treating physician, a combined neonatal and obstetric senior specialist-led team was dispatched to Almaty on board one of AirMed’s Learjet 35A aircraft. After the patient was assessed on arrival in Almaty, it was agreed that the best course of action was to deliver the baby on-site prior to the air ambulance flight home due to the mother developing acute sepsis. With close co-operation from the treating facility, baby Max was delivered, then successfully resuscitated and

Mother and baby were able to be quickly repatriated together aboard the Learjet 35A.

intubated prior to the flight. Both mother and son continue to do well following their return home. The specially modified Learjet 35A was equipped with double stretchers, including a BabyPod, which enable carriage of mother and baby postdelivery if required. “We are all extremely pleased with the successful outcome of this trip,” says Dr Charlotte Bennett, AirMed’s neonatal medical director. “However it highlighted more than ever that in this world of ever-changing demographics and travel, there is an absolute requirement for the provision of the most appropriate and specialised medical expertise for all aspects of patient needs,” The perinatal service continues AirMed’s close collaboration with the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital.

OCTOBER 2011 7

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Expanding Gama looks for new opportunities in Asia Farnborough-based Gama Aviation has introduced a Cessna CJ2+ to its managed charter fleet, new onto the UK register. Together with the addition of a 13-seat Falcon 2000 due imminently, its European charter fleet now totals 28 aircraft, 11 of which are based in the UK. The company reports a steady amount of wide-bodied charter and clients are primarily business clients flying to destinations in the USA, India and South Africa, but it has also seen an upturn in the use of smaller and mid-size jets, by government, vip, celebrities, business executives and leisure customers. Overall, business is up about seven per cent compared with this time last year. In August Gama signed an exclusive partnership with Asia Miles to provide business jet services to its

Successful BGAD show names the day for 2012 The next Business & General Aviation Day at Cambridge airport is to be held on Tuesday 18th September 2012, and will aim to build on this year’s highly successful show. Around 500 business aviation delegates converged for what has now evolved into an annual gathering, and once again enjoyed an informal but professional networking opportunity with aircraft, exhibits and seminars. About a hundred delegates took the opportunity to listen to and discuss all aspects of business aviation during the forthcoming Olympics with a distinguished panel of experts. Privatefly entertained visitors aboard a historic London bus, while inflight cookery service Alison Price On Air gave a demonstration. “I love the open and laid back atmosphere,” says Magnus Henriksson of Avinode, who presented an analysis of the current air charter market. Cambridge airport announced that it will be one of just five regional airports in the UK capable of accepting business and passenger services with a 24/7 slot allocation during the 2012 Olympics period. It will be able to accommodate over 200 movements a day.

Marshall Group chairman Sir Michael Marshall presented a commemorative crystal to Cessna regional sales manager Tom Perry, marking the centenary of Clyde Cessna’s first foray into aircraft building. Marshall is a long-standing authorised Citation service centre.

The airport aims to attract charter operators, government fleets and private owners with the opportunity to pre-purchase guaranteed parking slots with a one-time fee that also includes all landing and take off costs. Business aviation movements at Cambridge have grown year on year by 15%, and fuel sales are up by 37%. “Currently operators and private owners are driving the new business movements and many charters are originating in France and Germany,” says airport director Archie Garden.

3.9 million members worldwide. Asia Miles members can now earn miles when using Gama’s business jet services, which can connect with Asian airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Dragonair. Gama recently recruited its 100th pilot, and has bolstered its senior operations team. Capt Steve Woodfine has been promoted to chief pilot. A five-year employee and formerly fleet manager, he previously held management positions at South African Airways, Dan Air, Virgin Express and easyJet. Ian Cheese has been appointed director of flight operations. Most recently, Ian was general manager for turboprops at UK low fare regional airline Flybe. Capt Brian Cozens is newly appointed head of training, having

Vibro-Air meets demand with Swiss Phenoms

Newly appointed: Gama’s director flight operations Ian Cheese with chief pilot Capt. Steve Woodfine and head of training Capt Brian Cozens.

previously held the same position at XL Airways. “These appointments add significant experience and expertise to our already strong and longstanding management team as we

continue our global expansion plans and shape our business for the future,” said Gama Group ceo Marwan Khlalek. He paid particular tribute to Steve Wright who has been his right-hand man for 28 years.

Vibro-Air is offering two Phenom 100 aircraft for the Rhineland charter market in collaboration with Arcus Executive Aviation. “As the demand for very light jets like the Phenom 100 is very high, particularly in Dusseldorf and the surrounding areas, we have brought a dependable partner on board with Arcus Executive Aviation,” explains Ammr Shaladi, director of Vibro-Air. “It covers this demand with its two new Phenom 100s. At the same time we would like to give our customers a foretaste of our Phenom 300, which we are expecting in the first quarter of 2014. Until that time, we hope to compensate for the excess demand with the very fast jets from Arcus Executive Aviation and expand our fleet availability in the long term,” continues Shaladi. The Phenom 100s are based at Dusseldorf and Zweibrucken, and can fly up to four passengers from Dusseldorf to Geneva in one hour.

8 OCTOBER 2011

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Russian power giant sets out helicopter requirements IDGC Holding, which controls power transmission lines throughout Russia, and Russian Helicopters have agreed to cooperate to produce aircraft ideally suited to power line inspection and repair missions. According to Nikolay Shvets, air patrol operations are becoming a more and more popular technique among electricity distribution grid companies: â&#x20AC;&#x153;IDGC Holding controls over two million kilometres of power transmission lines, which equals 51 times the length of the Equator, mostly located in difficult to access places. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When technical breakdowns occur, traditional ground patrolling to find the damage could become an inexcusably long process,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Improving situational awareness about the current state of the power grid is one of the key points in the policy of IDGC Holding.â&#x20AC;? Expanding helicopter usage will allow Russian power engineers not only to conduct aerial monitoring but also immediately send accident recovery teams to the points where power lines are disrupted. It also allows use of state-of-the-art technologies such as laser scanning for technological certification of power transmission lines.

An agreement to cooperate on helicopter development was signed by Nikolay Shvets, director general of IDGC Holding, and Dmitry Petrov, director general of Russian Helicopters.

Dmitry Petrov, director general of Russian Helicopters, is delighted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cooperation with IDGC is an important stage for us in fulfilling our strategic tasks to provide the Russian economy with modern helicopters. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure that using Russian-produced and climate-specific helicopters will help IDGC to enhance power line monitoring effectiveness.â&#x20AC;? One candidate helicopter for power line inspection is the light multi-role Turbomeca Arrius 2G2equipped Ka-226T.

Eva MiĂąano says that INAERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 40 years of operation have resulted in a wide customer base.

A good reason to roll up the sleeves to find a solution Pedro Caneira, OMNI Aviation

P E R S P E C T I V E S â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Business aviation through the eyes of the air charter salesperson

Courting brokers, business and the stars; selling charter has never been more challenging This month we view business aviation from the perspective of the air charter operatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the men and women charged with arguably the most important job of all, making sure there are passengers in the cabin. The rise of online booking systems has switched the emphasis from hard-selling to sales administration for some, but others remain in the front line, pitching the benefits of their fleet to brokers and key customers, and trawling for new business. If our survey (to which we are very grateful to have received a huge response) is representative of all sales people, then for the most part they have backgrounds in sales rather than aviation. It is often said that salesmen are born rather than created, and the best are capable of selling any product or service. Perhaps this is why air charter companies tend to look outside their own industry for sales staff. However, product knowledge is essential, and so we were surprised to

hear that perhaps a majority of members of sales teams almost never fly on the aircraft they are tasked with filling. Those that do fly, maybe on empty legs or promotional flights, count themselves lucky and believe that it is an experience essential to understanding the product they are selling.

Meet the air charter sales people You must be convinced your product is the best Floris Helmers, Air Hamburg

Air Hamburg has a fleet of nine Cessna Citations and with its XLS+ proving a bestseller, with a third

joining the fleet shortly (see front cover story). A team of five sales agents is headed up by ceo Floris Helmers, who says they mainly work with regular customers, the majority being global brokers offering one-stop shopping for passengers flying intercontinentally and regionally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we are continuously looking for new customers,â&#x20AC;? Helmers says. Sales events are important as personal contact with customers enables the company to demonstrate the standard of its jets and its serviceminded personnel. Helmers believes that a love of negotiation and a high level of interpersonal skills are prerequisites for a role in charter sales. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need to be convinced that your own product is the best on the market.â&#x20AC;? And a healthy competitive edge drives members to strive for the best charter of the day.â&#x20AC;?

