European Business Air News July 2012

E U R O P E A N

BUSINESS AIR NEWS ISSUE 227

JULY 2012

Russian Ka-32s quench the flames on the 67th floor

ME & MY AIRCRAFT

Light business jets Pages 10-13

Trust EBAN K5 appoints agent for its Global Express The audited magazine for business aviation in Europe

www.bgad.aero

K5 Aviation has appointed Swiss company Vertis Aviation as the exclusive charter sales agent for its Global Express. “This allows us to concentrate on our core business of aircraft management, sales and operational support,” says Erik Scheidt, founder and flight operations manager. Full story page 6.

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has received the last of its five search and rescue Ka-32 helicopters some six months ahead of schedule.

All five machines are fitted with medical modules produced by Kamov and were freshly certificated in June this year by Russia’s health and social development service, and are also capable of having fire-fighting equipment fitted.

It is planned that the helicopters will be used for patrolling the main road between Moscow and St Petersburg as part of the ministry’s road safety programme for Russia’s federal highways. Nationally, the road safety scheme may eventually acquire 62 light and 123 medium helicopters.

On June 19th, Ka-32A and an Mi-26T aircraft belonging to the ministry and fitted with external water discharge units were instrumental in effectively and rapidly localising and extinguishing a large fire across an area of about 1,000 sq m in northern Moscow. Back in April Ka-32As and Mi-26T puts out a fire on the 66th and 67th floor of the Federation Tower of

Record orders see NetJets commit to Latitudes and Challengers NetJets has ordered 100 Challengers, with options for an additional 175, and up to 150 Citation Latitudes.

This is the largest order for business jets which Bombardier has ever received, and initially comprises 75 Challenger 300 and 25 Challenger 605 aircraft, with a substantial aftermarket agreement to cover a term of up to 15 years.

Deliveries will begin in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and NetJets confirms that some of the new aircraft will be allocated to the European fleet.

“We are very impressed with Bombardier’s overall product portfolio,” says Jordan Hansell, chairman and ceo, NetJets Inc. “The Challenger 300 and Challenger 605 jets will be an excellent complement to our existing mid cabin capabilities and overall fleet that is unmatched in private aviation.

“We are particularly appreciative that Bombardier has been responsive to our needs in bringing a NetJets

Up to 150 Latitudes will join the NetJets fleet.

configuration for our owners.”

First deliveries of the Citation Latitudes will be in 2016. “We are delighted to be working with Cessna to acquire aircraft that are ideally suited to our owners’ needs,” says Hansell. “The Latitudes will enable us to deliver unparalleled safety, service, reliability

and efficiency, along with new aircraft features that will differentiate our fleet and build on the NetJets flying experience.”

Currently, NetJets owns and operates more than 250 Citations including the Encore, XLS+, Sovereign and Citation X. Positioned between the XLS+ and Sovereign in Cessna’s product line, the Latitude design, at a current retail price of $14.9 million, offers a full fuel payload of 1,000 pounds, a maximum cruise speed of 440 knots true airspeed and a range of 2,300 nautical miles.

Preliminary specifications project that the aircraft will operate at airports with runways as short as 3,900 feet, will have a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet and will climb direct to 43,000 feet in 26 minutes.

First flight of the Citation Latitude prototype is expected to be mid-year 2014, with entry into service planned for 2015.

The Ka-32 has been put to a wide variety of public service uses.

the Moscow International Business Centre, currently under construction. This will be the tallest building in Europe when finished.

Using other fire-fighting equipment was impossible at such a height, and helicopters proved to be the only effective way of tackling the fire on the upper floors of the building.

The Ka-32A11BC is a multirole variant of the Ka-32A, the coaxial rotors of which have a number of advantages in hover accuracy and manoeuvrability, allowing it to perform complex installation and construction tasks. European certification was achieved in 2009.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST BUSINESS AVIATION OPERATORS IN RUSSIA, RUSJET, RECEIVES FIRST FULLY IMPORTED EMBRAER TO PERFORM DOMESTIC FLIGHTS WITHIN THE TERRITORY OF RUSSIA June 7, 2012 a presentation of a business jet took place in Vnukovo­3, Moscow. This Embraer­135 BJ Legacy 600 (under the AOC of Rusjet) was imported into the Russian Federation with all the proper customs procedures as well as in accordance with 83 bis, between the Russian Aviation Authorities and Bermuda, in order to perform commercial flights within the territory of Russia and the common Customs Union, which includes Kazakhstan and Belorussia.

On

The opportunity to perform such flights on this aircraft, operated by Rusjet, will partially satisfy the huge demand for Russian market and that is why, Rusjet, plans to import four more Embraers by the end of 2013.

Ultimately, Rusjet, is planning to operate the fleet of five EMB­135 BJ Legacy 600. “We have

been arranging everything for almost one year”, ­ said Mikhail Titov, general director of Rusjet. “A formidable amount of work has been carried out.

That is our way to live up to the market changes and demands.”

From June 8th, 2012 this aircraft is available for charters via direct request to Rusjet or through Avinode. This aircraft is able to perform all the domestic flights in accordance with all the customs and civil aviation regulations in Russia, thus making any grey area of domestic flights, legal and clear, which often is an obstacle to foreign operators.

Company Background: Rusjet was founded in 2005. In 2010 and 2011 Rusjet has won the national award “Wings of Russia” as the best business aviation operator.

http://rusjet.aero/en/ E­mail: info@rusjet.aero Tel: + 7 (495) 638­65­65 + 7 (495) 662­68­50 Fax: + 7 (495) 662­68­49

Rusjet operates fleet of 11 jets and is a strategic partner of Irish operator VipJet, which manages twelve private aircraft, including 5 Bombardier Global Express.

Rusjet is based at Vnukovo 3, the leading Russian business aviation airport. Thus the air company will provide the best quality services for its passengers not only in the air, but on the ground as well.

The air company has everything that is needed to operate the AC EMB­135 BJ Legacy 600. As early as 2011, before the new aircraft acquisition, Rusjet was already certified for this type of aircraft. It also expanded its technical personnel functions in order to be able to provide proper technical assistance. Base maintenance will be provided by Jet Aviation at Moscow, Vnukovo­3.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

JULY 2012 3

Expanding MHS is optimistic despite Munich runway rejection Munich-based MHS Aviation has echoed local concerns regarding a public referendum which has rejected the development of a third runway there. “To be competitive in the future, we have to expand in Munich and the airport is a big job machine,” says Steffen Fries.

“But for us in the executive segment it is not so important because in Oberpfaffenhofen we have a good alternative in case we are limited due to airport slots.”

Munich airport business aviation handler EBAS is more concerned: “June 17 was a black day for business aviation,” it says. “The citizens of Munich decided against building the third runway. Once Lufthansa’s satellite terminal has been

Operators demonstrate that safety is a top priority Opera Jet of Slovakia, Gama Aviation, ExecuJet Middle East, TAG Aviation Europe and Premiair have all recently achieved Wyvern Wingman status following rigorous on-site safety audits.

“Gama Aviation is committed to ensuring that every one of our clients receives the safest experience possible,” says Paul Cremer, commercial manager. “Gama is leading the business aviation industry with our company management system, which ensures that risk and safety management forms part of our daily conversation. Gama seeks to exceed safety regulations, rather than merely complying with them.”

Mike Berry, md of ExecuJet Middle East, has seen his company meet Wyvern’s Wingman status requirements.

Recently over 20 operators have passed an on-site audit, including Phoenix Aviation in Nairobi, Kenya, one of very few operators in Africa with this designation.

completed, the increased number of passengers will have to be handled on the existing two runways.

“The problem of allocating slots will become as acute as that experienced at Frankfurt before the construction of the fourth runway.

Business aviation will be allocated fewer slots in favour of the scheduled flights.”

EBAS does not believe that the two airports nearby, Manching (Ingolstadt) and Oberpfaffenhofen, are viable alternatives because their layout and opening hours do not allow transfers to scheduled flights.

MHS has recently expanded its fleet into new business areas with the addition of two 32-seat Dornier 328100s available for vip charter as well

as ACMI lease to add to the five Learjets the company has been operating for some years now.

All the pilots, flight attendants and ground staff, including the director of flight operations and director of training, have been sourced from an IOSA-certified airline and charter operator, which means that MHS

Carefully selected local talent helps Aviation Horizons gain charter certificate Jeddah-based private aircraft operator Aviation Horizons has obtained a Part 135 license from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia.

The company has also signed a cooperation agreement with Saudia Private Aviation and become an operator member of the Middle East Business Aviation Association.

Aviation Horizons was established in 2007 specialising in private aviation services including private jets operations, aircraft charter, aircraft sales and acquisitions as well as consultancy in private jet operations. Aviation Horizons says it has gained the respect and appreciation of its clients and commercial affiliates worldwide, and relies on its carefully selected staff.

Hosam Andijani, general manager, says: “We are proud of our commitment and reliant on the Saudi professionals within Aviation Horizons. We believe it is our duty towards our country in supporting Saudi employment and we’ll continue our expansion through hiring the best professionals to achieve the company’s goals.”

The company believes its charter license to be the first issued after a royal decree which separated the General Authority of Civil Aviation from the Ministry of Defense.

E U R O P E A N

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Larger passenger groups prompted the addition of two Dornier 328s by MHS.

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Aviation Horizons ceo Mohammad Bokhari and Wajdi Al Idrissi, SPA managing director, sign a cooperation agreement between both companies during a press conference held in Jeddah on May 8th, 2012.

“With the increasing demand (for business aviation services) in the Kingdom, our goal is to uplift the private aviation service and provide our clients with the optimum services they deserve to have,” says ceo

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Ambulance service awards contract The Scottish Ambulance Service has awarded a new seven-year contract to Gama Aviation in partnership with Bond Air Services. The contract, valued at £120 million, is to provide both rotary and fixed-wing air ambulance services.

Under the new contract Bond will continue to use the current Eurocopter EC135T2i helicopters on an interim basis; however, from September 2014 the company will introduce two new medicallyequipped Eurocopter EC145T2 helicopters by way of replacement.

The new technology helicopters will further enhance the service by delivering improved range and endurance, while also providing larger payloads and increased cabin space. Gama will continue to operate the two existing King Air 200C aircraft based in Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Trained aviation specialists employed by Gama work directly alongside NHS Scotland personnel in the West of Scotland Ambulance Control Centre in Cardonald to assist in enhancing communications.

Chris Greenhill, md of Bond, said: “For 23 years Bond has enjoyed a successful partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Gama and enhancing our service.”

