European Business Air News July 2011

VistaJet has placed a firmorder for 10 Global 8000aircraft with a total value ofaround US$650 million.

The news comes a monthafter an order for six Global6000s and two Challenger605s was announced andbrings the firm order backlogto more than US$2.0 billion.These orders are set to takeVistaJet’s total fleet size tomore than 60 aircraft.

The Global 8000 willfeature a three-zone cabin anda range of 7,900 nm at M0.85to connect Sydney-LosAngeles, Hong Kong-New Yorkand Mumbai-New York non-stop carrying eight pass-engers. Entry into service iscurrently scheduled for 2017.

VistaJet founder andchairman Thomas Flohr says:“We are seeing unprecedenteddemand in Brazil, Russia,India, Nigeria and China andother fast-growth developingmarkets. These marketscurrently account for in excessof 75% of all our flights.

“At the same time, thegeographic reach of ourcorporate customers placesdemanding requirements onour fleet, with sectors typicallyof between five and 10 hours.

“To service this growingdemand we are expediting thedevelopment of what isalready one of the world’slargest fleets of long rangeaircraft,” Flohr says.

President of BombardierBusiness Aircraft Steve Ridolfiadds: “It was eight years ago at the Paris Air Show that our two companies began this journey.

“There is an increasinglystrong demand for large cabinbusiness jets that can connect

virtually any city pairworldwide non-stop – theGlobal 8000 jet is the onlycontender to meet thisrequirement.”

VistaJet has headquartersin Switzerland and operationscentres in London, Salzburg,Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, andHong Kong. It offers luxuryaviation with the largestwholly-owned commercialfleet outside the Americas.

The company is alsoreported to be replacing itscurrent fleet of Learjet 60XRSwith Learjet 60NG aircraft.

Separately, VistaJet hasselected Jet Professionals as itspreferred supplier of pilotsand flight crew.

“Jet Professionals deliverscomprehensive recruitmentand staffing services crucial to our exacting demands,”says Line Thibault, VistaJetexecutive vice president. “Weknow we can rely on JetProfessionals to recruit quality personnel.”

Portuguese textile company plans Phenom charter

Challenger 604broke through

political barriers

AJ Walter Aviation’s Christopher Whitesidebelieves that the moment he bought a Challenger604 was pivotal for the success of his business.Entering previously difficult to penetrate regionscost-effectively has opened up manyopportunities and now he is looking to upgrade to a longer range model. Full story page 6.

BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N

ISSUE 216 JULY 2011

VistaJet set to linkcities worldwide

with Global 8000s

Ricon Group of Portugal, a textilecompany, has established a subsidiaryunder the name Everjets to operatecharter services in southern Europewith a factory-new Phenom 300 jet.

The aircraft order, along with anoption for a second Phenom, wasannounced at the EBACE convention in Geneva, and delivery is expected in time for operations to begin inDecember 2011.

“We are thrilled to present thePhenom 300 to our customers,” saidJosé Pereira, Everjets ceo.

“The design of the aircraft perfectly

suits our objectives and our target audience of multicultural,fashion-conscious clients, who like totravel in style. Those who enjoypremium comfort, quality of life andwho like to experience the latesttechnologies.”

Ricon Group, an internationallyrenowned company in the clothing andtextiles sector, is responsible forproduction and distribution of several international fashion brands in the Angolan, Brazilian andPortuguese markets.

“We are pleased to welcome Everjets

to our growing Phenom 300 customerbase in Europe and support them asthey commence operations,” said ColinSteven, vp marketing and sales, Europe,the Middle East, and Africa for EmbraerExecutive Jets. “The Phenom 300 lightjet has earned a strong reputation as agame changer in its first years ofoperations. We are certain thatdiscerning Everjets’ customers willappreciate the new standards of theaircraft, not only in terms ofperformance, but also in terms ofcomfort and state-of-the-arttechnology.”

The Phenom 300 first went intooperation in December 2009 and hasan interior designed in partnershipwith BMW Group DesignworksUSA.

Swept wings, with winglets, andmodern onboard systems weredeveloped with outstanding flightperformance in mind. A singlerefuelling port, an externally servicedlavatory, and excellent cabinpressurisation are some of the jet’sdistinctive features.