The business of marketing is rewarding Andrew Lee, Skydrift Ltd

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Stansted airport, followed by four years at Thurston Aviation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having worked outside of general aviation for 17 years, this position has allowed me to continue in the industry for which I have a great passion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you believe in, and are passionate about a product or service, then the business of marketing it is enjoyable and rewarding. I feel very fortunate to work with such a well-established and respected aviation company.â&#x20AC;?

Our Network is your advantage

Skydrift operates an Embraer EMB110 Bandeirante from Norwich, in passenger or freight configuration, and has operated a Citation V since 2007. Commercial manager Andrew Lee reports that Skydrift will work with other charter operators, when there is no availability on its own aircraft, or when a larger aircraft is required. As commercial manager, Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary role is to support the fixed wing business, but when opportunities arise he is also involved in promotion of the helicopter fleet within the aviation group. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The majority of my time is spent researching new business opportunities here and overseas,â&#x20AC;? he explains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;while maintaining regular contact with our existing clients.â&#x20AC;? Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career in aviation started in 1987 with Blades Helicopters at

Pedro Caneira of Portugalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OMNI Aviation is director of sales and marketing, dedicating 95% of his time to selling charter flights on a fleet consisting of three Airbus 319CJs, five Learjets, a Challenger 300, Falcon 900, a Bell 222 and a JetRanger. A team of three focus on existing contacts while keeping up the search for new customers. Caneiraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career path has rarely strayed from marketing, although not always in aviation, with detours into oil, music and promoting Lisbon Zoo featuring on his CV. With such a variety of experience, it is no wonder that Caneira says he thrives on being told that a flight may be difficult. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a good reason to roll up the sleeves and sort out solutions to make it happen in a professional and safe manner,â&#x20AC;? he explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good example was in 2010. We had a tour to southeast Asia and in one particular airport the authorities did not want to allow our operation due to technical restrictions. It took us two months to explain that there was no problem with the actual conditions and we were in fact the first operator to land an A319 there.â&#x20AC;? For the qualities that make a good charter sales person, Caneira lists being obsessive with details, being experienced as a pilot (even private), treating the company as if it were your own, full dedication and being aware that it is not possible to have a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;normalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; family life. He advises: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes when we have large operations and you think everything is settled, you have to stop and think about what can still go wrong when everything seems sorted.â&#x20AC;?

The client didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy the property in the end Jean-Daniel Berthod, HĂŠli-Alpes SA

Jean-Daniel Berthod is a man with many hats as flight ops manager, continuous airworthiness manager, head of training, pilot and flight instructor at Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HĂŠli-Alpes SA. Sales for the charter of its eight helicopters are carried out via an operations and marketing team of three, who are always on the look out for new customers. Berthod remembers an unusual charter request: â&#x20AC;&#x153;A client wanted to fly from Sion in Switzerland to Ibiza to see a property he was interested in buying â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a return flight of more than 10 hours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy the property in the end.â&#x20AC;?

You must adapt quickly to change Natascha Rode, Air Alliance Express

Natascha Rode joined the sales/operations and marketing department at Germany-based Air Alliance Express earlier this year and is a pilot with a background in aviation and sales. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleet of eight aircraft includes Learjets and Piper Cheyennes operated for ambulance and passenger charter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We sell mainly to existing customers, Continued on page 10

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Perspectives: the air charter salesperson

but I see an increase in new customers, especially thanks to Avinode,” says Rode. “You must have patience, adapt quickly to change, be friendly and flexible,” says Rode, adding that day-to-day variety is what makes the job most enjoyable.

I can never leave a passenger on ground Sergio Saz Velasco, Executive Airlines SL

As commercial director for Executive Airlines SL, Sergio Saz Velasco says that he views his work as a salesperson in the charter department as a mix between a concierge of a five star hotel, a luxury travel agency and a taxi driver. He says: “You have to meet the requirements of customers at any time and not stop until you do, because when a customer requests a flight, you have to give the best options and do it as fast as possible. My motto is: I can never leave a passenger on the ground.” Executive Airlines operates eight aircraft types and 14 aircraft are available for charter flights. The sales department is made up of commercial director, international sales manager, national sales manager and three charter sales people, continuously looking for new customers. Velasco has worked for three of the major operators in Spain – Gestair, TAG Aviation Spain and Executive Airlines, and has 15 years experience in the business aviation industry. The role is obviously not without its challenges: “Meeting customer demand, the difficulties we have with availability, rules, regulations, crew activity etc,” he says. “Sometimes there is no way to get what the client wants and that is the

The unusual is no problem for Amira Air Christian Schmadblauer started his career in 2004 at a small airline where he was thrown in at the deep end and continuously moved on, learning everything from scratch. Now he is sales team leader in a department of four at Amira Air GmbH, based at Vienna. “I emerged with a broad interest in this business and see my job as a hobby. I think it’s really important to ‘live’ this job like that, because otherwise you run out of gas quite fast in this demanding business,” he says. “You need to be a calm person with the ability to troubleshoot everything that could possibly happen in a deliberate manner, with a focus on the important decisions.” Amira Air operates nine aircraft in its commercial charter fleet, featuring Citation CJ 2+, Hawker

400XP, Challenger 300 and Global Express types, with a new Global 5000 scheduled for delivery in January 2012. “We have a solid customer base that we can rely on. Amira Air has been in the business for several years now and has its name and reputation in the aviation industry.

Through word-of-mouth and excellent service, our customer database naturally grows worst aspect of this work.” Velasco suggests that honesty, an ability to make decisions, dynamism and dedication are traits that help to meet these demands effectively. One tricky request needed an aircraft based in Spain to be positioned on the USA west coast to take passengers to Kazakhstan for two days, then back to the USA and a final flight back to Spain. “And another flight with 25 live falcons onboard a G550,” Velasco recalls.

You should be able to estimate what ‘type’ your customer is Willers Jessen, ABC Nordflug

Willers Jessen is the sole sales representative at ABC Nordflug in Hamburg, that operates a fleet largely comprised of Citations. Unusually, Jessen began his career as a high school teacher, moving into the shipping business before starting a 20

We have mostly long-term business relationships and less ad-hoc flights.” Schmadblauer’s approach means that he doesn’t consider any request unusual. “I think that’s the reason why our clients like to fly with us, because we are different, in a positive way, to the average joe sitting in a standard airline aircraft. “But sometimes I question the seriousness of certain requests from and to the other side of the world with positioning flights that outmatch the taxi time by a factor of two or more.” Sales events present a good opportunity for Schmadblauer to meet colleagues with whom he talks over the phone or emails. “It’s always good to be face-to-face with individuals you’re doing business with,” he adds.

year stint in the aviation business. Of the most enjoyable aspects of his job, Jessen says: “To meet customers who are interesting people, with whom you can have a wonderful conversation and who treat you like a human being.” And the most interesting mission? “A German journalist was captured in Indonesia years ago, and when he was freed (after paying some good money) we were asked to send an aircraft to a certain location where we found this journalist and to took him back to safety.” Personal traits Jessen recommends for the job are reliability and honesty. “You should have ‘character‘, you should be friendly and able to estimate what ‘type’

your customer is, to find the right approach to deal with him,” he adds. To conduct business in a more direct manner Jessen prefers face-to-face meetings over dinner or going to a concert. Few of our respondents admitted to having refused to quote a charter but Jessen has, saying: “I refused to quote due to one client’s absolutely bad behaviour!”