1 MILLION square feet of aircraft parking 13 MILES to the Olympic stadium

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Mohammad Bokhari. “We look forward to cooperating with GACA and private aviation companies to assist in increasing the efficiency of the private aviation market in Saudi Arabia.”

broader clientele and even airlines for AOG support. For the last 12 months we have seen an increase in the demand for group travel of up to 30 passengers. Therefore it was a logical progression to add the Dornier 328s to our fleet. By being able to bring in crew and ground staff from an airline it means the transition to operate these aircraft has been very smooth and exceeded all our expectations.”

MHS Aviation also operates two Agusta 109 helicopters with vip cabins, a Eurocopter AS350 BE and a Bell LongRanger. On the fixed wing side the company operates two ambulance equipped Learjet 31 and Learjet 55 jets as well as Learjets 45XR and 60.

Why choose London Biggin Hill Airport for your Olympic aviation requirements?

European Business Air News, 134 South Street, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 3BQ England. Telephone: +44 1279 714505 Fax: +44 1279 714519 email: david@ebanmagazine.com www.ebanmagazine.com European Business Air News (USPS 009-091) is published eleven times each year, monthly except January, by Stansted News Limited, 134 South Street, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 3BQ, England. Periodicals postage paid at Rahway, N.J. Postmaster: Send address changes to Stansted News Limited c/o Mercury Airfreight International Ltd., 365 Blair Road, Avenel, New Jersey 07001. Company registered in England no. 2224522. Printed by Stones. ISSN number: 0959-1311.

Aviation immediately starts with a great deal of experience in operating this type of aircraft.

The move to bring the Dornier 328 into the MHS fleet has been prompted by the demand for aircraft to handle larger groups of passengers, a factor which has become particularly noticeable in recent times. This means that MHS can apply its outstanding customer service not only to ceos and directors at very cost-effective rates but also to their employees for European business travel.

Speaking about the addition of the new Dornier aircraft, director of charter sales Frank Steitz says: “We see this as a very positive move forward. It means that we can serve a

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EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

4 JULY 2012

Empire Aviation welcomes investment from India

SAF HÊlicoptères EC135s feed data to first in-house simulator SAF HÊlicoptères, one of a group of sister companies that includes Helicap and Air Courchevel, has launched its own EC135 flight simulator, the company’s first in-house device.

Developed in conjunction with Thales, it is a JAR-FSTD FFS level B and FTD level 3 simulator, and will be used to train more than 50 of SAF’s own pilots until the end of the year and will be then available for third party pilots. The DGAC is expected to certify the new facility in September.

Thales has supplied the equipment, but much of the software is the result of cooperation between Thales and SAF. In order to define flight profiles, the companies equipped a real EC135 with a multitude of sensors. These provided the necessary flight data to the simulator, and collection took about 20 hours of flying, reports Louis Agnel, chief pilot.

The simulator is located at Tournon, where the building offers enough room for a second simulator in the future.

At the simulator’s launch are SAF HÊlicoptères sales manager Olivier Rostan, SAF Industries gm Lino Ferri, SAF HÊlicoptères gm Jean-François Dupraz, SAF group companies ceo Christophe Rosset and Thales training and simulation ceo Jean-Jacques Guittart.

Meanwhile, Eurocopter’s EC135 simulator at DonauwÜrth has received Level B certification to provide fully comprehensive training operations in Germany, and this is the first EC135 FFS in Europe to obtain this certification.

The simulator became operational at the end of 2009 as a full-motion Level 3 flight training device and so far has clocked up over 2,500 flight hours. It allows operators to perform initial and recurrent type training as well as specific training on emergency procedures, instrument flight rules, offshore, night flights, night vision goggles and Cat A operations.

Oryx Jet crews hope to attract new customers with special charter rates on trips to sporting events.

Months of effort pay off as Oryx Jet eliminates paper from Hawker cockpit Oryx Jet, the Biggin Hill-based aircraft management and charter company, has recently joined an elite group of UK AOC holders after gaining electronic flight bag approval from the CAA for use on its Hawker 900XP aircraft.

Based on the iPad, the EFB leads to a reduction in weight as paper charts are no longer required to be carried on the aircraft; a cost saving to the company as the paper charts subscription is no longer necessary;

and a reduction in man hours.

Its approval follows 18 months of work by the operations team and chief pilot Rod Boath.

Says Boath: “Our EFB approval demonstrates Oryx Jet’s commitment to innovation and maintaining a competitive edge in the executive jet business. We are committed to providing a cutting edge service to our customers, whether they be on our own fleet of aircraft or those that we manage.

“Considerable time, effort and dedication have been spent during the past 18 months in providing the necessary documentation as well as research material and ensuring this information met with the requirements of our national authority.�

Boath adds: “We are delighted with this latest achievement and we now join a unique club of operators in the UK that can fly with a paperless cockpit.�

Tender success brings Global under MJET’s wing An unnamed large eastern European corporation has appointed MJET to manage its Global 5000 aircraft following a tender process. It will be registered in Austria, but based elsewhere.

MJET is an aircraft management company and business jet operator headquartered in Schwechat, Vienna, and incorporated the aircraft into its fleet during June. This is the company’s first addition in 2012 and the first Global-series business jet it has managed.

Six other heavy jets make up the

The sleek lines of the Global 5000; a new experience for MJET.

roster, including three long-range Gulfstreams and three Fokker

100EJ business airliners, as well as two Gulfstream G200s and two Hawker 900XPs. “We are delighted to join the Global jet family, one of the most appreciated large cabin series in heavy executive jet operation today,� says Dan Rusu, MJET’s asset manager. “Considering our rich experience and specialisation in large aircraft management, we look forward to serving our new customer in the most efficient way. And to having such high-performance aircraft additions to our managed fleet.�

Air Works India Engineering has made a strategic investment in Dubai-based private aviation specialist, Empire Aviation Group.

Formed in Dubai in 2007 by the existing management team and cofounders of the company Paras Dhamecha and Steve Hartley, EAG is a one-stop shop for integrated private aviation services offering aircraft sales, management, charter, and finance and insurance. It has more than 100 staff and operates one of the region’s largest managed fleets of business jets, with 20 aircraft under management, operating out of Dubai International Airport.

Commenting on the partnership, Dhamecha says: “Since formation in 2007, EAG has successfully built a strong regional aviation business and grown revenues and profit every year. We have also recently been looking at the exciting potential of the Indian aviation market and opened our first branch office there in 2011.

So, we warmly welcome this partnership with Air Works – one of the leading companies in India’s rapidly developing private aviation sector – which will help facilitate our entry into India and allow us to exploit more fully the Indian market opportunity by replicating the full portfolio of aviation services for India that we have successfully developed for the Middle East.�

Hartley adds: “This partnership with Air Works will help EAG to broaden our business base and service offering in the Middle East and India and beyond. The timing is absolutely right as the global aviation sector recovers and this move will help accelerate EAG’s growth and development as a regional and international player in private aviation, which has been our mission since we started the company in Dubai in 2007. Air Works is the leading aviation specialist in India and will provide market knowledge, experience and resources, so this is a very exciting opportunity for EAG.�

A pair of Challengers boost Hangar8 Malta Hangar8 Malta has taken on management of a Challenger 605, and was expecting the arrival of a second as EBAN went to press. The first is operated in a private capacity, but the second will be added to the company’s AOC. The company has also doubled its commitment to office and operations control space at the Skyparks facility, currently being built at Malta airport, that it expects to move to during October. “Malta offers some significant advantages and hence my choosing to incorporate here,� says ceo Michael O’Brien. “We are the one-stop solution for those looking at the possibility of registering their aircraft in Malta. Given we are a young company we have not been affected by the crisis when compared to other longer term players.�

Air Works md Vivek N Gour, with cofounders and executive directors of EAG Steve Hartley and Paras Dhamecha.

Established in 1951, Air Works is qualified to maintain 50 aircraft types, for over 100 customers across 15 maintenance locations in India.

GainJet sets its sights on award

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GainJet Aviation is to represent Greece in the European Business Awards as one of 30 national finalists.

Chief executive Captain James McBride says: “To be selected as one of 30 finalists among many esteemed contenders is an honour for GainJet. Since 2006, when we first opened for business, we have continuously strived to ensure the highest standards of safety, security and passenger care

in the sky. To be recognised by such a prestigious organisation as the EBAs as a leading business in Greece is a wonderful reward for our efforts. The economic crises in Greece and Europe affected the business aviation industry, so this very welcome news is a boost not only to GainJet, but to the industry and for Greece,� he adds.

The operator was nominated by auditing firm RSM Stylianou.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

JULY 2012 5

Global debutant gives Amira non-stop Tokyo capability Vienna-based Amira Air has begun operations with the first Global 5000 equipped with the Global Vision flight deck, designed to reduce pilot fatigue.

Sales team leader Christian Schmadlbauer is delighted: “We are proud to be the first operator to receive this aircraft equipped with this brand new flight deck. It integrates perfectly with our fleet and adds to the different capacity and distance options we can offer our clients. The new 5000 can fly close to 5,200 nautical miles at Mach 0.85, which means that we can offer nonstop flights between Vienna and New York or Tokyo.”

The aircraft has space for 12 passengers and three crew members and entered service in April. The front cabin is equipped with four comfortable single seats

The advanced flight deck will be a joy to its crew, but the Global 5000’s cabin will attract the customers.

which can be reclined as first class seats or to two full single beds. Right afterwards there are four club seats with table.

The rear cabin is separated from the front cabin by a sliding door and is equipped with a sofa that can be converted into a single bed and two single seats. All seats

have special massage function for the lower back.

Additional features on board the Global 5000 are wifi, satellite TV with European, eastern Russian and Middle East channels, which can be viewed on two screens. The cabin is also equipped with a Blu-ray DVD player and docking stations for iPads and iPods.

The Global Vision flight deck features four highresolution 15-inch diagonal active matrix LCD displays arranged in a T-shape.

Amira Air was founded in 2005 and operates the biggest fleet of Challenger 300s in Europe (six), as well as Global Express, Global 5000, Challenger 604, Hawker 400XP and Cessna CJ2 aircraft. It attributes its success to tailoring its aircraft management services to the needs of its clients.

The CorporateJets team at EBACE in May: senior commercial manager Alfred Bijl, ceo and operations manager Eugenio Soriano, general and operations executive assistant Montse Suñer, sales and marketing manager Susanna Aligué and flight coordinator Ferran Zarza.

Beyond Barcelona, extra bases pay off for CorporateJets Six months on, CorporateJets has seen increasing charter business since opening a second base in Madrid, and now plans to base a Citation XLS in Ibiza and Palma for the busy summer months of July and August.

“Due to the growing demand for corporate flights that are constantly arising from central Spain, at the end of last year, CorporateJets pledged its commitment to open its new operational base in the Spanish capital, specifically at Torrejón airport,” says sales and marketing manager Susanna Aligué.