The aircraft is capable of flyingnonstop from Lisbon to Stockholm or Istanbul.

PERSPECTIVESPages 7-11

Businessaviationthrough the eyes of the maintenancemanager

For fuel, ground services and trip arrangements around the globe, contact us at: [email protected] or [email protected]

Join the World movement…

BGADBusiness & General Aviation Day

11A splendid day ofbusinessaviationSeptember 20th, 2011

www.bgad.aero

VistaJet’s Thomas Flohrcelebrates the order with SteveRidolfi, president of BombardierBusiness Aircraft.

FBO 2012

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2 JULY 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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Paris-based Héli-Union has takendelivery of two S-76C++ helicoptersand ordered four EC175s for use inoffshore oil and gas missions.

The contract with Sikorsky AircraftCorp for the S-76Cs was signed inNovember 2010 and means Héli-Union now has eight aircraftoperating internationally.

“Our experience with the S-76C++helicopter has been a sound one,”says deputy managing director LoïcBinard. “These additional aircraft areequipped with the latest navigationsystems and offer greater transportcapacity, comfort and safety.”

Héli-Union’s 50-year anniversarycelebration was held at its Toussus-le-Noble maintenance centre in June,and saw a fly-over of an EC175prototype and the signing of thecontract with Eurocopter.

Eurocopter president and ceo LutzBertling explains: “As with many ofEurocopter’s other products, Héli-Union provided valuable inputduring the EC175’s development andwe will continue to benefit from itsexpertise once the helicopter is inservice.” Deliveries of the EC175s arescheduled to begin in 2013.

Héli-Union performs air transporton behalf of oil and gas companies,helicopter maintenance, logisticaland technical support and helicopterpilot training. It currently operates ayoung fleet of 30 helicopters. The 18AS365s in its inventory make Héli-Union the world’s second largestcivilian operator of this type, and thecompany is preparing for theintroduction of an AS365 N3/N3+flight simulator at its training centrein Angoulême, France.

Héli-Union chairman and ceo Jean-Christophe Schmitt shakes hands with Eurocopter president and ceo Lutz Bertling, cementing the twocompanies’ continued association.

Héli-Union adds S-76Cs andplans EC175s for growth

7X fleet resumes passengercharter serviceThe worldwide Falcon 7X fleet isresuming flying after a pitch trimissue was resolved by Dassault. A newairworthiness directive was issued byEASA on June 16.

Jet-Link expects both its aircraft tobe back in operation by July 6, anddirector of sales Roland Kalmusreports that charter demand for theaircraft is already returning.

Jet-Link added a second 7X to its fleet in March.

Jetalliance East has reported monthlycharter utilisation of around 70-80hours for each of its two Citationaircraft, and that both have operatedwithout any problems in the extremesub-zero temperatures (-40˚C) ofwestern Siberia.

Igor Chunikhin, ceo, says: “We’reextremely happy with the perfor-mance of the CJ3 and Sovereign. Thedispatch reliability is very high.

“Around 70 percent of our trafficon the aircraft is within Russia, withtop destinations including SaintPetersburg, Kazan and Krasnodar, aswell as locations important for themining, basic commodities andenergy industries. When flying intowestern Europe, the most populardestinations for our passengers areParis and Chambéry in France. About80 percent of our passengers areflying on business.

“We’re already discussing addingnew Citations to the fleet as soon aspossible.”

Jetalliance East launchedoperations in November 2010, basedat Moscow Sheremetyevo airport, andso became the first commercialoperator of Cessna aircraft in Russia.

Cessna vp of international salesTrevor Esling says: “The JetallianceEast line maintenance servicecapability proves useful not only forthe company’s Citations but also forothers operating in Russia.”

Jetalliance East also operatesRussian-built aircraft includingTupolev Tu-134s and Yakovlev Yak-42s, but the company is said to be keen to phase these out duringnext year.

Citations standup to freezingtemperatures

JULY 2011 3EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

The idea of using an escrow bankaccount, in which money is held byan independent third party whilebusiness is transacted, is commonin aircraft sales and for many othermajor capital purchases.