I had to transport sand from Italy to Egypt James Coak, Rotana Jet

Based in the UAE, Rotana Jet’s current concerns are aircraft management and aircraft charter, operating a luxury Gulfstream G450 with 14 seats and an Airbus 319LR in vip format, which is due to be in service mid-2012. Commercial manager James Coak reveals that there are other aircraft in the pipeline yet to be confirmed. “These core aircraft are where our main focus rests for charter activities,” he explains. “However, due to some of our clients’ needs, we do offer a full array of services for charter covering all aircraft types. We recently carried out a charter on our Gulfstream G450 into Africa. While the client was in Africa, we subchartered an aircraft to fulfill the client’s local flying requirement.” Coak’s main focus is anything that helps the company commercially, the main aspect being sales and development of current and future business areas. As Rotana Jet is a relatively new company, he is currently involved in setting up procedures that will continue to support its growth. “I also focus

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on areas of cost-saving across various departments, monitoring of operational costs through sensible buying and reviewing of suppliers,” he says.

director of charter sales Frank Steitz focuses on sales, assisted by a charter flight planner. He says that most of the quotes he supplies are for existing contacts with the search for new clients carried out by the marketing department. Steitz started his career in the mid80s in cargo before moving, in 1995, to Arcus Air in Mannheim. He now has more than 25 years experience in aviation, once moving six tons of gold on a cargo charter. “Every day is a challenge – you just don’t know how long the day will be,” Steitz says. “Experience in operations, performance, mathematic ability and multidimensional thinking are important personal qualities for this job.”

Sometimes there is no way to get what the client wants Coak is currently the only handson sales person for the company and works closely with the ceo and senior management who are heavily involved in sales projects for growth. “We intend to increase our sales force over the next few months and years, as the company’s growth dictates,” he says. Brokers form the main bulk of Rotana’s charter customers, although it does have some direct clients. “We focus our growth via transparency and support of brokers. We advertise our services and through word-of-mouth and excellent service, our customer database naturally grows,” Coak adds. “We focus on retention of clients by offering the best in-flight services. We have a dedicated and experienced team that oversees the set-up of the flight services and their delivery.” Coak says he loves being in aviation as he deals with all types of people from various cultures, various educational levels and various wealth levels. “One minute you can be dealing with a head of state who wants to fly to important meetings on a global trip, the next minute it’s an office clerk who needs to transport a bird of prey for his boss! “Everyone offers different challenges, whether it’s what they are looking for or how they need to be handled. Some are easier than others.”

Service orientation and flexibility are vital Dominik A Tyro, Jetalliance

Marianna Margeti says that Air Business International’s search for new customers includes participation in trade shows and promotion through the internet.

Coak recalls an unusual job: “I had to transport sand from Italy to Egypt! Isn’t there enough sand there already? I accompanied the aircraft down to Cairo and once aboard, it all made sense. The sand was of very high silicon content especially for glass making – this type of sand does not exist in the desert.” Charter sales people come in many different forms, says Coak, but in general they need to know the aircraft they are dealing with, must have a good understanding of operational constraints, be eloquent, have the ability to deal with people at all levels, willing to work long hours and know their competition.

QUALITY AND EXPERIENCE

Rotana has a clear direction on where it invests time and money for marketing purposes, appearing in carefully selected business aviation publications and exhibitions, but: “We don’t want to share our secrets as we believe a lot of our business is generated from those initiatives,” he says.

You don’t know how long the day will be Frank Steitz, Cirrus Airlines

German-based Cirrus Airlines operates Dornier 328 turboprops and ERJ-170 aircraft. The company’s

Jetalliance Flugbetriebs GmbH has its headquarters in Kottingbrunn, close to Vienna, and sells charter on a fleet of nine aircraft, from Citation CJ2+ to Gulfstream 550. Director of sales in the aircraft charter division Dominik Tyro focuses all his energies on sales, including brokerage, within a team of three. Tyro’s background is sales and tourism, with four years working in the hotel industry before moving to aviation in 2007. He feels that resistance to stress, perfect communication skills, service orientation and 24/7 flexibility are vital to meeting the requirements of the role. Daily challenges, the multicultural society and working in very high service occupation are all aspects of the positives and negatives of his job and he sees sales events as

the perfect tools for networking with brokers, although direct customers seldom attend sales events. Asked if he has ever refused a charter quote request, he stresses: “No, never! All clients are king!”

There are plans to extend the team Dana Hovorková, ABS Jets

Dana Hovorková is the charter sales manager at ABS Jets, Prague-based aircraft operator and services provider. Since joining ABS Jets in July 2009 Hovorková has become a key part of the charter sales team and developed a keen understanding of customer requirements and the challenges of the business charter market. A firm believer in delivering outstanding customer service Dana enjoys the variety her work in a busy charter department brings. ABS Jets offers three types of business jet for aircraft charter, in categories to provide capacity for seven to 13 passengers. “In the light jet category we have a Citation Bravo, the first jet in our fleet,” Hovorková says. “We also have a seven-seat Learjet 60XR, a very popular midsize jet due to its speed and comfort. “The largest aircraft, with the highest level of comfort, is the Embraer Legacy 600. The three-zone cabin layout has capacity for 13 passengers. ABS Jets has five Legacys in its fleet which is a strong indicator of the popularity of the aircraft.” Hovorková spends all her time in the sales department, but teamwork is required as there are many aspects to the work. “The sales role means that I get involved in other areas of Continued on next page

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Perspectives: the air charter salesperson

work such as travel management – helicopter bookings, shipping reservations, and many other aspects of the trip to ensure that customers receive a top-of-the-range concierge service,” she says. “Jiri Hrna and I share the duties between us to provide a 24-hour operation. As ABS Jets has grown significantly in recent times there are plans to extend the team.” Taking care of existing customers is a key part of ABS Jets but, as Hovorková points out, in order to grow there is always a need to secure new business. “We are launching a new marketing campaign that focuses on potential corporate clients in our region. We have identified a growth trend in travel by midsize companies so we are aiming to secure business in this sector. “I love this job because of the constant change, every day is different. I get great job satisfaction when the client is happy and we know that we did a great job. The most unusual request I’ve had was how much it would cost to transport 50 sheep from South Africa to Prague. “In this role we need strong communication skills (this includes understanding of foreign languages), and to be able to work in an empathetic, positive way.” On the subject of sales events, Hovorková finds them very useful, as the opportunity to meet customers and discuss their preferences is rewarding. “I see events as a very important part of building strong customer relationships. At ABS Jets we have held several events over the course of the year, allowing us to meet our clients, introduce new aircraft in our fleet, advise them of the latest developments. “We have great opportunities to coordinate the charter sales activities of ABS Jets with our own aircraft sales events and promotions as ABS Jets is an official Embraer Approved Service Center and authorised Embraer Executive Jets sales representative in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We also get involved with local/domestic VIP events, from concerts and golf tournaments to luxury brand events.”

You must be available for your customer Clément Lacoste, Skycam Helicoptere

Skycam Helicoptere in France sells charter flights on four aircraft types, AS350, EC130, Agusta A109 Grand New and the vvip configured EC155B1. In his role as sales and

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

“

Nowadays clients have much more choice

“I started in charter sales in 1983 when the private jet business was relatively straightforward; there were very few brokers. There were no empty leg sales, no jet cards, no jet shares (you either leased or purchased a jet or remained a charter customer) and of course it was before the internet so the market was relatively small, with clientele mostly being western European with a scattering of US and Middle Eastern clients. “Advertising was simply a brochure and an entry in Yellow Pages, marketing was scanning the business section of newspapers for who was doing well and firing off a letter and brochure. Most business came by word of mouth – an astounding claim perhaps, but it did in those days. “Today, of course, it’s a very different picture, in some ways more complex. Clients have more choice; they can still charter ad-hoc, but now they can buy a jet card and pay for what they actually fly, they can buy (on paper) a share in an off-thepeg jet and enjoy all the benefits that go with it. We have even experienced in recent years the ‘low cost’ air taxi model, although the financial viability remains to be seen. “With the advent of the internet it seems anyone with a decent website can become a broker and, speaking from an operator’s point of view, there have been some

operations manager, Clément Lacoste’s duties include sales, base management and owner flight management. Lacoste is always looking for new customers and is aware that many of his customers do not appreciate all the services the company can provide. He began his working life at Cannes Quai du Large helistation in ground ops, then to Courchevel for a local helicopter company working in ops and sales and for the past two years he has been with Skycam. Of his day-to-day working life, Lacoste says: “Each day is different, you don’t have the same requests and it is not boring as I am not only doing sales. You must be reactive and always available for your customer.” To promote its services, Skycam sends out mailshots with appearances at shows like Paris Air Show and EBACE to raise the company profile.