“This was a great decision because our business volume has been consistently increasing since then, not only from a quantitative point of view, but also for branding purposes. We have achieved being a company of reference within our national territory, even taking into consideration the big Spanish companies we have as competitors.”

The Barcelona-based operator has been taking marketing very seriously during the past year, and this has played a significant part in increasing business. On arrival in Madrid it organised an official presentation of the

company at the prestigious Reebok Sport Club, and last winter it decided to obtain certification for flying to some special airfields for skiing enthusiasts, such as St Moritz, Courchevel or Gstaad. It created a loyalty programme for new customers with vip cards offering benefits and special discounts for its holders, and offered special rates for flights to hunting destinations, with the collaboration of the company Cazaworld.com, the biggest Spanish web site for the hunting sector.

CorporateJets has alliances with two important skiing companies: Pyrenees Heliski and Procenter Baqueira, and exhibits widely at events such as JetExpo Moscow, EBACE and the Monaco Yacht Show. “We do believe that all those actions have enhanced our brand and it helps us to survive the current crisis situation we are all living through,” says Aligué.

The company says it is the only Spanish operator based in Barcelona that has increased its business volume this year, according to airport statistics. “What’s more, we have, at this stage of the year, a turnover higher than last year, so we can’t complain!” she adds.

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General Aviation

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

6 JULY 2012

Cello carries Audi to Le Mans success Cello Aviation, based in Birmingham, is reporting double the booking levels in the first six months of 2012 compared with the first half of last year. “Things are tough and even big spenders are being careful but we are experiencing encouraging growth,� says Nim Baines, Cello ceo.

Most recently Cello flew a party of officials and supporters of Audi to the Le Mans 24-hour race, where the manufacturer achieved a remarkable clean sweep with the first three places in the race in the overall classification. “It is great to be a small part of that success,� says Vince Essex, commercial manager with Cello. “We have plenty of experience of top sports as our clients include nine English Premier League football teams, two French top league sides, as well as the Football Association of Ireland.�

Cello’s BAe146 is configured in a luxury 46-seat configuration with beige leather seats and is capable of flying into airports with short runways and steep take off and landing profiles. “We take customers directly where they want to go avoiding lengthy and inconvenient land transfers,� adds Essex.

Cello is optimistic about the future but is not complacent. “The economy is not going to recover overnight and travellers will continue to demand quality with competitive pricing,� says Baines. “But if we did not believe we can do well we would not have set out on this journey. We have the right business model, aircraft and, most important of all, the right people to make sustainable progress and grow the business.� Negotiations for a second aircraft are well advanced.

Sourcing local in-flight foods For in-flight catering Cello likes to source high quality fresh ingredients sourced from local suppliers close to its base in the West Midlands, such as Gourmet Foods based in the village of Knowle near Solihull and just a few miles from Birmingham Airport. “Our clients not only want good food but also look for the personal

K5 tasks Vertis with Global Express charter sales K5 Aviation of Germany has appointed Swiss company Vertis Aviation as the exclusive charter sales agent for its Global Express.

Erik Scheidt, founder and flight operations manager of K5, says: “Vertis Aviation is a valuable sales partner for us which allows us to concentrate on our core business of providing superior aircraft management, aircraft sales and operational support to our growing fleet of aircraft.�

The aircraft is Austrian-registered but based in Munich and was booked for its first charter on the day it was added to K5’s AOC. It was first delivered in 2001, refurbished in November 2011 and underwent a full 8C maintenance inspection in Germany. “Ultra long range aircraft are generally in good demand,� says

Jeffrey Emmenis, partner in Vertis Aviation, “but we find that clients are leaving it to the last minute to firm up their bookings. There is also a lot of competition from the US market that has placed cheaper and older Gulfstream IV aircraft in Europe to capitalise on the lucrative one-way market between Europe and the US East Coast.�

Vertis also represents a Global XRS which is operated by ExecuJet Europe and a Learjet 60 with GAS Air Service.

It is offering a butler style service onboard the K5 aircraft to further enhance its offer to the market.

The Global Express can fly nonstop Moscow/New York, London/ Beijing and Paris/Cape Town.

Onboard facilities include an entertainment system, with multiregion DVD player, and a satellite telephone.

Customer service key to success of smaller operator, says Bel Air

Chef Jason Hollins of Gourmet Foods.

touch and will often have special requirements,� says Dean Hull, cabin services manager. “Some passengers such as footballers want a meal meeting specific energy needs.�

Gourmet Foods is run by Fenella de Minckwitz who was trained by Daphne Holden and Rosemary Hume at the celebrated Cordon Bleu cookery school, Winkfield Place. “Cello is a great client and the team love providing food that the passengers will enjoy and fits their dietary needs. We work very closely with the cabin services team to

We provide a comprehensive portfolio of corporate aviation services from our luxury VIP terminals and state-of-theart aircraft maintenance facilities in Doha and London, Biggin Hill, and with slots available for the Olympics, we can get you closer to the ďŹ nish line so you won’t miss any of the action.

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ensure that our menus are just right,� says de Minckwitz. “All meals are tailor made and delivered fresh just before take-off.�

There is no such thing as a typical menu, says Cello, but a leading music band flying on tour were recently served marinated salmon with cucumber noodles and Piri Piri tomato salsa, brown rice with honey roast nuts and baby watercress, chickpea salad with bean sprouts, tomato and coriander micro cress, a tropical fruit platter and chocolate orange pots.

Offshore operations may be dominated by some of the world’s largest helicopter operators, but there is still room for customer-focused smaller companies to thrive. So says managing director of Denmark’s Bel Air Aviation, Susanne Lastein.

Bel Air has recently taken delivery of a second AgustaWestland AW139, and is already looking forward to the arrival of its first AW189 during next year. “We bought the AW189 helicopters because we trust in this product,� says Lastein. “It is about 25 per cent bigger than our AW139, it’s the AgustaWestland family, it fulfills the latest certification demands, and as with all other AW products the very important performance class 1 will be fulfilled on this big helicopter. “The helicopter is not as big as the EC225 and S92, but the expectation is that it will be cheaper to buy and to operate. Our cooperation with AgustaWestland really means a big difference – we get the operation above 99 per cent reliability on the 139s. We expect to see the first AW189 in late 2013.�

Lastein is very satisfied with her experience of the AW139. “We took delivery (of the second one) in Italy on March 30th and the same day we were flying back to Denmark. The helicopter entered into service on

Smiles all round, as Bel Air’s AW139s delivery 99 per cent reliability.

March 31st. From late 2010 until 2012 we leased two AW139s, one from CHC and one from Bristow.�

Delivered in 2009, the first helicopter is reported to have performed exceptionally well, logging over 12,000 landings in offshore operations so far. Bel Air is also the official AgustaWestland service centre for the AW139 in Denmark, and has another two AW139s on order of which it expects to take delivery late this year and early next year. “I am convinced that there is space for a few small operators in the market,� she adds. “We, in a very safe and positive way, with a team dedicated to the operation, take care that our customers get a second-tonone service. Our focus is on the customer – to perform a service, exactly the way they like to run their operation. I am so proud of our team; if it can be done, they will do it.�

A SUBSIDIARY OF

Susanne Lastein’s team at Bel Air know that customer focus is key.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

JULY 2012 7

Larger venue sets the stage for BGAD at Cambridge The annual Business & General Aviation Day on September 18th is to be held in a larger and more modern hangar venue at Cambridge airport, allowing more space for exhibitors and aircraft on display.

The steady increase in popularity of the single day event over its 11-year history has led to strong demand for booth space, event manager Mark Ranger reports. “Hangar 22 is a new structure that was built only a few years ago,” he says. “As well as increased exhibition space, it will have a separate entrance and a special static display area.”

ExecuJet, recently appointed operators of Cambridge airport’s FBO, will be playing an active role in BGAD this year, both showing its range of services for business aviation and also as hosts. Exhibitors already confirmed represent all areas of business aviation: charter operators, aircraft management, software suppliers, fuel and flight support, certification services, aircraft coating, crew training, engineering and maintenance, consultants, aircraft sales, airports and FBOs. “The static display area looks set to be the best yet, with aircraft already committed by ExecuJet, Marshall Executive Aviation and 2Excel Aviation,” adds Ranger.

As well as industry professionals, local users of Cambridge airport’s business aviation facilities will be targeted as visitors to BGAD12, as part of a wider campaign to show how business aviation can benefit the travel arrangements of companies in the very important high-tech catchment area.

Additionally, Quaynote Communications has chosen to stage its sixth annual Future of Business Jets conference at Cambridge airport on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th September. Delegates to the conference will be welcomed to BGAD for lunch on the Tuesday and will then be able to spend the afternoon at the event.

The conference programme can be accessed via www.quaynote.com, and includes discussion of major issues such as ETS, grey market charters and the Olympics.

Full details of BGAD12, including online registration, can be accessed at www.bgad.aero.

ExecuJet’s largest finds a home at Cambridge ExecuJet Europe has just introduced the largest aircraft in its managed fleet, a vip MD-87. The aircraft is owned by a private customer, is based at Cambridge, and now regularly flies back and forth to the Middle East.

“Our UK operation is set to grow further in the months ahead,” comments UK manager John Brutnell. Several additional mid-size, large cabin aircraft are to join the fleet in the next few months, bolstering its total European fleet to over 50 aircraft. “The MD-87 is the biggest aircraft in our fleet, following closely after the introduction of the Lineage 1000, now available for charter out of Dubai. Cambridge Airport’s long runway, attractive opening hours, the FBO’s discretion were all very pleasing for our owner,” says Brutnell.

“We have the capability to park up to 90 plus aircraft at Cambridge during the Olympics and we are firming up our collaborative partners so it all runs smoothly.”

Air Hamburg hires flight crew to meet challenges of expanding operations

Busy training captain Alex Lipsky (left) takes time out to meet Grammy Award-winning guitarist James Hetfield of rock group Metallica.

FlightSafety, the world’s premier professional aviation training provider for more than 60 years, continually invests in your training. New high-quality training programs, advancedtechnology Level D and Level 7 simulators for current and next generation aircraft and a growing international network of Learning Centers and training facilities.

Air Hamburg has now added its fourth Citation XLS+ to its charter AOC, bringing the fleet up to nine Citations and one King Air. Continued expansion has involved an ongoing process of recruitment: “We hired two captains and two first officers for the new aircraft,” says Mike Ulka. “This brings it up to 43 jet pilots on our payroll.”

It is training pilot Alex Lipsky who has the job of integrating new recruits into the roster and ensuring training standards are met. Air Hamburg has four TRE/CRE crew used for the high number of operator and line proficiency checks

NEW PROGRAMS

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required. Lipsky also works with 10 supervision captains bringing freshly hired flight crews up to the company’s standards.

“The ground courses (CRM, dangerous goods, first aid) are held inhouse and are offered every three months. The supervision of all the due dates for training is supervised by our training assistant Kathin,” he says.

