E U R O P E A N
BUSINESS AIR NEWS ISSUE 191
APRIL 2009
Middle East set to emerge quickly from downturn Business aviation in the Middle East could be much less affected by economic downturn than Europe and the US – so believe the majority of delegates at the Aviation Outlook Middle East Conference in Abu Dhabi in March. Royal Jet president and ceo Shane O’Hare agreed with the consensus that the industry has enjoyed exceptional growth in past years. And while the current economic climate will inevitably restrict similar growth levels this year, all agreed that the signs are there for a healthy 2009. “To a degree the Middle Eastern market has been isolated from the overall worldwide downturn, due in part to the high level of liquidity in the region and a strong GDP which is forecast to remain at around seven per cent,” he says. “As a company our strategy of product and market segmentation protects us from the worst of the economic turbulence.” O’Hare also highlights how longterm opportunities can arise out of difficult economic conditions. “Part of our growth strategy to the year 2020 is to increase our fleet in the super mid range by aircraft management as a major part of our business and we are on track to more than double our fleet by the year 2012,” he says. “Prices of aircraft are falling and corporate jet brokers tell us that a year ago there would be 30 buyers looking for one aircraft. Today there are 30 aircraft looking for one buyer, pushing prices down by 30-40 per cent. We are looking to add another BBJ and an aircraft which was $75 million last year is expected to break the $50 million price range by year end.” Aircraft management is another area that is presenting Royal Jet with growth opportunities. “Optimising an aircraft’s usage for private or corporate owners in the difficult economic climate provides a win-win situation for private jet operators and for aircraft owners,” says O’Hare.
ME & MY AIRCRAFT Single engine turboprops
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Sancak Air invests in aircraft to stay ahead
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Atlantsflug chooses Navajo for glacier tours
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DC Aviation works with airline to develop VIP charter page 3 Hawkers undertake cloud seeding in Saudi Arabia page 4
SPECIAL FOCUSES For details of how to enter, see page 3. For detailscharter of how to enter, see page 3. Spanish
review
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Destination South America Francisco Lucas, md, (right) and Rafael Torres, are working to develop CoyotAir’s successful Spanish business template in Peru. See the full story in our review of charter operations in Spain starting on page 10.
Blackhawk debut brings Capital gains as businesses cut spending Exeter-based Capital Air Charter reports that it has successfully begun chartering the first commercially registered Blackhawk B200 in Europe from its UK headquarters. Malcolm Humphries, md and chief pilot, says: “This nine-seater executive aircraft, a heavily modified version of the popular Super King Air B200 twin turboprop, is faster, more fuel efficient, has a longer range and shorter take-off and landing capacity than ever before.” He adds: “The B200 has always been able to carry more people at lower cost on typical European routes than comparative executive jets. However, because of its relatively low cruising speeds, some pundits predicted it would lose out due to the advent of new VLJs and other cost-effective twin jets promising to carry three to five passengers around Europe at high speed and low cost.” But Humphries points out that
Capital’s Blackhawk B200: competing with VLJs on Europe flight times.
the new Blackhawk aircraft, with uprated Pratt & Whitney PT6A-61 engines, BLR winglets, Raisbeck streamlining modifications and Frakes exhausts, climbs more quickly to cruising altitude, and once there cruises at speeds of well over 300 knots. “This means that, as well as providing more seats, space, comfort and baggage carrying capacity than comparative aircraft, European flight
Private Sky predicts further growth for managed fleet
times now compete directly with VLJs and other more traditional executive jets such as, for example, the Cessna Citation series,” he says. “The new aircraft is already well proven in the US and is incredibly popular with owners and charter operators there; however Capital’s aircraft is the first on the European commercial register.” Humphries adds: “The King Air has always been a great machine, but the Blackhawk makes the perfect European executive transport. Our executive and air ambulance clients have been delighted with this latest addition to the fleet and are now enjoying significantly reduced journey times and extended practical range. The Blackhawk B200 allows Capital, for the first time, to fly to the limits of its AOC region, and this includes locations in Egypt, Russia – including St Petersburg – and North Africa.”
Ireland’s Private Sky, which has added a Hawker 800XP based at Belfast’s Aldergrove airport and a Hawker 900XP to its managed fleet, believes its traditionally competitive pricing is standing it in good stead. The company, formerly Airlink Airways, anticipates its management fleet will expand despite the economic downturn. “However,” Andrew Shubotham points out, “this will depend on our clients’ decisions.” Airlink Airways, he says, was launched around 15 years ago. “We felt that we needed a name that more accurately reflects the nature of our service delivery. The Private Sky name is more appropriate for a complete aircraft management company that enables owners to offset their own costs using chartering revenue and provides
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