interesting companies entering the scene over the last 10 years; some making an impression and others coming and going overnight. “My present role is UK sales director for Unijet, a longestablished management and charter company based at Le Bourget airport. Unijet is a conservative company by nature, not out to be the cheapest or the biggest, but certainly one of the most reliable companies around. The current charter fleet stands at 11 aircraft with a new Falcon 7X to be added soon. “I provide quotations and promote the services of the company to UK brokers, operators, travel agents and direct clients. I am supported by a commercial

department in Le Bourget; important when the service we provide is 24/7. My job is certainly not nine-to-five and you have to be prepared to answer that call just as you are about to have dinner or at 3.00am – an understanding wife is crucial! “I worked in flight operations before moving into the commercial side; working in ops is a good schooling for anyone who goes on to selling charter as you can understand what can be achieved and what cannot. You learn that organising a flight is not as straightforward as it would seem. I have enormous respect for the flight operations department and when organising a charter I liaise closely with ops to ensure a smooth

I like to make individual face-to-face calls or invite customers to our facilities You must be an excellent negotiator Sofia Santos, Air Nimbus

“At the moment we have two aircraft in our fleet, a Piper PA-32 and a Citation Mustang,” says Sofia Santos, who works in the exclusive sales department at Air Nimbus of Portugal. “We use the Mustang to sell charter flights, for which we are continuously searching for new customers.” Santos brings a background in sales and marketing in the tourism

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industry to her role and finds negotiating the most interesting aspect of the job. “You must be an excellent negotiator,” she says. To market Air Nimbus’s services, Santos finds sales events most useful and would like to see more of them. Additionally, depending on budget availability, the company will advertise in publications that its customers read. “We also advertise on our website and on Facebook.”

One day is rarely the same as another Axel Klegien, Aerowest

Aerowest offers Europe-wide charter services from its base near Hanover with a fleet featuring seven aircraft including two Piper Cheyennes, the Citation V and the Sovereign. In the sales and marketing department, Axel Klegien works on expanding the company’s customer base of brokers and direct clients. To a lesser extent, he assists his two colleagues in operations and some administration. Klegien enjoys the variety of his position: “As we do ambulance, passenger and cargo charter and our company also provides maintenance and a flight school, one day is rarely the same as another.” Klegien was in sales for around 13 years and in aviation for 15, with training as a freight forwarder he moved into cargo sales in 1997 and then into aviation sales in 1998. His experience has taught him that sales people need to be patient and aggressive at the same time, while listening to customers’ needs. “I find

operation for the client. I still like to keep my hand in and often assist with organising handling, ground transportation, airport slots, flight catering, etc. “In the good times, when the demand is high, we frequently turn business away due to lack of availability or no crew; in the bad times we suffer the frustration of losing out to cheaper operators who in some cases charter their aircraft out at direct operating costs. This only makes a bad situation worse for all (brokers and operators) and often prolongs the slump. But ultimately it hastens their demise when they can’t meet the high costs involved with operating private jets. “The job can take you to some interesting parts of the world and we regularly participate at trade shows that allow us to meet customers face-to-face. Sometimes you get to ride in these luxurious aircraft, a must if you are to sell charter on the aircraft as you cannot beat the flight experience. “There is no official course to go on to become a charter sales executive, only experience and tuition from those who have come before you. I cannot see myself doing anything else, once it’s in the blood you never want to let go. There is a great deal of satisfaction when you see a flight through from the quote to its conclusion. – Andy Lee, Unijet

”

the most successful attitude is when you see customers as business partners on eye-level rather than the classic seller/buyer relationship,” he explains. “I like to make individual face-to-face calls, invite customers to our facilities or meet them at shows.” Aerowest rarely places advertising and concentrates more on appearances in the press.

Business is based on longterm contracts Hans Arne Jensen, Lufttransport AS

Hans Arne Jensen is responsible for working with long-term contracts at Norway-based Lufttransport AS, however, together with the company’s 24/7 sales and operation centre, he also deals with ad-hoc enquiries. “We do ad-hoc/charter sales with Agusta A139, A109P and Eurocopter AS332N3 helicopters and the Dornier 228NG. “Most of our business is based on long-term contracts with government for air ambulance, hoisting of sea pilots to and from oil tankers visiting the Norwegian oil terminals, marine operations, a helicopter route between the mainland and islands, and surveillance in the Barents Sea,” says Jensen. Lufttransport also carries out operations between cities in the Spitsbergen area with the Do228.

We transferred a pet hamster from the UK to a Greek island Marianna Margeti, Air Business International

Air Business International offer helicopters, turboprops and long range jets and is based in Greece. Marianna Margeti is air charter manager and ground operations manager and comes from a background in marketing and sales with four years in the business aviation field.

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EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

The Air Business International sales and customer service team consists of three people, all involved in marketing, sales and customer service, from the first request up to invoicing. “Working out of a small country with global activities, we are in continuous search of new customers by participating in trade shows and through the internet,” says Margeti. It is a challenge, she says, working in an area where not a single operator is Argus audited. “Therefore a deep knowledge of the EASA standards is required to make sure that you provide the fellow broker or the end user a quality product that guarantees safety.” The most out-of-theordinary request Margeti has come up against was to transfer a child’s pet hamster from the UK to a Greek island, since the family’s decision to leave the rodent behind wasn’t popular with the family’s youngest member.

I am making a solid contribution Ozan Alemdaroglu, Redstar Aviation

Redstar Aviation has a Jetstream 32EP aircraft with a capacity of 18+1 passengers. Ozan Alemdaroglu is one of a number of sales representatives selling charter flights on the Jetstream as well as other aircraft rented from contracted service providers. Alemdaroglu works 100% on sales, communicating with the client before and afterwards. “I am the goto-guy when there are requests coming from our international network. Domestically, we receive requests from travel agencies and from client themselves. “Our client list includes business partners we have been working with for many years, companies that hear about our reputation in the industry, as well as new business generated from our continuous search.” Alemdaroglu started his sales career eight years ago. After working in different sectors, he joined the Redstar Aviation operations department. “Having become familiar with the how aviation industry worked, I started working as a charter sales professional. I enjoy dealing with different kinds of people, helping people that are in need of assistance is important to me. Also, at the end of the month, when I look at my numbers, I feel like I am making a solid contribution to my company.” Sales is all about relationships, Alemdaroglu believes. “To get positive results, you need to be culturally open-minded and flexible, not to mention persistent and hardworking. Also, in charter sales, technical know-how is important. One has to be aware of the conditions in which the aircraft will operate.” Sometimes Redstar sales reps will fly on an

GlobeAir’s board of directors are cmo Mauro De Rosa, ceo Bernhard Fragner and coo Claudio Bruno.

aircraft to make observations on how to improve the flight experience. Like many in his position, Alemdaroglu is on-call around the clock and finds the lifestyle active and exciting. After the conflicts began in the Middle East and Caspian regions, Redstar received more evacuation requests. “We coordinated a flight to and from Georgia during the Russia-Georgia clash. We built a connection between Tbilisi, Georgia, and our secondary hub in Trabzon, Black Sea, Turkey. There were people in Georgia that were desperate for help as a result of the intensity of war, and our aircraft brought them to Trabzon safely.” Redstar Aviation networks with existing and new clients at fairs, seeking to build strong relationships leading to long-term partnerships. It also organises open days for potential clients to see the services on offer.

Searching out an optimal solution Christina Fries, Heron Luftfahrt

Heron Luftfahrt GmbH and Co KG in Germany has two aircraft, a Learjet 60 and Falcon 900EX. Christina Fries’s responsibilities are mainly in sales and marketing, as a member of a team of three forming part of ground operations. Fries finished her business administration studies in December last year and for the last seven months has been writing her thesis covering the marketing aspects of a business aviation company in the today’s competitive market. “I enjoy the new challenges which we get every day,” she says. “It is very interesting to search out the optimal solution for our customers.”