Air Hamburg exhibited for the first time at the EBACE show in Geneva this year, and reports strong interest during the event.

“We were overwhelmed by the masses of brokers and FBOs visiting us,” says Ulka.

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EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

8 JULY 2012

Russian agreement boosts VistaJet’s global expansion VistaJet has signed an agreement with Dexter Aviation, as a result of which it will offer point-to-point flights within Russia, with a particular focus on meeting demand for flights to and from the far-eastern Russia, Siberia and CIS countries. The company will also open a base in Moscow.

Based in Moscow, Dexter Air Taxi provides customers with point-topoint flights to any operational airport in Russia within a 2,000km radius with a fleet of Pilatus PC-12s. Using a unique pricing structure of Rubles per kilometre with a 24/7 guaranteed availability, Dexter’s client base has grown significantly since its founding in 2004. It is ultimately owned by the industrial investment group Fesco, one of Russia’s leading companies, founded by Sergey Generalov.

The agreement follows an upsurge in demand from Russian entrepreneurs and businesses and will see VistaJet aircraft permanently based within Russia, drawn from its US$2 billion order backlog, making it the only foreign business aviation operator of long range large cabin aircraft in the country.

VistaJet has become the first commercial operator of the Global 6000 aircraft and has taken delivery of the first two of these aircraft out of an order of ten.

Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman, says: “This announcement is a further milestone for VistaJet. Russia has always been a major market and the partnership with Dexter allows us to build a physical

Thomas and Nina Flohr of VistaJet, looking to double the fleet by 2015.

presence in this fast growing territory.

Russia epitomises the increase in founder-owned commodity and natural resource companies, currently driving the rapid growth of luxury aviation in the region.

“VistaJet is connecting entrepreneurs with their next major project, their next business partner.

Entrepreneurs cannot afford to spend up to two days flying commercially between remote locations either under-served by commercial airlines or from where direct routes to other

key business locations do not exist.”

Flohr adds: “Our Russian customers, many of whom run major global enterprises and are extremely discerning, have always admired our personalised, luxury service.”

Sergey Generalov of Fesco adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with VistaJet in a move which will complement and extend our existing operations. We have established Dexter in a short period as Russia’s preferred air taxi service and our highly discerning clientele will

appreciate the luxury and service VistaJet will bring to their longer-haul flights, both within Russia and internationally.”

VistaJet’s fleet is now over 30strong and is set to double by 2015.

Ian Moore, chief commercial officer comments: “No one else in the private business aviation sector is taking delivery of brand new aircraft at the rate we are, nor is anyone more committed to maintaining the youngest fleet in the skies. It is a bold step.”

Jet Aviation is first with the Phenom 300 at Saint-Tropez Jet Aviation has received authorisation from the French authorities to fly Phenom 300 aircraft into Saint-Tropez La Môle airport in the south of France. As the first company to make the aircraft available for charter services in central Europe, Jet Aviation is now the first air charter operator to receive authorisation to fly Phenom 300 aircraft into La Môle, a convenient gateway to the French Riviera.

“With summer just around the corner, we are delighted to offer our Phenom 300 customers quick and expedient access to Saint Tropez,” says Claudio Peer, vp of aircraft management and charter sales for EMEA and Asia. “The Phenom 300 holds a lot of appeal to our styleconscious customer base and is ideal for shorter-range flights within Europe and Northern Africa.”

“In regards to how many times we are expecting to fly into La Môle it is difficult to say, however, we expect multiple times during high season months and yes, we have executed one flight already,” adds Peer.

Jet Aviation’s European charter fleet consists of various types and sizes of aircraft, including Citation Bravos, a Citation Excel, a Dassault Falcon 2000 and a Falcon 900 EX, as well as two Gulfstream G550s.

Television presenter Helen Skelton and Olympic medallist and three-times world record holder Colin Jackson travelled aboard Cardinal’s Sikorsky S-76C recently as part of a four stop tour of the UK to launch the eighth Tesco Great School Run.

First year results vindicate Cardinal’s focus on vip charter

When you advertise to the business aviation community, it is easy to be seduced by claims that you’ll get to thousands upon thousands of recipients.

But are you getting to the RIGHT people?

Here at European Business Air News, the circulation of both the printed magazine and our web site is independently audited, which means we have to prove that we are reaching the people we claim to.

It is part of our commitment to you - we will deliver your message to the people you most want to reach - owners and operators of business aircraft in Europe and the Middle East. And we will do this using the best printing and production

techniques, and the most accurate distribution list possible.

We’ve got a wide range of advertising options, both print and digital, that are designed to make the most of your valuable promotional spend.

Cardinal Helicopter Services has celebrated its first anniversary and reports having operated 141 flights in that time. Captain Richard Cove, md, says: “Our first year has definitely been a resounding success. When we began, we were unsure if there was the demand for our services, but our aim of providing a high class vip charter service has been well received.

“Our clientele this year has included heads of state, peers of the realm, captains of industry and business people. Looking to the

AeroMedevac Ireland signs for Universal trip support

EBAN – the magazine of choice for business aviation in Europe and the Middle East Contact Mark Ranger on:

+44 (0)1279 714509 mark@ebanmagazine.com

Require the following aircraft under management to fulfil our busy charter demand:

• GLOBAL EXPRESS/LEGACY • CHALLENGER 604/605 • LEARJET 45

E U R O P E A N

BUSINESS AIR NEWS

future, we will continue supporting our existing client base and look forward to welcoming new customers and providing them with the first class, personal service that Cardinal is becoming synonymous for.”

The company’s Sikorsky S-76C recorded a 100 per cent dispatch reliability, and has more recently been involved in promoting the eighth Tesco Great School Run. Over 1.25 million children from across the UK are due to participate in their own runs, between May 8 and July 23.

Contact: Steve Westlake. Telephone: 01452 714500 steve.westlake@manhattanjetmanagement.com

AeroMedevac Ireland (AMI), the first locally-based Irish air ambulance service, has signed a cooperation memorandum for Universal Weather and Aviation to support its flight operations with handling, fuelling and trip support services.

“Every second counts in our lifesaving missions, so we needed a provider that could ensure that our aviation services needs were taken care of quickly with the highest degree of competence,” says ceo Keith Trower.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

JULY 2012 9

GlobeAir invests in dedicated programme to respond to AOGs Austrian Citation Mustang operator GlobeAir has invested in a programme to dramatically improve its ability to resolve AOG situations for its aircraft around Europe.

Dubbed ‘OneFourFive’, the result is a maintenance solutions centre founded in conjunction with AAC Maintenance at Linz airport. “Having control of our maintenance, in particular for AOG events, we can ensure at any time a safe, reliable aircraft within a few hours,” explains coo Claudio Bruno. “Unfortunately AOGs do happen and, even if our mobile repair team cannot get the aircraft flying in time, it does not mean a cancelled flight. We will simply send another aircraft.”

Traditionally with the bigger maintenance facilities a slot must be booked well in advance, says GlobeAir, and if there is an AOG situation these centres often cannot respond immediately.

With

GlobeAir’s mobile repair team will now be handling maintenance and AOGs in its Mustang fleet.

OneFourFive the objective is to treat every maintenance event as an AOG, therefore minimising down time and making the aircraft fully available.

Part of the OneFourFive structure is a few strategically located technicians who are able to respond instantly to AOG situations. GlobeAir

aircraft often operate in and out of Nice, Geneva, Milan and Olbia, and a technician can be dispatched to these locations within a few hours. “Just recently we had an AOG in Nice and that same morning the technician was on site and able to get the aircraft back to service the same day. If we

had to depend on traditional maintenance facilities we could have been waiting days to get assistance, resulting in having reduced capacity and therefore unable to meet our clients’ needs,” the company says.

Lead technician Nicola Potenza is responsible for the service, and has over 25 years of aircraft technical experience in both commercial and business aviation. His immediate focus is on further improving fleet reliability, but mid-term this could be extended to providing an AOG support service to anyone needing a more efficient solution to unexpected technical problems.

“Initially AAC was responsible for all our maintenance but with our fleet expansion in 2011 we realised that we needed to add capacity and therefore we focused on creating OneFourFive,” he says. “It took us about six months from initial application to getting our certificate.”

The mobile repair team has already assisted aircraft throughout Europe, from as far north as Bergen in Norway, to Izmir in Turkey.

GlobeAir has also launched a new service for frequent flyers named Fix & Flex, which it says is a third alternative besides jet cards and fractional ownership.

Fix & Flex is designed for loyal brokers and frequent flyers, which ensures take-off from anywhere in Europe in less than eight hours of the request, plus an impressive array of benefits provided for those who have subscribed to the programme. The main concept is to pay a fixed quote up-front which entitles subscribers to get a fixed rate on all flights.

The programme, headed by Jonathan Berdoz, launched at the beginning of the year and already has eight members.

An eleventh Mustang has now joined the GlobeAir fleet.

CEGA trains medical crews aboard its King Air CEGA Air Ambulance has brought together its medical crews for a simulation training day in a fixed wing air ambulance; thought to be the first training exercise of its kind to be held in Europe.

The team demonstrated resuscitation and defibrillation procedures in a King Air 200 aircraft using a high fidelity manikin with breathing functions, palpable pulses and blood pressure displays.

“Simulation training in an aircraft can provide medical crews with valuable hands-on experience in a safe and controlled environment, promoting a positive patient safety culture,” says Dr Tim Hammond, CEGA’s chief medical officer. “By providing a realistic scenario, it can also help crews to develop teamwork and communication and aid in the planning of practicalities, such as the positioning of medical equipment and patients’ luggage.

“This training for our medical crews complements the simulation training given to CEGA pilots and is testament to our commitment to be at the forefront of patient safety initiatives.”

The simulation session received an overwhelmingly positive response from participants and is likely to become a regular fixture in the CEGA Air Ambulance training programme.

CEGA operates from Bournemouth airport and maintains a fleet of three King Air 200s, each with the capacity to carry two stretchers, a medical crew and equipment, a patient’s relatives and luggage.

Recent enhancements have enabled the company to increase cruising speed and to land closer to patients faster, keeping road transfers to a minimum. CEGA Air Ambulance has ‘full’ and ‘special care’ EURAMI accreditation and is CQC registered.

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE Me & My Aircraft: Cabin class piston twins PUBLISHED AUGUST 2ND

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10 JULY 2012

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

AIRCRAFT NEWS...

Production of Eclipse 550 begins Eclipse Aerospace has begun initial production of its Eclipse 550 jet.

Dealers from over 30 different countries were on hand at a conference recently as Eclipse management and directors all signed the fuselage of the first production aircraft and looked on as the forward keel assembly was mated to the fuselage.