The option to use an escrowaccount to receive pre-payment forair charter services, so giving thecustomer peace of mind that their money is safe, has sometimesbeen used by operators and brokers in the past. It provides agood level of protection for buyersand sellers, but can be expensiveand time-consuming to set up. Ittherefore remains very far fromstandard practice, and indeed maynot even be achievable for lower

value or last minute bookings.Unless a long-standing business

relationship exists, most charteroperators will always expect fullpayment before flying, and this maynot be popular with clients whenbookings are large or made a longtime in advance.

So any scheme which makes theuse of escrow services morestraightforward, and less expensive,is surely to be welcomed by buyersof air charter services.

For a non-refundable fee ofbetween £100 and £350 (€110 to€388) per charter agreement theBaltic Air Charter Association hasintroduced a new escrow facility forits members. Once set up this

involves completing a simpledocument for each contract.

But how welcome is this servicefor the charter operatorsthemselves? BACA expects thatsome operators will be happy to usethe escrow payment service, in order

to have the reassurance thatdeposits made on their behalf aresecure, even in the event ofcancellation prior to flight date – butthat others may not.

The association expects topublish a list of operators who areprepared to use the escrow service,and this may prove to be acompetitive advantage for those onthe list. It is keen to reassure that it isnot implying that air chartercompanies are a bad risk, andneither does it expect that theoperators will foot the bill for theescrow account charges. These, it isconfident, will be gladly met by the clients.

The charter agreement itself

between client and operatorremains entirely unaffected, and theactual process of moving funds inand out of the relevant accounts isadministered by an independentaccountant, so there is no risk toconfidentiality.

And unlike insolvency insurance,which is an alternative approach forsome charter buyers, the cost andavailability of the escrow serviceremains the same, irrespective of theoperator used or the level of risk.

The service launched as EBANwent to press, on July 1, and it will bevery interesting to see what level ofmarket acceptance it attracts.

David WrightManaging editor

Protecting charter customers’ cash can be good for businessEDITORIAL COMMENT

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UK-based charter operator SaxonAirhas added a second Citation Mustangto its charter fleet. The aircraft, G-MICE, is jointly marketed withSurrey-based Catreus Ltd and fliesfrom a new satellite base atThessaloniki in Greece.

“SaxonAir is the AOC operator,”says managing director ChristopherMace. “The relationship with Catreusis to share the operational aspectsusing their crew trained to our AOCprocedures and standards. SaxonAirand Catreus have worked together oncharter flights in the past and itmakes sense to combine resources tooperate more efficiently.”

He points out that Catreus hasprevious experience in southernEurope, while it is the first timeSaxonAir has operated aircraft basedoverseas. “It will be managed fromthe operations centre in the UK,” he adds.

The crew stay local to the aircraftand are also rated to fly anotheraircraft for the owner. Both Catreusand SaxonAir have worked togetherusing each other’s differing aircraft fleets over the past 12 months and as part of the jointmanagement contract thecompanies will share each other’srated aircrew where possible.

As far as charter is concerned, theoperators have some local clients butwill mainly be marketing the aircraft

to brokers from its new base.“Our existing Mustang has proved

to be a popular choice with our UKcharter market. We are delighted tobe able to offer jointly with Catreusthe same cost effective service to new customers from a new Europeanoperating base,” says Mace.

The new aircraft matchesSaxonAir’s existing Mustang and isequipped with the same latestGarmin G1000 avionics. “TheCitation Mustang is firmlyestablished as the benchmark entrylevel business jet,” Mace adds. “Notonly does it offer a great passenger

experience, but it provides extremelycost effective and affordable flightswhile delivering the speed, efficiencyand comfort that passengers expect.”

SaxonAir’s current fleet nowconsists of two Hawker 400XP jets (atNorwich and Edinburgh), a King Air350 (Norwich), the two CitationMustangs, along with EurocopterEC120 and EC135 helicopters atNorwich and Redhill. Catreusmanages two Citation XL/XLS andtwo Citation Bravo aircraft.

The additional managed aircraft ispart of SaxonAir’s ongoing expansionand comes as its new businessaviation centre at Norwich airportnears completion.