The unimportant customer doesn’t exist Eva Miñano, INAER

Alicante-based INAER offers charter on a fleet of aircraft including the Citation Bravo, King Air 200GT and five types

of helicopters. The company has been operating for more than 40 years and that gives it a wide customer base for flights to sport events, political conventions, cultural performances and so on. Charter manager Eva Miñano says: “We also deal with all kinds of enquiries for aerial works such as cargo, photo or video shoots and we obviously look out for potential new customers. Nowadays we can’t reject any project, the unimportant customer doesn’t exist, but it is true that economic issues are getting more and more important.” She also feels that charter flights are quite an unknown sector and the company’s operations with helicopters have to be promoted, so publicity events are always beneficial. “Sales in a company like INAER requires a custommade service and dealing directly with our customer,” Miñano explains. “I’m responsible also for the coordination of flights for the national transplant organisation, covering the whole country.” As the charter manager, she reports directly to the commercial manager and has a team of eight collaborating with her in the different operational bases of INAER. Miñano reports that the company has carried out several honeymoon trips, and been witness to marriage proposals and farewells to loved ones. “Every service is an adventure that usually has a happy ending, but the most satisfactory operations are the ones for the transplantations, as we know we could be saving one or more lives at the end of each flight, responding to demand 365 days, 24 hours a day.” INAER is well-known for always being at the customer’s disposal, says Miñano, and it is important to be proactive in order to anticipate customer demands and possible issues during a flight.

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There are always crazy requests Kerstin Mindermann, ProAir

ProAir sells charter flights on its six-seat Learjet 31A and plans to add a Citation III. Continued on next page

General Aviation

14 OCTOBER 2011

Perspectives: the air charter salesperson

Kerstin Mindermann spends her time on sales and marketing, and flight supervision after a sale has been made. A team of six sales people handle passenger flights, while a separate sales team focuses on cargo flights. Mindermann has a background in sales and tourism, with eight years specialising in aviation and says: “To be honest there are always crazy requests. The latest one was a flight for 40 passengers for a 40th birthday celebration for a passenger flying to Venice to stay there for 40 hours.” Mindermann achieves great satisfaction from short notice booking, obviously resulting in a hectic schedule, but in the end having a very satisfied and sometimes surprised client. It is this ability to organise several different topics, to be patient and to be able to work under pressure that are the key requirements Mindermann needs for her role.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

We know how competitive it can be Shafiq Derkeshly, Empire Aviation Group

Starting his aviation career in Syria in ground operations, Shafiq Derkeshly moved to Dubai several years ago and has been with Empire Aviation Group since its inception in 2007. The company has Hawker 850s, 900 and 4000, Legacy 600s and a Challenger 604 available for charter, although Derkeshly reports that he does sometimes get spurious enquiries for cargo movements, including one regarding several tons of bananas! Derkeshly is part of a charter sales team responsible for handling all incoming charter enquiries, conducting new sales calls and managing relationships with existing customers. “Our team is very proactive in searching the market

Kerstin Mindermann is pictured, fourth from left, with ProAir staff during a charter flight project for Audi AG that involved arranging flight logistics and luggage handling for 4,000 attendees to a meeting at Nice earlier this year.

for new business. It is also very important to maintain relations with our existing customers. We

understand the nature of our business and how competitive it can be, so we have to be alert in identifying

new business opportunities in the region and beyond.” Positive feedback from clients gives the Empire Aviation team immense satisfaction and, although hours of work can be challenging, Derkeshly believes this is the nature of the business: “You really have to be passionate about it to be in it. Product knowledge, keeping a track of the charter market trends, maintaining good relations with your existing customers, monitoring competitors and continually promoting your USP to new and old clients are all vital to the role.” A centralised database is managed by the marketing department that also has responsibility for advertising placements, exhibitions and sending out mailers. “We generally participate in aviation related events. From time-to-time we get involved with our business partners whereby we have the opportunity to showcase our services.”

Excellent product knowledge is vital Lara Vassallo, Harbourair Seaplanes

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Harbourair Seaplanes has one De Havilland Single Otter with a seating capacity of 14 passengers on offer to its charter clients. Lara Vassallo counts sales among her various responsibilities and cites positive feedback from client, for example that the trip was the highlight of their holiday, as the positive aspect of her role. She feels that drive, ambition, personality and excellent product knowledge are all vital personal characteristics to succeed in the business.

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Commercial director Nacho Isla at Via Tauro SL sells flights on cargo aircraft such as the Metro and Saab 340, plus a 30-seat EMB120 for passengers. Agreements with other companies mean that bigger aircraft are available for cargo or passengers. Isla works predominantly on sales, although he points that he is quite happy performing other tasks to help the company if needed. “There are two of us in sales because it is impossible to provide 24/365 cover alone – I have had to do this in the past and it was crazy. I am the one in charge but I need help with customer requests and holidays. We are continuously trying to find new customers although, naturally, we like to devote most of our energies to existing customers. And we prefer satisfied customers spreading the word to advertising.”

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Isla started in aviation in 1995 as a dispatcher, working for several airlines at London Heathrow. After some time, he returned to Spain to develop his career in aviation, this time as a commercial director. “I got a job with Metro Airlines which started with two aircraft and grew to six aircraft. However, when the company had not grown its fleet for a couple of years, I decided to take a new challenge with a different, small company and try to make it grow. I like challenges.”

OCTOBER 2011 15

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Medical evacuations are always memorable As head of sales and marketing at Arab Wings, Manal Obeid sells charter services for around 13 aircraft, including the G450, Legacy 650, Challenger 605 and King Air B200, strategically based across the Middle East region. Obeid views her workload as 90% sales, 5% marketing and 5% aircraft management. The aim is for each of the company’s four sales people to focus on a particular type of client such as oil and gas companies, medical flights or managed aircraft. Obeid used to work for a non-profit organisation before entering the aviation field with Arab Wings seven years ago. She says: “The aviation business is a separate and huge world – every day you learn something new and I always try to have good relationship with brokers, operators and manufacturers. I think if you don’t go into this world you can’t understand how it is.” To get on in charter sales Obeid says it helps to be patient and presentable, respect all requests from the client, solve any problem and be able to work 24/7. She finds that medical evacuations are always the most memorable tasks and of the job in general she says: “It’s something like an addiction you can’t get rid of – I think I enjoy my job!” Deputy sales manager Dima Elayyan expands on

On the downside, Isla has had some negative experiences: “I don’t think a salesperson should quote somebody who doesn’t pay their bills. They are a cancer for our business and unfortunately they exist in Spain.” Isla may have the most forthright example of a strange customer request – a flight booked specifically so that the customer could have sexual intercourse while flying.

I work closely with the whole team Mauro De Rosa, GlobeAir

GlobeAir is an executive airline using its own fleet of nine Mustangs, with one Mustang in AOC management, and conducts an average of 13 flights a day. Mauro De Rosa, chief marketing officer, says: “We have the largest Citation Mustang fleet in the world and we are the market leader in Europe with 40% of market share.” De Rosa’s responsibilities involve sales, marketing and management. “Since our customers book flights with us directly, we are responsible for them. Our passengers fly all over Europe so we must ensure that everything works perfectly. “Usually I go to sleep when the last flight has landed and the commander calls to say the customer was 100% satisfied. My position involves working closely with the whole team.” GlobeAir is constantly looking for new clients. A customer care team of six is headed up by George Wilfing who takes care of partner and client needs 24/7. Says De Rosa: “Due to continual growth, our client base grows as a result, but we are always eager to create a wider network. New clients are contacted and met by the sales department and once we get to know clients they are handed over to our customer care team.” At GlobeAir, employees come from all over Europe and some from outside the EU, which can make communication and cultural differences during daily operations challenging at times. “Therefore the common denominator must be the passion that we all have for this industry and the professionalism that every single person puts in,” stresses De Rosa. “You can learn how to sell but you cannot learn how to love your corporate mission, it’s about emotion and mind status.” De Rosa studied law and international business with a marketing specialisation, later working in a non-aviation industry as marketing and sales manager.

Manal Obeid

the services offered by the Arab Wings sales department: “We sell block hours, work on lease agreements and invoicing, manage regular and new clients and aircraft owners’ accounts, coordinate and follow-up medical or VIP flights with other related departments. “We have our regular clients and we continuously seek new sales opportunities.” Elayyan graduated with a degree in business administration and joined Arab Wings in 2008, fresh from college. “Arab Wings has taken the time to educate me about the industry and now I have been in the industry for almost four years I am very ambitious, so I am looking forward to what’s going to happen in my career in future.” The qualities Elayyan considers important for the role are patience, flexibility and the persistence to pursue follow-ups with clients. Chartering a plane to transport birds of prey may not be as unusual as expected. Elayyan says: “We actually received a call today from a client requesting a mid-size jet for himself and four trained falcons, asking to keep the birds inside the cabin without their cages. We had to go and check our manuals before accepting or declining his request.”