The first aircraft is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete as the balance of the production line is re-tooled and validated during the process. Full production for an estimated 50 to 100 aircraft per year is expected in 2014, paced by market demand.

The 550 is based on the Eclipse 500 but includes auto-throttles, synthetic vision, enhanced vision, and a redundant flight management system. First deliveries are expected in mid 2013.

Relentless gains momentum Bell Helicopter has appointed key manufacturing suppliers for the Bell 525 Relentless, the world’s first ‘super-medium’ helicopter.

Suppliers are now collaborating on the design and delivery of their respective components to support the first prototype build. It will be positioned at the upper end of the medium class.

TBM 850 makes speedy festival appearance As a part of its UK demonstration tour, Daher-Socata took the TBM 850 to the Goodwood Festival of Speed to promote its credentials as the fastest single engine turboprop alongside a host of racing cars and motorbikes. TBM sales for the UK and Ireland are now handled by Mark Diaz, who is also a TBM demo pilot, assisted by the team at Aura Aviation at Oxford Airport.

The 2012 TBM 850 Elite offers a unique capability to tailor the

passenger cabin to meet operators’ needs. Its middle seats can be oriented in a forward-facing position while the rear seats are removable. In about 30 minutes, the TBM 850 can be reconfigured in a four-seat cabin, increasing the luggage volume and doubling the maximum luggage weight.

Learjet 45

High fives for the Caravan MT-Propeller has received the EASA STC for the next generation five-blade scimitar composite propeller on the Cessna 208B Caravan powered by P&WC PT6A114(A) engines. The installation provides almost vibration free propeller operations, erosion protection, noise reduction, increased ground clearance and ‘unbeatable aesthetic ramp appeal’.

Hawker 400XPR

Gulfstream brings LCD to the masses More than 700 operators of Gulfstream GV, GIV, GIV-SP, G300 and G400 aircraft worldwide can now take advantage of the cockpit upgrade known as PlaneDeck. This converts the primary flight display from cathode ray tube to liquid crystal, offering improved clarity and the integration of XM graphical weather; electronic charts and maps, which will be certifiable as paperless; and video displays, accessible through all-new dual cursor controls. Installation time is 10 to 12 business days.

Citation CJ3

Fresh contenders will bring the best technology to the light jet arena

Dassault overhauls Falcon web site

The top ten by numbers

Dassault Falcon has redesigned its web site, www.dassaultfalcon.com.

It now includes videos and interactive features, including 360 degree interior views of each current production Falcon model and range maps from over 12,000 airports worldwide.

The site has a private area where customers can order spare parts, receive Falcon communiqués and download technical documents.

Gulfstream launches multimedia centre Gulfstream Aerospace has opened a full-service multimedia centre at its product support headquarters, including a broadcast studio, control room and equipment room. It will allow Gulfstream to produce live streamed webcasts, videos and recorded broadcasts and so disseminate information to customers on safety, service and support, and technical training.

ME & MY AIRCRAFT Light business jets By all accounts smaller jets are suffering the effects of economic slowdown more acutely than their larger, long-range counterparts.

Owners and charter customers in this sector are perhaps more likely to reduce their travel requirements or consider alternative modes.

You might expect the specific sector which we consider to be ‘light jets’, squeezed between the entrylevel very light jets such as the Mustang and Phenom, and the more comfortable mid-size aircraft, to suffer especially badly. However, our survey this month finds the fleet in good health, with new models under development and total number only just shy of a thousand across Europe and the Middle East.

Thierry Huguenin, director of aircraft sales, lease and management at light jet operator FAI rent-a-jet, offers a global overview: “It looks to me that light jets are becoming more and more private aircraft and less and less successful in charter. Charterers want stand-up cabins these days with individual seats,” he says.

For this report we asked all EBAN readers responsible for light jet operations to answer a few simple questions and give us their opinions.

We have two further ‘Me and My Aircraft’ reports during 2012, covering cabin class piston twins in September and super midsize jets in November, so if these feature in your day-to-day operations please look out for our email invitation to take part or simply log in to your private page any time at www.ebanmagazine.com.

CITATION 525 CJ SERIES

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Cessna has always dominated the light jet sector with its Citation range, starting with the original 500 and 550 series, and now with the extensive 525 CJ range. This uses the same fuselage cross section from the five-seat CJ1

1. Citation 525 CJ series

386

2. Citation 550/551

175

3. Beechjet/Hawker 400

77

4. Citation 500/501

67

5. Beechcraft Premier

59

6. Learjet 45

50

7. Learjet 35/36

48

8. Citation 560

42

9. Falcon 10/100

26

10. Learjet 40

23

up to the seven-seat CJ4.

The CJ range is extremely popular in Germany and Austria, but present in virtually all countries, now including Russia and Ukraine. It is most commonly operated as a single aircraft fleet, but is not uncommon in fleets of four or five. Air Charter Scotland has the largest roster, with nine, while Ixair in France has seven, and Opera Jet of Slovakia, Eisele Flugdienst of Germany and Lufthansa Flight Training each have six.

About a dozen CJ4s have now entered service in Germany, the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Taking an overview of the responses received to our survey, overall satisfaction is high with many noting that they were very satisfied with dispatch and operating reliability. Corrosion is clearly a problem that may need to be addressed at some point though.

Switzerland’s Jet Circle has two CJ1s and the company’s Kohler Werner is happy with the maintenance suppport provided by RUAG and Altenrhein Aviation. Value, dispatch and operation all get the thumbs up and its short runway capabilities are a definite plus, although Werner feels a little more range would help a lot.

One anonymous private owner of a CJ1+ was equally impressed with maintenance support. Dispatch reliability could not be bettered and, although an extra 40kts would be

welcome, our respondent could think of no negatives at all, adding: “It has the ability to go almost anywhere in Europe and has low operating costs and good reliability/backup.”

At Star Wings Dortmund Luftfahrtgesellschaft mbH, the company’s CJ1 and CJ2 give little cause for complaint, according to Captain Frank Achner, with operating costs the best aspect of ownership. He is among those who highlights rust as a negative, and also mentions insufficient hydraulic lines in newer models. His most desirable upgrade would be to the CJ4.

Long delivery times for spare parts, the landing gear and, once again, corrosion are listed as minus points by Jaroslav Malinsky of VR Jet against the CJ1 and CJ3 in the fleet.

However, the Slovakian company is otherwise satisfied with the aircraft and appreciates their flexibility.

The CJ2 and CJ3 aircraft in the Atlas Air Service fleet offer a good combination of cost and performance, according to sales director Hans Doll, and the company is satisfied or very satisfied with most other aspects – although better protection against corrosion would be desirable.

Overall, Torben Andersen of Danish headquartered Nilan A/S is content with his CJ3, citing its best aspect as performance and the worst, a lack of thrust reversers and poor anti-skid provision.

Richard Joy of Sleepwell Aviation would like to upgrade to the CJ4, but for now he is satisfied or very satisfied with almost every aspect of the CJ3, except the corrosion. Single crew operation is a definite plus.

Andrew Lee, UK sales director at Unijet UK, says: “We operate a CJ2 and three CJ3 aircraft from our Paris base and have done so since 2003.

They were brought in to replace ageing Falcon 10 aircraft that were being retired. They operate around Europe, sometimes venturing as far as North Africa.” He adds: “Our passengers like the spacious cabins that the CJ2 and CJ3 offer; we only configure them into six seats and they

JULY 2012 11

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Me & My Aircraft throughout 2012 SEPTEMBER Cabin class piston twins NOVEMBER Super midsize jets We are keen to hear your views. Log in at www.ebanmagazine.com and you will find voting forms for each type in your fleet. It takes moments to complete, and the more replies we receive the better our final reports will be. Your user number and pin is on the back of the mailing sheet included with your magazine, or request a reminder on the web site.

Make your opinion count! all have a separate toilet and washroom at the rear of the cabins.”

Lee points out that the market remains highly competitive and it is very expensive operating to most European airports. “We also operate into London City airport with the aircraft,” he says, adding that Unijet was one of the first operators to fly into LCY with the Falcon 10s back in the early 1990s.

Air Hamburg operates a CJ and two CJ3s throughout Europe and all three are available via Avinode. The company’s Mike Ulka says: “The CJ3 flies to similar destinations to our XLS+ with up to six passengers, if they don’t mind not having a stand-up cabin or hot catering. People that don’t usually use a business jet have been booking the CJ3 for flights to the Ukraine during the football due to its affordable price.”

German company MACH Fluggesellschaft mbH operates a CJ1 offering onboard internet, which the company says makes it the only light jet in the world allowing broadband internet access with WLAN.

Sabre is a sleeper, but a keeper South Carolina-based Dick Denison knows more than most about the Sabreliner – he used to be their vp for sales. He currently has three Sabreliner 65 aircraft in his inventory through his company Aircraft Consultants Inc, although only one of them is fully equipped for European operations.

“For between $500,000 and $1.2 million, you can pick up an aircraft that has a perfect safety record,” Denison says. “It has a range of 2,350nm, cruises at FL45 with a 440kt cruising speed.”

Denison compares the Sabre 65 with the Learjet 60, but at around a third of the price, a fact that he believes not many people really understand.

“Yes, it is an older aircraft,” he concedes, “but Jet Aviation at Zurich is a Sabreliner service station, so they will take good care of you. Purchasing a Sabre 65 will get you a lot of aircraft for your money. It is a bit of a sleeper, but once people fly in a Sabre, they love it.”

Aircraft on the horizon:

Citation M2 The upcoming Citation M2 fits between the Mustang and the CJ2+, bridging the gap between an entrylevel jet and a model that is slightly more established, and could be an option for first time buyers testing the waters. It has a maximum range of 1,300nm and comes with a completely redesigned cabin with new cabinets, more space efficient side rails and upgraded chairs. It also gives good hot-and-high airport performance, giving more flexibility on the destination airport.

The wing design incorporates a natural laminar flow airfoil. The wing leading edges are anti-iced using engine bleed air.

Passengers can use mobile phones, iPads or laptops to connect to the internet, check emails or surf the web.

Managing director Karl-Helmuth von Heesen says: “The voice transmission

ME & MY AIRCRAFT Light business jets

Scott Ernest, Cessna president and ceo, congratulates pilot Pete Fisher after a successful first flight of the Citation M2 prototype back in March.

It is is outfitted with the Garmin G3000 avionics package, featuring touch screen controllers to reduce pilot workload. Icons replace knobs is excellent and with the fast internet connection, the business jet has a unique feature.” The CJ1 is based in the Rhine-Main region.

A new addition to MACH’s fleet

and buttons and are used for flight management tasks, setting radio frequencies, audio adjustment, synoptic and other functions. is a CJ2+, that has been in operation since February 2012. “The jet has been in high demand since we added it to the charter programme,” says von Heesen.

