Jet Aviation is increasing its capacity and service offerings throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia with new hangars, plans for new FBO facilities, and a new joint venture charter operation.
The company in August will begin construction on a new 8,700-sq-m (93,646-sq-ft) widebody hangar in Basel that will replace the existing hangars 3 and 4. To be completed by the end of 2018, the new hangar 3 will result in an additional 4,500 sq m (48,438 sq ft) of hangar space and 2,000 sq m (21,527 sq ft) of space for shops and offices.
The new hangar will strengthen the company’s ability to keep up with increased demand for completions, maintenance, refurbishment, modifications, and upgrade capabilities, particularly on wide-body aircraft, Jet Aviation said. The additional space can accommodate both wide- and narrow-body aircraft simultaneously, including space for projects up to a Boeing 747.
Jet Aviation already has begun work on a tarmac extension to facilitate movements around the build site, not only to minimize disruption during the construction but to enable easier movement of large aircraft once the construction is completed.
In Dubai, Jet Aviation and its joint venture partner the Al Mulla Business Group are outfitting a new facility in the shared terminal at Dubai South. The Dubai World Central (DWC) FBO is expected to become operational in the third quarter with a grand opening planned for the Dubai Airshow in November.
The 600-sq-m (6,458-sq-ft) facility will include three customer lounges, a conference room, crew lounge and operation center, two prayer rooms, shower facilities, and a separate sitting room for chauffeurs. Line maintenance services will be offered through the FBO with base maintenance offered through the MRO facility at Dubai International Airport.
“Given the policy emphasis on migrating business aviation traffic through Dubai to DWC, we are very pleased to soon reopen our FBO operation at Dubai South,” said Stefan Benz, senior v-p and general manager, MRO and FBO, EMEA and Asia.
Jet Aviation further hopes to complete its third new hangar at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore in November. The 3,850-sq-m (41,441-sq-ft) tenant hangar, which increases Jet Aviation's total hangar space in Singapore to 11,650 sq m (125,400 sq ft), will be able to accommodate an additional two Boeing Business Jets or five Gulfstream G550s. The project also includes additional storage and shop space.
Jet Aviation, meanwhile, is signing an agreement during EBACE making the company’s network of FBOs the preferred handling providers for International Jet Management (IJM), an aircraft management and charter company based in Schwechat, Austria, near Vienna International Airport. IJM operates more than 25 aircraft representing all classes of jets and most of the major manufacturers.
On the charter site, Jet Aviation signed a joint venture agreement with Luxury Business Jets to launch an aircraft management and charter operation in Malta. The company is working toward securing an air operator’s certificate (AOC) later this year from the Civil Aviation Directorate in Malta.
“The Malta operation is an ideal complement to our Swiss and German operations, and a very strategic addition to our aircraft management and charter business in EMEA,” said Jurg Reuthinger, senior v-p and general manager of Jet Aviation’s aircraft management and charter operations in EMEA and Asia. “Adding an additional AOC in the European Union, Jet Aviation customers benefit from further flexibility in the choice of registrations and operations.”
Luxury Business Jets, a large holding company based in Slovakia, is signing on to the partnership to increase its presence in the aviation sector, said CEO Jarka Sommeregger. The company has arranged for a BBJ and Embraer Legacy 600 to operate under the new Maltese AOC. The aircraft will join Jet Aviation’s management and charter fleet.
The Jet Aviation fleet continues to grow with four new management agreements in EMEA covering a Bombardier Global 6000, Global Express and Learjet 60XR, as well as a Gulfstream G650.