However, he says: “At one point my passion for aviation was so strong that on instinct I decided to get into aviation management, marketing and sales. I always encourage people coming from different backgrounds to join this industry; they can provide new ideas and unclouded ways of thinking.” Working closely with people, and being in touch with different cultures, is what De Rosa likes the most. “This business is so interesting, emotional and foolish that I enjoy every single day and every single flight sold. We flew more than 6,000 passengers between January and August and each flight always had a nice story behind it. We had a serious request to provide a flight from Rome to Dubai. It was Valentine’s Day and a man asked us to fly his cat … it was a present for his wife who lives in Dubai.” In the internet era, GlobeAir believes that the most powerful tool is to meet the customer, listen and try to satisfy their expectations. “In this business I’m still convinced that 90% of customers in Europe flying privately jump from one operator to another until they find the right one for them. So the best way to acquire customers is when they fly with us, just for one flight, we must provide them with the most professional care and this will guarantee a rebooking.” GlobeAir’s communication activities are built around its partner networks established on comarketing agreements. For example, for partner Maserati the company exhibits during the Frankfurt and Geneva motor show, or with the Ferretti Group appearances at the Festival de la Plaisance in Cannes and at Monte Carlo Boat Show are in order.

Dima Elayyan

LEA staff are trained in quoting. Sixty per cent of LEA’s business comes from major brokers and other operators in Europe, rather than from direct bookings. “We are constantly looking to expand our client base and building new relationships with others,” says Watson. “We have carried anything from coffins to small car parts and human transplants around Europe and

further afield. One charter that sticks in mind was to take eight ladies to an African country with some boxes of special Cognac. We were told that none of the ladies knew each other. On the day, none of the passengers turned up, so we just flew the boxes of Cognac to the destination – after getting them thoroughly checked, of course! We don't ask questions, we just get on with the job!”

Every day has its new challenges Andreas Mundsinger, Stuttgarter Flugdienst

Stuttgarter Flugdienst operates 11 aircraft, including the newest entry to its fleet, a Citation XLS. Continued on next page

Citation XLS+

See you at NBAA.

We just get on with the job Chris Watson, London Executive Aviation

Commercial manager at London Executive Aviation Chris Watson reports that being from an ops background, and maintaining some of those responsibilities, works well with the commercial side. He sells charter flights on 24 aircraft of seven types, including the Legacy 600/650, Challenger 300 and Citation Mustang. A commercial executive helps to turn around most of the quotes each day, although all

Watson’s background lies in aviation, starting with a diploma in aircraft engineering and a period at London City Airport before joining LEA seven years ago to train in ops and commercial. “I became deputy operations manager and then took the post of commercial manager two years ago. I still enjoy getting involved in operational matters, especially long haul flight planning.” A charter sales person must be enthusiastic, polite, professional and able to adapt to different client personalities and needs, he says. “This is a service industry, where personal relationships go a long way. I enjoy networking and meeting our clients and potential ones. I find I have a better relationship that can be more relaxed once I have met a client. We also hold various events for our clients – a day at the theatre, learning to play polo, day at the races, and so on. It is important to give something back and spend some time away from the aircraft with them.” Watson says that he has never refused to quote a job, but if he does not like the sound of the task, will always make the appropriate enquiries with government agents. “These days, security and safety is paramount, so we need to be careful.”

ATRON Cessna Citation Authorised Sales Representative Dublin, Ireland, +353 1 2953000 sales@atron.ie, www.atron.ie

16 OCTOBER 2011

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

The most important characteristic for a charter sales person is the ability to think on their feet, believes Webèr, offering suitable alternatives to get the job done to provide customers with what they need. “I have yet to decline a customer. Not that it has not been close, but we always find a solution. We always says yes, then we find the best way around the ‘mountain’, present that to the customer, and get the job done.”

INDUSTRY NEWS... Baron and Bonanza gain fresh interiors

Vulcanair updates P68 cockpits

Hawker Beechcraft has unveiled new interiors for its Baron and Bonanza piston engine aircraft. The company says they will offer improved cabin comfort and functionality with enhanced styling inspired by interiors found in the world’s finest motor cars. The upgrade also includes an automatic climate control system and an LED external lighting package, and will be phased into production in the second quarter of 2012. Says Jim Holcombe, vice president Beechcraft marketing: “We are adding contemporary design elements, cleaner lines and improved ergonomics to the interior for a more blended, formfitting look.” The climate control system allows individual aft-cabin passengers to set their own temperature and features an engine-driven compressor with condenser and evaporator units installed in the tail cone. All external lights on both the Baron and the Bonanza will utilise LED bulbs.

Vulcanair has achieved EASA validation of the Garmin G950 glass cockpit on its piston aircraft models. Available immediately on all new aircraft, the G950 has two screens and is available both for the P68C and P68R (retractable) aircraft, which have a conventional nose configuration. It is also available on the P68 Observer series. “The installation of the system on to our plexiglass nose helicopter-like aircraft is a first in the industry,” the company says. In addition to the avionics improvements, Vulcanair has introduced redesigned cockpits for the P68C, P68R and the P68 Observer.

Travolta spreads the Bombardier word Having recently attained a type rating for the Challenger aircraft, film actor and producer John Travolta has agreed to become a brand ambassador for Bombardier’s Learjet, Challenger and Global jets. Travolta is a keen advocate of corporate aviation, flying to fulfil a busy schedule of filming, publicity and charity work.

We do not promise things that we cannot fulfill Rolf Ringwald, Cat Aviation

London caterer expands coverage Alison Price On Air, the Londonbased in-flight catering firm, has extended its opening hours to seven days a week, all year round and added four team members. The company reports that it has been given security clearance by the Department for Transport at Farnborough, Stansted, Luton and Biggin Hill.

Embraer boosts Legacy support in Russia Embraer has partnered with Jet Aviation Moscow Vnukovo to establish an enhanced maintenance service for the Legacy. Jet Aviation will hold a comprehensive stock of parts for the Legacy 600 and 650 executive jets by December this year.

Nacho Isla moved to Via Tauro SL seeking the challenge of encouraging growth.

After 55 years in business, SFD has a solid base of regular customers but is always seeking new contacts. Managing director Andreas Mundsinger explains that sales activities fall within the same department as operations and dispatch, with a staff that has gained many years of experience in business aviation. Mundsinger initially studied business administration and joined SFD in 1997 as manager of charter sales/operations before becoming managing director in 2001. Of his role, he says: “Every day has its new challenges, because this is aviation and every day is different. You must be service oriented, friendly, flexible, professional and have an excellent background in aviation.” The most unusual charter request Mundsinger recalls was to fly 10 cats from Athens to Stuttgart.

You need to be good at multitasking Jean-François Lecoanet, Masterjet

Eurojet joins Avfuel network Belfast City airport and Eurojet Aviation, the based FBO, are to partner with US-based Avfuel Corporation for fuel, fuel purchasing solutions, credit processing equipment, marketing support and a loyalty programme for pilots. “We are proud to say that Eurojet Aviation will be the first FBO in Ireland to join the Avfuel branded network,” said Eurojet md Graeme Campbell (left), pictured with Avfuel president Craig Sincock and Belfast airport’s Mark Beattie.

Masterjet’s charter operations are headquartered at Le Bourget, with a fleet of eight aircraft that has recently been joined by a head of state Airbus A320 with 26 seats. With prime responsibility for supervising charter sales, JeanFrançois Lecoanet works on sales while also making sure that everything goes smoothly for all flights. In the charter desk team, five people focus on the needs of existing customers with another staff member seeking and meeting new customers.

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Lecoanet has always been in private aviation, but he started in a more operational role before taking commercial responsibilities. And now he feels that time and experience has shown that no charter request is unusual. “I like the fact that this job is different every day, it is clearly not a boring task! I believe to make a good charter sales person you need to be flexible, good at multitasking, develop an exceptional customer-care attitude … and have a good resistance to pressure.” There has been occasion,

due to the inappropriate attitude of a customer toward the cabin crew or the aircraft, when Masterjet has had to refuse to quote. When it comes to sales strategy, Lecoanet believes that the only way to succeed with customers is to exceed expectations with every flight, saying that sales events and hospitality are not so helpful.