The number of long-standing, regular customers is increasing and MACH is ready to add more aircraft to its fleet. “The old saying ‘time is money’ is seeing a revival,” explains von Heesen. “More and more business people recognise the added value a private jet offers.”

CITATION 550/551 The venerable Citation II/Bravo is best loved in the UK, where no fewer than 27 different, largely private, owners can be found. However, almost 150 model 550s and 17 551SPs in total span the whole continent.

NetJets is by far the largest operator, with 12, but there are half a dozen in the hands of Grafair in Continued on next page

12 JULY 2012

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ME & MY AIRCRAFT Light business jets Continued from previous page

Sweden, four each with Aero Vision in France and the government of Saudi Arabia, and several charter fleets featuring two or three of the type.

German owners are particularly fond of the single-pilot 551SP model.

It was last manufactured in 2006 and is most comparable in size to the current CJ3 model, albeit with shorter range.

North Flying A/S operates a Citation II which Bruno Sørensen reports is satisfactory, offering good short field performance, although it does now look old. New engines would be a desirable upgrade but he says the price is too high.

Daniel Martinez, charter sales manager with Clipper National Air, reports that a Citation S550 has very recently been added to its fleet. He says that charter demand in Spain is not high at the moment, but adds: “Let’s see what happens during summer time…”

London Executive Aviation has been operating Cessna Citation II aircraft for the past 15 years and maintains two of the jets in the company’s 23-strong diverse charter fleet. As such, managing director George Galanopoulos describes the Citation II as a good, reliable aircraft that still appeals to entry-level owners on a budget.

Galanopoulos says: “With diligent refurbishment, Citation IIs can continue to look good and, while maintenance costs inevitably rise as time passes, intelligent sourcing from

Honda Aircraft Company staff gather to mark the first flight of the fourth conforming HondaJet aircraft.

Aircraft on the horizon:

HondaJet Pilot-in-command Stefan Johansson and co-pilot Howard Judd sucessfully completed the first flight of the fourth FAA-conforming HondaJet aircraft in May. Overall, the aircraft performed smoothly during its 74-minute flight according to the pilots and telemetry teams.

Earlier FAA-conforming HondaJet flight test aircraft have already

our purchasing team means we still maintain the aircraft at an acceptably low cost.”

BEECHJET/HAWKER 400 The Hawker 400 first flew in the form of the Mitsubishi Diamond in 1978, coming into Beechcraft ownership in 1985 and rebranding as the Hawker 400XP in 2003.

Today the

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achieved key benchmarks that meet or exceed the aircraft's designed performance goals of a maximum speed of 420kts, maximum cruise altitude of 43,000 feet, climb rate of 3,990 feet per minute, and more.

The HondaJet is intended to be the fastest, highest-flying, most quiet and most fuel efficient in its class. An over-the-wing enginemount configuration has been designed to dramatically improve performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. manufacturer has brought the aircraft fully up to date in the form of the 400XPR upgrade.

NetJets has the largest fleet in Europe with about 20 400XPs on the Portuguese register, but its greatest fanbase is in Italy where there are about a dozen owner/operators. The most prolific XP model can be found as far afield as Egypt, Hungary and Lebanon, while Saudi Arabian Airlines has six of them.

Dennis Ronneburg of Bluesky Air Service is very satisfied with the maintenance support, dispatch reliability and operating capabilities of the Beechjet 400A, pointing to its greater speed and larger cabin than those of the CJ series. Ronneburg does not like the lack of pressure refuelling and is looking forward to the 400XPR upgrades: “New Williams 44 engines, Pro Line 21 and the Hawker Beechcraft winglets – all that will increase range to approx.

2,000nm and make that model unique,” he says.

Skyline Transportation & Trade Inc has a Hawker 400XP that gets an allround thumbs up from Yener Erden, who had no negative comments or upgrade suggestions.

Pilot in command Stefan Johansson, Honda Aircraft president and ceo Michimasa Fujino and co-pilot Tom Maurer celebrate the third FAAconforming HondaJet's first flight.

The aircraft’s latest European customer is Nordic charter and aircraft management company JoinJet, that has recently followed the purchase of a Hawker 4000 with an order for a Hawker 400XPR to expand its charters services. Certification is expected for September 2012.

Hawker Beechcraft offers customised XPR upgrade packages for existing Hawker/Beechjet 400 owners as well as XPR factory completed aircraft for those who do not currently own one.

CITATION 500/501 Some 27 years after the last example left the production line, the Citation I and I/SP continue to ply their trade around Europe and there is just one in the Middle East with the government of Qatar.

Italy accounts for the majority with 13 owner/operators, and for two of the three companies having more than one of the type. Icaro and Unifly have two each, the latter reducing numbers down from the four it had when EBAN last reported in 2009, as does Daedalos Flugbetriebs of Austria. It is quite common for the Swiss and UK

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The Learjet 70 will feature a modern design interior, a next generation cabin management system, the Vision Flight Deck with a state-ofthe-art avionics suite, superior aircraft performance and low operating costs. Entry-into-service is scheduled for the first half of 2013.

The aircraft will have enhanced performance through an engine thrust increase with an improved Honeywell engine, offering better takeoff field length performance over the Learjet 40. The new systems will also contribute to weight savings gain and the canted winglets will improve aerodynamic efficiency. Overall, up to a nine per cent improvement in field performance under hot and high conditions and up to a four per cent improvement in fuel efficiency are expected. It will be able to achieve a range greater than 2,000nm at a cruise speed of Mach 0.75.

Ralph Acs, vp and general manager of Learjet, and Steve Ridolfi, president of Bombardier Business Aircraft, at the launch of the new Learjet 70 and 75.

This airframe design reduces cabin noise and ground-detected noise when overhead and allows for a more spacious cabin and greater cargo capacity.

The HondaJet is powered by two fuel-efficient GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines, and is equipped with a customised Garmin G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system with a layout of three 14-inch landscape-format displays and dual touch screen controllers. examples to be registered in the US or other overseas registries.

Private operator Colin McGill finds the Cessna 500 a reliable aircraft for European operations and is very satisfied with all aspects of operation, although more engine power would not go amiss. He also enjoys the aircraft’s simplicity, reliability and load carrying capabilities.

BEECHCRAFT PREMIER The Beechcraft Premier 1/1A fleet has its greatest footprint in Germany and the UK. Most are single examples of the type or in pairs, although Manhattan Jet Charter and Sirio in Italy each have three.

The type is notably absent from the Middle East countries, but does have operators in Latvia, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.

VR Jet’s Jaroslav Malinsky is not happy with the operating capabilities of the Premier 1A, singling out its payload and range as particular negatives. But the big cabin is a bonus and maintenance support, value and dispatch reliability are all satisfactory.

Gama Support Services in Farnborough, UK, has been appointed a Hawker Beechcraft Corporation service centre, to provide maintenance for the King Air business turboprop series, Premier 1/II jets and piston engined aircraft.

Gama’s engineers are fully conversant with all HBC products, offering a depth of knowledge gained from more than 30 years of hands-on engineering by the senior management team, assisted by a growing team of skilled engineers.

“Gama’s success in achieving Hawker Beechcraft service centre status means that we can further enhance the service we offer the HBC customer base,” says engineering director Paul Bristow.

CITATION 560

Inside are improved comfort and styling, a cabin management system featuring individual touchscreen monitors with full audio and video control, LED lighting throughout the aircraft and a spacious galley.

Upon entry into service, the aircraft will be supported by a maintenance programme designed to allow customers to operate to a 600 flight hour fixed inspection interval at Bombardier’s worldwide customer services infrastructure.

The original Cessna 560 Citation V was also later known as the Ultra and Encore, and can still be found in 16 European countries, although not in the Middle East.

Most popular in Germany and Spain, it is most often operated as a single example of its type or in pairs, although the Spanish police do have three. Norwegian business charter operator Hesnes Air recently added a second Encore to its fleet. Hesnes has operated its first Encore for over four

JULY 2012 13

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

years now, and has been pleased with its performance during that time.

A Cessna 560 Citation V operated

by Tiriac Air is, according to the company’s Victor Ivan, satisfactory for dispatch reliability, operating capability, maintenance support and value but is not comfortable and would benefit from a datalink upgrade.

strangely not in France) but they are undoubtedly most popular in the UK, where there are more than 20 owner/operators.

Abelag in Belgium has three 45s including one XR, DC Aviation flies a mixed fleet of four 40s and 45s, Omni in Portugal has four, Hamlin Jet in the UK has three, and Air Four in Italy has five.

LEARJET 35

SABRELINER

There may be a modest scattering of Learjet 35A/36A aircraft around Europe, but Germany is where the great majority of the fleet can be found. As was the case when we last reviewed the light jet sector in 2009, GFD in Hohn has the largest fleet of Learjet 35A/36A aircraft, with no fewer than 11 in military target simulation service. The largest commercial roster is the four 35As flown by Air Alliance.

The type is popular for aeromedical services, and is in use by DRF in Germany, European Air Ambulance in Luxembourg, and Saudi Aeromedical Evacuation.

AirMed is the largest UK-based fixed-wing air ambulance company and started operating its first jet, a Learjet 35A, at the end of July 2009.

Almost three years on and following the purchase of a second Learjet 35A in April 2010, the company feels it made the right decision. “We chose the Learjet 35A following a comprehensive research programme that included aircraft which were still in the design stage,” says director of business development Jane Topliss.

“This model of Lear was the only one which did the job that we wanted, while keeping us competitive within the specialist air ambulance market.”

AirMed were doing a lot of flights to and from the Canary Islands with their turboprop fleet and nearly every

“

AirMed perform a combined perinatal transfer. Mum and baby were transferred together for step-up care.

time they lost the job to another operator it was because speed was required. An aircraft that could operate out of Oxford airport, with the capacity to carry an intensive care patient, the appropriate medical equipment and personnel, with the speed and range to get to and from the Canary Islands in one crew duty day was sought. In the light jet range, the Learjet 35A was the only one capable of doing this.

“While these aircraft are no longer manufactured, we were in a position to purchase the newest available aircraft on the market. One of the concerns that we had was the age of the aircraft and being able to build in the cost of renewal, however by being able to purchase these newer models we have given ourselves an advantage over our competitors as we will not have to renew within the next five years, where some other operators are already having to go through that process,” Topliss reports.

LEARJET 40/45 The Learjet 45 and its smaller cousin, the model 40, can be found in many countries around Europe (although

Geneva’s Sonnig Aviation has the only civilian Sabreliner in Europe, while the Swedish Air Force flies two. The now elderly Sabreliner 65 has the cabin size of the Learjet 40/45, but at a third of the price and with far greater range.

One of the few European-based Sabre 65s, operated by Sonnig, showed the model’s capabilities in 2010 when it gained the round the world speed record – during the Icelandic ash cloud incident.

