How To Maximise The Benefits of Aircraft Management

Empire Aviation’s one-stop approach to management services allows the owner to maximise all the advantages and pleasures of ownership

As the number of business jets operating worldwide continues to grow, aircraft management service providers such as Empire Aviation are increasingly being called upon to manage the day-to-day operations of these aircraft on behalf of owners, whether this is a corporation, a family or an individual. We help relieve the stressful demands of maintaining and operating a business jet through a one-stop approach to management services that allows the owner to maximise all the advantages and pleasures of ownership.

Today, Empire Aviation manages one of the region's largest and most dynamic fleets of business jets with aircraft from various manufacturers. As different types of aircraft join our managed fleet, our aircraft management team must ensure that all the appropriate support personnel are available, along with the pilots and crew, and that the operations team is thoroughly familiarised with the new aircraft type.

Ultimately, owners are responsible for ensuring their aircraft is maintained to the highest standards for their safety and comfort. An aircraft management partner gives owners peace of mind by handling all aspects of aircraft registration, operations, maintenance and repair, including scheduled maintenance checks, unscheduled repairs, and required inspections.

But it all starts with aircraft acquisition.

Access to expert advice is essential when buying or selling aircraft and a fully integrated private aviation management company such as Empire Aviation brings extensive experience and knowledge to assist and guide on aircraft selection, purchasing and finance, ownership model options and residual values, with a view to protecting the aircraft asset for the duration of the ownership.

The company's aircraft sales capabilities and experience extend to global markets and transactions and our role as an aircraft management company differentiates the approach from traditional brokers – the team knows which aircraft sell and how to maximise residual values. The ability to draw together all the strands of private aviation – sales, management, operations and charter – enables the Empire Aviation team to make private aviation a great experience for owners (and charter guests). When it comes to managing maintenance (or MRO – maintenance, repair and overhaul), the complexity and demands of supporting a mixed fleet across multiple operating bases become apparent. One of the major challenges is the ready availability of approved facilities to support owners in all locations where the aircraft are based. With a growing and increasingly mixed fleet of business jets under management, the team has to put in place all the appropriate

MRO infrastructure for each aircraft at the local operating base, working with our partners and approved facilities to ensure the aircraft is maintained in excellent condition.

Scheduling and managing general maintenance across the fleet is also a challenge and we aim to minimise downtime and any potential disruption to travel schedules. The team works around owners' schedules but other aircraft from our managed fleet can provide interim options to owners. For Empire Aviation's CAMO-only clients (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation), the team offers these aircraft owners the same service benefits that we provide to our managed aircraft owners with fully inclusive management contracts, including MRO as part of the one-stop service.

Our successful and award-winning aircraft management service has been built on close personal working relationships with owners to develop a high degree of personal trust, openness and transparency. The team builds this trust and manages expectations by looking after every operational and maintenance detail of their aircraft. This includes negotiating all contract services with supplier companies and tracking all costs to ensure owners receive the best deals with open books at all times.

Financing and managing the expenses associated with owning a business jet can be complex and a professional aircraft management company should provide detailed financial planning and analysis, forecasting, cost controls, and accounting.

Searching, selecting and managing flight crew is demanding and our aircraft management services cover all these aspects, including recruitment, assessment, scheduling, and training. The team ensures that flight crews are highly skilled for their specific roles and enjoy a positive working relationship with the owner. Our in-house flight operation centre covers all route planning and scheduling of aircraft, weather monitoring, arranging all airport slots and permits and coordinating all the ground support services for passengers, crew and the aircraft.