I have yet to decline a customer Nicolas D Webèr, Backbone Aviation A/S

“We sell charter flights on primarily our own aircraft – King Airs and Dornier 228 – but secondarily on any type, the best aircraft for the job to suit the customer,” says Nicolas D Webèr, managing director and pilot with Backbone Aviation A/S. As director, Webèr’s responsibilities are wide-ranging: “I have more than sales on my mind, I work with the whole organisation as accountable manager. So hiring and firing, possible future customers, new aircraft types, new focus areas are all my business. I find the whole scope of being accountable manager with a commercial pilots licence to be the best combination and I enjoy every aspect of my job.” He shares sales duties with his flight operations manager and, as Backbone is a newcomer to the business, they are on the look-out for new customers. With a background in the military and then aviation, Webèr says that the company has “a thing” for pioneering jobs in remote environments. “We believe we have the stamina to provide for our customers, wherever they want an operation to take place.” He was in the army for 16 years, from conscript to sergeant to officer and has been on national and international deployments, from Serbia to Iraq through many African countries, and Afghanistan. “Going from the military to aviation has been one of my toughest decisions, but also one of the best. “We have not had any request that goes into the ‘unusual’ category. But then again, BackBone Aviation handles unusual requests on a daily basis.”

Zurich-based Cat Aviation operates Falcon 7X, 900EX, 2000EX, Sovereign and Hawker 800 aircraft and other aircraft if there is a need. Rolf Ringwald is managing director for marketing and customer relations. The company’s sales team multitask by working in the flight dispatch and sales departments, 24/7 365 days. Ringwald says this is very important as staff must understand both sides, sales and operations. He explains: “They can give professional answers to our customers and do not promise things that we cannot fulfill – credibility is one of our company philosophies. We have a very good customer portfolio but we search continuously for new customers.” Ringwald has spent 25 years in the aviation industry with positions including flight dispatcher and head of ops centres at Crossair AG and Swiss International. He has also been an executive member at Hello AG charter airline in Switzerland and lead sales at Lufthansa Private Jet and Swiss Private Jet. He has been with Cat Aviation for a few months and has been involved in the organisation of charters for deportation of refugees, flights into Iraq shortly after the war and gold shipments. Occasionally, requests to fly into war areas have had to be refused.

Andreas Mundsinger is proud of Stuttgarter Flugdienst’s ISBAO certificate.

“Cat Aviation has a high class product, new aircraft and well trained and friendly people in the company,” says Ringwald. “I enjoy meeting new people and working with our highly professional staff, but sometimes it is tiresome to talk about prices.” Sales events and hospitality are, he says, absolutely necessary to extend the network and talk with people face-to-face. And a perk of the job would be the opportunity to travel on the jets himself. “We have very high class catering on board which I enjoyed, I tested the onboard entertainment system – and the comfortable beds!” ■

Calling all FBO managers In our November edition our report will focus on the FBO manager. If you would like to offer your thoughts and opinions, please contact newsdesk@ebanmagazine.com.

OCTOBER 2011 17

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Swiss business climbs despite increased competition and exchange rate challenges Business aviation in Switzerland was less affected by world events than many other European countries, but nonetheless suffered a dip in traffic movements in 2009. That effect seems to have mostly passed by now and the leading airports are busy again. According to Eurocontrol, Geneva saw over 50 business departures per day in 2010 and Zurich 31.4, followed in order of activity by Altenrhein, Bern, Sion, Lugano, Samedan, Grenchen, Buochs and Lausanne. But one of the things that has changed hugely is the value of the country’s currency. Back in 2007 one Euro bought around 1.65 Swiss Francs. By August this year that had fallen to 1.12. So assuming that most air charter operators will be quoting their customers in Euros (or dollars), but spending a good proportion of their revenue in local currency – for salaries, rents and business expenses – the strong Franc will have caused a significant narrowing of margins, or caused charter prices to rise. In recent weeks the exchange rate has moderated slightly, but looks likely to remain high while the current Euro/banking crisis continues. Companies we surveyed seemed to be coping well, however. According to Premium Jet: “The strong Swiss Franc is a huge challenge, because profit margins were/are significantly squeezed. However, Premium Jet is well-placed and able to cope with such a strong currency.” Nomad confirms that “to stay competitive, we have to adjust the prices in the Euro while some costs remain in CHF.” Many of the biggest names in business aviation are Swiss-based, and here we have our round-up of the latest news from a few of them.

Cat Aviation Cat Aviation is confident enough about future business to have opened a new sales office at Geneva airport in September, complementing its headquarters in Zurich. “Our aim is to strengthen our positioning in the Geneva area which is one of the biggest European markets in the field of commercial aviation,” says managing director, marketing and customer relations Rolf Ringwald. “With our new sales office we are able to offer our modern fleet of seven aircraft, three Falcon 7X, one 900EX, one 2000EX, one Sovereign, and one Hawker 800A, to our top

SWITZERLAND REGIONAL REVIEW

Business aviation in Switzerland by the numbers 18 business aviation airports Major business aviation airports* 1. Zurich 2. Geneva 3. Bern Belp 4. Lugano 5. St Gallen-Altenrhein

LSZH LSGG LSZB LSZA LSZR

ZRH GVA BRN LUG ACH

* ranked by the number of handler, charter, maintenance, sales and training organisations based at each.

89 business charter operators Leading fixed-wing charter operators** 1. TAG Aviation 2. Global Jet Concept 3. Jet Aviation Business Jets 4. ExecuJet Europe 5. Fly Comlux

Leading helicopter charter operators** Members of the Nomad management team: Rainer Schnurr, coo, Nicolo Crimi, aircraft relations and sales director, and Claude Neumeyer, ceo.

customers through a local contact person,” he adds. Jacques Clémence, sales manager of many years, is responsible for the new sales office where he is the direct contact person for customers in Geneva. “Furthermore Cat Aviation is working on a more competitive pricing structure that will be beneficial to all our customers,” says Ringwald, who has been with the company since May this year. Cat Aviation offers a range of services starting from aircraft management, exclusive charter flights to consultation regarding evaluation, acquisition and sale of aircraft.

Arcus Executive Aviation Swiss-based Arcus Executive operates Embraer Phenoms from Zweibruecken in Germany (see news item on page 7) and has noted an increase in flight hours recently. Part of the company’s increasing workload has involved flying demo missions for Embraer’s European potential customers, but it is confident that regular business will remain strong. “Time is money. Our service is time-saving,” says executive assistant Esther Bommer. “That’s one of the reasons why business people book private charter.

** ranked by number of aircraft for charter

aircraft 53 business maintenance organisations Leading maintenance centres*** 1. Jet Aviation Basel 2. Air Service Basel 3. Jet Aviation Geneva 4. Jet Aviation Zurich 5. TAG Aviation

Premium Jets finds tax regimes a burden.

Leading TRTO training companies***

“Exclusiveness, for fair prices, is the key,” she adds, singling out the company’s salesperson Kerstin Gloor for special praise.

Nomad Aviation The European emissions trading scheme, increasing prices in Russia, and the strong Swiss Franc have all been obstacles for Nomad Aviation to overcome in the past year, but ceo Claude Neumeyer reports that flight hours have slightly increased nonetheless. The most recent aircraft addition, a Challenger 604, is reported to be an excellent performer. “The market has slightly recovered,” he says. “However, we do not think that the financial crisis is over yet. Look at the markets and the indebtedness of the US and EU countries.” Neumeyer declines to pick a star from among his staff: “There is not one person who is more important than the other in our team; the team only works if the team plays together. If a part of the team fails, the whole team would suffer.”

Premium Jet

PrivatAir reports increased business despite operators offering ‘crazy’ deals.