The Test Establishment of the Swedish Defence acquired its two Rockwell Sabreliner 40A as flying laboratories. The Sabreliner is often known under the US military designations T-39 and CT-39, but the two Swedish machines were bought in secondhand from civil operators in the USA. In Sweden, the Sabreliner has the designation TP 86. The first aircraft was bought in 1981 and was flown to Sweden by a Swedish Air Force crew, with the second arriving the following year.

Both aircraft are used as flying platforms for testing various equipment, including target detecting systems for missiles and meteorological investigations. The TP 86 was also used during the test of the Carabas radar system that detects targets underground level using a kind of x-ray technique. ■

CJ2+ was the best deal for Titan Airways

Commercial director, Alastair Kiernan (pictured): “We have a lot going on at Titan Airways at the moment. We have just purchased two additional Boeing 757-200 aircraft and took delivery of a brand new Citation CJ2+ in October last year – our md Gene Willson went to Wichita himself to pick up the aircraft.

We utilise the aircraft for our own crew positioning where it is convenient and sometimes when we are operating our larger aircraft out of airfields where schedules do not suit or even exist. We also operate crew swaps for other airlines. We already have a tie-up with airlines for the larger aircraft in regard to sub charter that we provide and with our hour to launch from confirmation service this is something that makes it a very easy option for a lot of carriers.

We also provide AOG support in regard to moving parts and engineers for our own purposes and for other airlines and operators, again at very short notice. We operate ad hoc charter as well as urgent charter for organ transplants and teams.

We sold the King Air which we purchased from new. After operating the aircraft for a few years we decided a jet would be more beneficial. The CJ2+ fitted our operation well and a deal was completed with Cessna directly for purchase in early 2011.

It has been a superb aircraft so far for performance, range and fuel burn. The CJ2+ was the best offer on the table at the time and this is why

CHARTER BROKER NEWS...

Thirty years in Germany Chapman Freeborn is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Germany, having opened an office in Frankfurt in 1982 headed by Carol Norman, who is currently deputy chairman of the group. Fifty staff are now employed in Germany, with additional offices in Cologne, Berlin and Munich. Initially focussing on cargo, the company later branched out into the passenger market including meeting, conference and incentive flights and private jet services.

Chapman Freeborn recently expanded its portfolio further by launching a group ticketing division covering a combination of charter and scheduled flight services. seaplanes from its subsidiary company Seawings to fly the guests into Dubai for the presentation. Logistics were complicated by the fact that all 100 passengers had to be flown in and out in one day.

Booking service expands to the east

Elena Torres meets HH Dalai Lama.

A memorable day in Scotland Exec Air Charter was delighted to assist with HH Dalai Lama’s visit to Scotland recently. It was a very special moment for md Elena Torres: “I am still feeling very overwhelmed and incredibly lucky to have met this wonderful man. He told me his flight was very smooth and that he very much liked the cool and rainy weather in Scotland.”

ACI sees potential in Africa

we opted for it instead of the CJ3.

The aircraft is proving very popular with our clients and we already have a regular user group of the aircraft.”

Managing director, Gene Willson: “The aircraft was delivered late from production by Cessna, but they did keep us fully informed during the process. We ferried the aircraft back to our home base with just two fuel stops and a total flight time of just under 12 hours.

Post delivery, we have experienced a number of frustrating build quality issues, although these have been quickly resolved by our MRO Kinch Aviation. Our build spec included a number of safety enhancements not normally fitted to this size of aircraft, including such items as TCAS2 and EGPWS. Compared to the previous King

Air aircraft we operated we find the 100 kt speed increase really useful, as well as the ability to cruise at significantly higher levels. The benefit of the higher cruising levels means the aircraft can almost always cruise clear of icing conditions and provide an exceptionally smooth ride for our passengers.

We use the aircraft to back up our own fleet in the event of an AOG and several other airlines have used the aircraft for this purpose as well.

It has already flown a number of high profile celebrities. It is unlikely we would operate more than one of these aircraft as the charter market for this size is extremely competitive and, were the aircraft and overhead costs not to be absorbed within the rest of the airline infrastructure, it would be operating at a loss.”

”

Air Charter International, the Dubai-based aircraft charter and leasing company, is experiencing an upward trend in the number of charters involving unusual or complicated requirements, along with an increase in charter requests from the African continent. “Business is up by 20 per cent compared with this time last year in this particular segment of the market and we’ve seen charter requests from the African continent rise by 25 per cent,” says Caroline Jongma, charter sales.

In early May the company tackled a logistically complicated charter in the Middle East to support a luxury car company which is currently rolling out a worldwide launch of a new vehicle.

The launch, which will be announced officially in 2013, saw over 100 vvip customers flown from GCC countries including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to Dubai. In a unique operation, ACI chartered three Cessna 208A amphibian

PrivateFly.com has appointed Norbert Nagy as regional executive to lead new business development in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Nagy will be based in the region, and joins the company from Air Partner plc, where he was regional director.

The company has launched its private jet booking service in France, Germany and central Europe, offering dedicated local web platforms and multilingual operations teams.

Founder Adam Twidell says: “Our focus is initially on the established French and German markets, and on central European countries which are experiencing greater growth in demand – such as Poland which saw 13 per cent annual growth in business aviation traffic in 2011.”

PJC expands in Fort Lauderdale Private Jet Charter has celebrated the 21st anniversary of its founding by expanding its North American regional headquarters and charter hub in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Managing director Jeff Garrity says: “Our initial staff of two has increased to five within our first year and will be expanded to eight employees over the next 18 months. We projected a $2 million turnover in the first year which was achieved and we are on target to make the projected figure for our second year of $5.1 million.

Oslo offers opportunity Richard Seeberg of Oslo-based broker Skybrokers AS reports that he is interested in selling his company ‘due to mature age’.

Serious inquirers are welcome to contact him.

14 JULY 2012

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

O P E R AT I O N S N E W S . . .

Belgian charter crosses borders for new opportunities BELGIUM REGIONAL REVIEW

London heliport cuts fees A price reduction of up to 20 per cent for single-engine executive helicopters has been introduced to encourage increased use of the UK capital’s only heliport. Oxford airport owners the Reuben Brothers purchased the heliport in Battersea four months ago and have introduced an additional incentive: Any visiting jets at Oxford connecting with heliportoriginating or destined helicopters, will now qualify for a 50 per cent reduction in landing fees for a business jet of 15 tonnes or more.

Helicopters interlining with a jet at Oxford will receive a free landing.

“Now owned by an airport operator, rather than an aircraft charter and management company, we are pleased to say that there is no longer any perceived conflict of interest from helicopter operators within the industry,” says Oxford airport md Chris Orphanou.

Plans are being explored for a new pier at the heliport site, says James Dillon-Godfray, who has expanded his business development role at Oxford airport with that of the heliport. For the Olympics, the heliport will be promoting arrangements with Diplomat Cruises and London Rib Voyages to offer a unique ‘Pad to Park’ experience, aboard an eightseat vip configured 37ft Sunseeker Superhawk Shaken not Stirred, as featured in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.

Weston opens FBO at Robin Hood Weston Aviation has been awarded the FBO and business aviation concession at Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster, Sheffield. The addition makes the company the second largest UK chain of FBOs in terms of locations. As part of the arrangement, Weston will also take on responsibility for local charter sales development and marketing for both business aviation and cargo aircraft operations at the airport and promotion of the airport for ad-hoc charters, working closely with charter brokers and operators.

The new Business Aviation Centre is due to have started operations on the 9th July, staffed by the existing FBO team led by manager Becky Carver.

Sciacca directs FlightSafety sales FlightSafety International has appointed Fabio Sciacca as director of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Sciacca joins FlightSafety from Piaggio Aero Industries, where he

held a number of positions including business development manager and programme manager of the company’s PW200 engine programme. He most recently served as international sales director for the P.180 Avanti and Avanti II aircraft.

Shannon gains vip lounge Quintessentially Aviation, the aviation wing of a luxury lifestyle group, is to develop its first Irish vip lounge at Shannon airport.

Brendan McQuaind, coo, says: “We already operate a concierge service within the British Airways first class lounge at Heathrow and we will deliver the same level of service here at Shannon for our Middles Eastern clients travelling to the US.”

Mantovani orchestrates ACJ tech support The Airbus Corporate Jet Centre has appointed Marco Mantovani as head of customer support and services, responsible for technical support, warranty, spares, repair services, upgrades, refurbishment, on site assistance, technical publication updates, training and programme management for working parties.

Héli-Union inaugurates Dauphin simulator Héli-Union has inaugurated a new simulator for the Dauphin AS365 N3/N3+ developed and built in partnership with Thales. It was certified in February and is now operational at Héli-Union’s training centre in Angoulême.

“The new simulator which we are inaugurating will help us keep our pilots’ qualifications up-todate in order to meet our customers’ needs as well as that of the market in terms of safety,” says Héli-Union chairman and ceo Jean-Christophe Schmitt.

Pet handling is free at Cambridge ExecuJet Europe has launched a complimentary pet handling service at Cambridge airport, enabling domestic cats and dogs to travel internationally, without quarantine and overseas vet inspection. The team will check the pet’s passport, travel credentials and microchip with the owner or the pet’s escort in the cabin. Once the paperwork has been cleared and stamped as required, the pet will be free to disembark. All applications to bring a pet into the UK under PETS regulations must be emailed to the ExecuJet Cambridge pet handling team at least 24 hours before flight departure.

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In terms of economic output, Belgium is the 23rd largest country in the world, and 12th in Europe, but in terms of demand for business aviation its footprint continues to be modest. So, the country’s home grown business aviation companies have expanded beyond the domestic market by launching new ventures and opening additional bases in other countries.

Abelag continues to be the largest business charter operator with aircraft based at Antwerp and Brussels, although the company’s network of bases has expanded to the Netherlands and France in recent years.

At the end of March Abelag celebrated the official opening of a new FBO executive terminal at Brussels National airport. “Every year, Abelag hosts more than 20,000 passengers. With so many important travellers passing through, we continuously strive to improve the quality of our service and levels of comfort,” the company says. With that in mind, the company has built a brand new terminal building, said to be modern and practical. “From now, passengers will be ushered into a new world-class lounge with a stunning view of the tarmac. The Abelag experience will continue to be truly unforgettable,” the company adds.

Flyinggroup has also expanded its activities in the Netherlands, at Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as well as developing a new hangar at Antwerp last year.