1. Air Glaciers 2. Lions Air 3. Fuchs Helikopter 4. Swift Copters 5. Heli-Alpes

Premium Jet has raised prices per flight hour during recent months, but can still report that business has increased. “Beyond the legal, operational and technical requirements that need to be fulfilled, the highest obstacles to our business are the VAT and tax regimes that are becoming more and more complicated all over Europe – and the diversity in interpretation between Switzerland and its neighbouring countries,” says Marcel Wepfer, director sales. The latest addition to the charter fleet is a Challenger 300, based in Basel. “This aircraft is performing

ExecuJet’s Christophe Gibert says diversity is key.

very well,” says Wepfer, “not least because its owner is very charterminded. Within the next one to two months we will add a Citation Ultra, based in Torino, and a Phenom 100, based in Zurich, to our charter fleet. More additions are just around the corner.” “The economic downturn brought turbulent times to the world. The smaller and weaker market caused fighting with all available means for the remaining customers, which, in turn, hurt the whole industry. Recovery is slow – but present!” Wepfer reports that every single member of his team works with the greatest possible dedication and passion for details on every project. “We treat every single flight as something unusual – but extra challenging have been flights to Iran, central Africa and especially the one around the world in 10 days,” he adds.

1. Air Espace 2. Swift Copters 3. BB Heli 4. Jet Aviation 5. Sky Unlimited *** ranked by number of aircraft types covered

business aircraft on HB 567 the Swiss register Data extracted from the Handbook of Business Aviation in Europe, and the EBAN reader roster.

“Our increase in charter hours is also due to the fact that we are currently adding about an aircraft per month to our managed fleet and many of these are available for charter as well. So there is a lot of movement in the business at the moment, a development that we see positively.”

PrivatAir PrivatAir also reports increasing business despite facing competition from “desperate operators with crazy pricing.” Most recently the company added a Legacy 600 to its fleet.

ExecuJet “The level of demand is actually fairly high for charter at the moment,” says Christophe Gibert, director charter sales ExecuJet Europe. “The demand is increasing especially for a varied mix of aircraft. People are enquiring about smaller aircraft as well now, not just about the long range types as they did a few months ago.

Rolf Ringwald of Cat Aviation is planning more competitive pricing.

Gibert continues: “The pricing situation in Europe is still one of the main fights we encounter every day. Pricing is very competitive but if you want to keep your standards when it comes to service and safety, there is just a level which you cannot go under. We discuss this with our clients and usually come to a good basis on which we can do both – charter a Continued on next page

18 OCTOBER 2011

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Continued from previous page

client’s aircraft out and also offer competitive rates. “One of our strong points is that we offer a diversity of aircraft types and sizes across basically all OEMs. Thus we are able to serve the specific needs of a client. I think this is becoming increasingly important if you want to keep a client as a regular customer over a longer period of time which is clearly our aim. “I think the market has not really recovered. But we are on a good way as the charter hours are increasing also with other operators. In contrast to the time before the crisis, a lot of aircraft are available for charter these days. This has led to fierce competition as the demand has yet to get back to the level where it was. A few years ago it was the other way around.

Arcus Executive operates Phenoms from Zweibruecken, Germany.

Gibert believes that, for clients, the situation today is good as not only can they compare prices, it has made the direct user more sensitive to soft factors like the quality of service. “Today, clients can not only decide which aircraft to fly with but also which specific company they want to charter this aircraft from. For us this development is often beneficial because if it is not only the pricing that matters, but the overall experience of chartering an aircraft, then we are often in a position to convince clients of our service. I also think that this development has

SWITZERLAND REGIONAL REVIEW

Nomad team members Andrea Wyss, accounting, Florian Weger, aircraft relations and sales manager, and Glenn Abelon, chief cabin crew member.

made operators more sensitive to these additional levels of customer service as well. Business aviation is not just a fight about pricing but can actually offer much more.” ExecuJet has recently added a Falcon 900EX which is based in Geneva, and reports that this aircraft has flown more than 80 hours on charter in its first month of being under management. In all, the company has added six new aircraft to the managed fleet since April this year. New additions include a Danish-registered Falcon

7X, G-registered Falcon 900 EASy and 2000, both positioned at Geneva airport, an Embraer Legacy 600 and a Hawker 800B, also on the UK register, based in Marseilles and Palma, respectively. Operated for private use and based at London City Airport, is a new Isle of Man M-registered Falcon 7X. The new arrivals boost ExecuJet’s European-based managed fleet to 50-plus aircraft, one third of which are available for charter. Four of the six new aircraft (the Falcon 900 EASy and 2000, Hawker 800B and Legacy 600) are available for third party charter. ExecuJet has also added two new offices for charter sales at Geneva and Palma, the latter being one of Europe’s busiest private terminals during the summer months. The new charter sales offices complement established bases in London, Zurich, Moscow and Berlin (Schönefeld). ■

Comprehensive Swiss data online free-of-charge The 2011/12 EBAN Handbook of Business Aviation in Europe is out now, and gives details of many more Swiss charter operators. It also lists business aviation facilities and services including airports, FBOs and maintenance centres. The details can be accessed online through a search of aircraft operated or the airport bases. For more information please visit www.handbook.aero

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Belgian offshore operator Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV ) is to make its UK base, with several offices, workshops, hangar space and associated passenger handling services, at the SaxonAir facility in Norwich. NHV specialises in all kinds of helicopter operations in Belgium, the UK, France, the Netherlands and Ghana. It provides offshore hoisting and deck landings, transport of passengers and freight, medical transport, pollution control, sling operations and search and rescue services. The fleet consists of EC155, AS365N2/N3, EC145, EC120 and MD Explorer helicopters. NHV are the third tenant to take up residence in the Klyne Business Aviation Centre alongside Glennair, a Part 147 training centre, and aviation medical company, Examinair. NHV helicopter flights will start operating from the new base in October. Nick Hallett, md of Klyne Aviation, says: “Norwich Airport is an ideal central location for offshore operations and logistic support vital to our local economy.”

CHARTER BROKER NEWS...

Trevor Jones of Gama Aviation (left) and David Macdonald of Air Partner, shared the stage at BGAD’s Olympic discussions with Archie Garden of Cambridge Airport, chairman Charles Alcock, Jonathon Nicholson of the CAA, Cedric Migeon of ExecuJet and ACL’s head of slot coordination David Hill.

Macdonald warns of Olympic ‘feeding frenzy’ The forthcoming Olympic Games in London may become a ‘feeding frenzy’ for unscrupulous charter operators, warns David Macdonald, director of sales at Air Partner Private Jets. “This major event is an opportunity to showcase private aviation,” he said during an open forum at the BGAD show at Cambridge. “The risk is that many customers will be new users, and the truth over slot [availability] will be massaged in order to take their cash. “People will be promised aircraft and slots which are not available so I would advise customers to ask for documentary evidence of slots, aircraft tail number and traffic rights.” Many charter customers will be obliged to secure flights by paying for bookings much further in advance than is normally the case, and should take care in making commitments, added Macdonald. “The Olympics will bring out the best and the worst in our industry.” Operators such as Gama Aviation are already planning for the games. Trevor Jones, recently appointed as director of client relations, reported that his company has an internal working group to ensure the Olympic period runs smoothly. “At Farnborough, Olympic slot applications involve a nonrefundable deposit designed to prevent block bookings,” he told BGAD delegates.

Privatefly.com pampers personal assistants Privatefly.com, the online trip booking service, has launched a PA Privilege Programme, to provide dedicated support service for executive PAs. The programme gives executive assistants a range of user-friendly online tools for

private jet hire including instant cost estimates for budget planning, a tool to pinpoint closest airfields, images and advice on aircraft choices and dedicated 24-hour vip support.

RUBAA gives broker Russian accreditation Avolus has become the first international broker accredited by the Russian United Business Aviation Association. “Russia and the CIS has continuously been an important territory for Avolus and this will strengthen our presence in the region,” says ceo Alexis Grabar. Avolus has also launched its Jet Card Europe in the US with private jet broker Jets.com, offering 25 or more hours of flight time for a single, up-front payment. Avolus will extend availability of the card to Russia and Europe by 2012.

Air Partner opens office in Monaco Air Partner has opened an office in its 21st location, Monaco. The company reports that requests for its pre-paid JetCard programme in the south of France increased by 10 per cent in the first half of the current financial year. The company was involved with SAS Prince Albert of Monaco’s recent wedding within the principality, and organised charter flights for The Eagles, who played a concert in Monaco as part of the wedding celebrations. Insaf Abdellaziz, development and marketing manager of Air Partner France, commented: “The increased demand from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region and Monaco requires a greater presence on the ground.” Air Partner has also introduced what it believes is the first multilingual real-time iPhone app for private jet availability, in English, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

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