The third of the major jet operators has also turned its attentions across the border. ASL took over the troubled Netherlands company SolidaiR and six of its aircraft. Within a few months it had obtained a new Dutch AOC and now has additional aircraft based in Eindhoven and Amsterdam, these including a CitationJet, a Premier 1, and a Citation VI. “ASL now has 24 aircraft in its current fleet spread over bases in Belgium and Holland. The bases in Belgium are Antwerp, Kortrijk and Brussels, while the bases in Holland are Maastricht, Eindhoven and Amsterdam,” says sales executive Bjorn Mollet. “Our Falcon 900B is based in Niederrhein in Germany.”

Belgium’s Winters sells Meridian to Spain Antwerp-based Winters Aviation is Piper’s new aircraft dealer for Belgium and France, but recently scored a sales success by taking an order for a Meridian from a customer in Spain.

“We have seen a spike in M-class sales in Europe this year as buyers replace less fuel efficient twin engine aircraft due to higher fuel costs,” says Peter Winters, general manager. “With Piper M-class turboprops and piston-powered aircraft, buyers keep their cabinclass travel options and yet they enjoy economical operations.”

The new Meridian will begin service with a business owner later this year.

“This is the first new Meridian sold into Spain in quite some time and is certainly the first 2012 Meridian sold to a customer in Spain,” said Piper director of marketing and communications Jackie Carlont.

Business aviation in Belgium by the numbers 8

business aviation airports

Major business aviation airports* 1. Antwerp Deurne 2. Kortrijk-Wevelgem 3. Brussels National 4. Liege 5. Ostend-Bruges International

EBAW EBKT EBBR EBLG EBOS

ANR KJK BRU LGG OST

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

8

business charter operators

Leading fixed-wing charter operators** 1. Abelag Aviation 2. Flyinggroup 3. ASL

Leading helicopter charter operators** 1. Skytech International ** ranked by number of aircraft for charter

business aircraft on OO 170 the Belgium register Data extracted from the Handbook of Business Aviation in Europe, and the EBAN reader roster.

This type of international expansion can be attractive for any charter operator looking to achieve economies of scale. “It is not essential, but it means you can spread your fleet over several airports within a few hundred kilometers,” says Mollet.

“Your circle of clients gets much bigger but you are still always very close to everything. There was an opportunity on the market and if we did not do it, somebody else would have done it.”

The process of incorporating a whole new foreign operation into the company went smoothly by all accounts: “Based on the experience we had within our Belgian office we already had a lot of knowhow and luggage we could bring over. Of course there where other people from the company we took over in the Netherlands that helped us with their experience in order to achieve this,” he adds.

Charter brokers are divided between those that believe the based operators provide good coverage, and those that prefer to position aircraft from elsewhere.

“We are doing good business into and out of Belgium with a variety of different clients,” says Tom Engelhard, Air Partner Private Jets manager for continental Europe.

“Where aircraft are commercially

based is less relevant these days. The ease with which aircraft can be tracked enables operators to manage floating fleets and sell from wherever they are. It is in exactly this type of market that using a broker can be particularly valuable; brokers can offer best value options due to the flexible nature of aircraft availability.

Local operators tend to be limited by the type of aircraft in their fleet and have restricted availability.

“There is a good business aviation infrastructure in Belgium, but in an open market like the EU, it is of less importance where the operators are from, as many operators manage floating fleets and base their aircraft where the demand is.”

Global Aviation in the Netherlands reports that it does a lot of business with the Belgian operators ASL and Flyinggroup. “In Belgium there are many aircraft available for such a small country, especially in our main market – small and medium sized business jets,” says Stephan van den Hurk. “We use Antwerp for our customers in the south of the Netherlands but for our other customers in the Amsterdam or Rotterdam area, we position the aircraft in the Netherlands. Due to the short ferry flight, prices are very competitive.”

French broker Kevelair is less happy. Commercial manager Fabrice Mandon reports that there is very poor capacity there and it is difficult to charter a local airline. “Charleroi airport is better to use than Brussels,” he says.

Chapman Freeborn’s Benelux country manager, Chris Vandenplas covers the whole region: “Our client list is mainly Belgian as, together with our Amsterdam office, we cover the whole of Benelux as a sales region.

2011 was a very good year for us and the outlook for 2012 is very positive too. We have, however, seen a shift in aircraft size, where the average seating is decreasing so groups are smaller, even to the level of business jets.

“We will always try and work with local operators, however in many cases operators from neighbouring countries, especially Germany and even Austria, are better priced.”

Vandenplas finds that there are good local FBO facilities, especially at Kortrijk, Antwerp and Brussels.

“We do fly in and out of Belgium but not often,” says Alison Wressell, marketing director of Private Jet Charter “I don’t know if it is just because we haven’t targeted this market in particular, or that there is not a lot of business to be had in relative terms.

“When we do fly from Belgium we use all three of the big operators mentioned, and clients are always happy with the service and the FBO facilities. We’ve had no negative feedback at all,” she adds. ■

Comprehensive Belgium data online free-of-charge The 2012/13 EBAN Handbook of Business Aviation in Europe is out now, and gives details of many more Belgium 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

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ImperialJets finds an incentive for all types of customer Munich and Lebanon-based aircraft management and charter company ImperialJet has introduced a flurry of new initiatives designed to attract new customers. These range from a price-capped aircraft management service for owners, to a shared ownership programme on the forthcoming Learjet 85, and down to a choice of schemes offering additional benefits for charter customers committing to 25 hours flight time.

The new aircraft management service has been designed to provide capped management costs for owners, which reduces those costs and ensures that ImperialJet obtains the best prices from suppliers, as well as reducing the amount of paperwork that the owners receive every month through re-billing.

ImperialJet continues to provide the traditional re-billing model as an alternative to the new capped cost version.

JULY 2012 15

Marketplace Contact Mark Ranger on: +44 (0)1279 714509 mark@ebanmagazine.com

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DASSAULT

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BOMBARDIER

Challenger 604

S/N 5364, 5,903 TTAF, engines on condition. Collins ProLine IV, Honeywell EGPWS, Collins TCAS II w/Change 7.

Dual Collins FMS-6000 FMS w/dual GPS4000, DVD, VCR, 9 Pax. Tel: +1 403 291 9027 John Hopkinson & Associates.

Web: www.hopkinsonassociates.com.

Email: sales@hopkinsonassociates.com

CRJ 200LR

2001, D-ACRN, S/N 7486. EU-OPS 1.

Available for sale or lease. 19,423 hours.

50 pax interior configuration w/aft lavatory and divider. Contact: Thierry Huguenin. Tel: +49 911 36009 375 or +1 561 771 1322 FAI rent-a-jet AG. Web: www.rent-a-jet.de. Email: JetSales@fai.ag

SWEARINGEN

Falcon 2000LX

2008, S/N 141. TT1,275, 675 landings. 10 seats. EU-Ops compliant. Engines on ESP. Owned from new. Beautiful paint and interior. Superb condition.

Exceptionally low operating costs. $23.75m. Contact Roger Stainton tel: +44 1353 661636 JetFlight Ltd. Email: JetSalesUK@aol.com

Commercial director Graeme Deary

The shared ownership programme has been introduced to allow corporations and individuals to enjoy all the benefits and convenience of aircraft ownership, as well as access to a diverse array of brand new private jets, at a fraction of the cost.

“We provide guaranteed availability, reduced ownership costs, and the ability to interchange between aircraft types with access to the entire ImperialJet fleet,” says commercial director Graeme Deary.

“It is entirely up to the client to choose whether they wish to fly on an all-hours basis or take advantage of the occupied hours programme where they don’t have to pay for positioning flights or bear overnight costs,” he adds.

“This is a great alternative to chartering on an ad-hoc basis. You can simply buy a share on an aircraft which is then managed and operated on your behalf, allowing you to take a share of any aircraft within our fleet and fly anywhere within Europe, Moscow and the Middle East. With the new Learjet 85 available to customers (with first manufacturer deliveries expected in 2013) we are seeing a large increase in demand.

This is a great aircraft and access to it in this way makes it significantly less expensive.”

To tempt ad-hoc charter customers into a better value commitment, ImperialJet has also launched membership cards for keen shoppers and newlyweds, which provide them with 25 hours on either a mid-sized or large-sized cabin aircraft combined with membership of Corex, the company’s concierge partner.

2012, 4Q 2012 Global 6000 Position – Be in a new Global 6000 sooner rather than later. Delivery imminent, JAR OPS 1, EASA certification, FAR Part 135 provision for over 12 flight hrs. Global Vision cockpit, limited edition LE package, Wireless LAN, Dual channel Iridium phone, Crew rest & lav, 14 pax, 4 crew. Tel: +1 201 891 0881 Leading Edge Aviation Solutions. Web: www.leas.com.

Email: kcarfagna@leas.com

1989, D-CFAZ, S/N 136. EU-OPS 1.

Available for sale or lease. 7,215 hours.

MSP-Gold. Extended fuel capacity to 7705 lbs. Delta Fins. 7 pax configuration.

4 single-seats and private lavatory.

Contact: Thierry Huguenin. Te: +49 911 36009 375 or +1 561 771 1322 FAI rent-ajet AG. Web: www.rent-a-jet.de . Email: JetSales@fai.ag

OUR NEXT ISSUE: AUGUST 2012

Falcon 900DX EASy

D-AFAM, Entry into service in 2000, S/N 9028 | EU-OPS 1. Available for sale or lease. 4,733 hours. Smart Parts Plus, R/R

FINAL BOOKING DATE:

2009, D-AMIG, 2009, S/N 623 | EU-OPS 1.

Available for sale or lease. 2,165 hours.

Head Up Guidance System, FalconCare and MSP-Gold. 14 pax configuration.

Forward and Aft Lav. Contact: Thierry

JULY 23rd

CESSNA

WE HELP AVIATION SALES PROFESSIONALS GENERATE DEALS

1985, Airframe TT: 8,576, Cycles: 6,755, TSO: 1,304, Pro Line II, GNS-XLS, GPWS, CVR. New windows 2007, RVSM, Freon air, cosmetics refreshed & Permaguarded. Looking for offers. +1 403 291 9027 John Hopkinson & Associates. Web: www.hopkinsonassociates.com. Email: sales@hopkinsonassociates.com

Citation Ultra

Global Express

1979, Metro II, 226-TC, Airframe TT 18.200hrs, engines: L2400/R1300 for OH, EU-OPS compliant. Leather seats, very well maintained under own Part 145.

Ready to fly Email: tikopiaglobal@yahoo.es

Learjet 55C

Citation S/II

Global 6000

Metroliner

Citation Ultras available. Honeywell Primus 1000 3-Tube EFIS, Honeywell GNS-XLS FMS, Honeywell MKVII EGPWS, Honeywell TCAS II w/Change 7, w/ski tube. Recently Permaguard.

Recently refreshed interior. Fresh phase 1-5. Zero engine option. Tel: +1 403 291 9027 John Hopkinson & Associates. Web: www.hopkinsonassociates.com. Email: sales@hopkinsonassociates.com

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