SaxonAir was formed in 2007 whenChristopher Mace and commercialmanager James Palmer launched thecompany after over twenty years ofbusiness aviation experience, andwas acquired by businessman RogerKlyne in May 2009.

SaxonAir bases second charter Mustang in Greece

Catreus md Cy Williams (left) and SaxonAir md Christopher Mace shake hands on theircontinuing collaboration.

G-MICE is jointly managed by SaxonAirand Catreus.

Spanish operator INAER has signed acontract for ten AW169 helicopters,and asked AgustaWestland to speedup its development and certification.“Our customers urgently need theAW169,” says INAER ceo Jorge Díaz-Crespo Cardona.

The new helicopter programmewas unveiled in July 2010, and isreported to be progressing as plannedwith first flight scheduled in 2012 andcertification in 2014. Deliveries areexpected to follow immediately after certification.

Separately, INAER has signed amemorandum of understanding withPZL-Swidnik to expand bothcompanies’ businesses in the firefighting market over the next tenyears, in particular in Spain, Portugal,Italy and France. The MoU is focusedon the specialised W-3A Sokółmedium twin helicopter and supportservices and it is intended to meetINAER’s fleet modernisation andexpansion plan requirements for firefighting operations.

Luis Miñano San Valero, executivechairman of INAER, comments: “The W-3A Sokół is one of the mostcapable and cost-effective in the twinmedium class for fire fighting. It is oneof the most suitable aircraft to meetour requirements.”

INAER signs for ten AW169

helicopters

Falcon Aviation Servicesbecomes Etihad partner

Falcon Aviation Services (FAS) hassigned an agreement with EtihadAirways, the national airline of theUnited Arab Emirates, to add its AbuDhabi-based helicopter charterservice to the portfolio of preferredpartnerships in Etihad’s ‘PremiumConnect’ travel service.

FAS operates from Al BateenExecutive Airport, and is ideallylocated for quick transfers from theEtihad terminal at Abu DhabiInternational Airport to a wide rangeof destinations within the UAE.

AJ Baker, FAS vp of businessdevelopment and strategy, says: “Weare honoured to partner with Etihadto provide enhanced guest services.In our luxury helicopters we will

provide the same levels of excellentservice that Etihad guests have come to expect.”

FAS was formed under theinitiative of His Highness Dr SheikhSultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in 2006, and now offersservices including corporate jetcharter, helicopter tourism, aerialphotography and filming, aerialbanner advertising, offshore/onshore oil and gas support, aircraftmaintenance and aircraftmanagement.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad’s ceo,said: “We are pleased to align ourbrand with FAS as a travel providerwell-suited to meet the expectationsof our premium passengers.”


Cessna Citation Authorised Sales Representative

www.timleacockaircraft.com +44 (0)1258 818181

Ulrich Spranger, ceo and owner ofpoint of sales hardware and softwaredistributor Jarltech, has acquired a Cessna CJ1. He explains: “We are frequently required to travel tooffice locations throughout Germanyand the rest of Europe to meetbusiness partners and customers. It is vital that our travel does notimpact productivity so in purch-asing the aircraft, the availability ofsatellite communications was a key consideration.”

The SwiftBroadband systeminstalled aboard Spranger’s aircraft isThrane & Thrane’s Aviator 200.Compact and lightweight, it providesdata speeds up to 200 Kbps and asingle AMBE 2 channel for voice calls.The system also features built-in Wi-Fi capability.

Spranger continues: “It makes a lotof business sense to be able to workfrom the aircraft when travelling fromone destination to the next. While inthe air, I find I have more time withminimal interruptions, so I’m free tomake calls and send emails. Formyself and many of my employees,this provides an added benefit thatwhen we arrive we feel more preparedknowing that we have been keepingup-to-date.”

With the launch of Inmarsat’sSwiftBroadband SB200 service lastyear, the availability of high-speedconnectivity for smaller businessaircraft is now possible.

Spranger is making his CJ1available to charter. It is operated byJarltech Mobility GmbH withGerman-based operator MachAirlines holding the AOC. Heexplains: “With the rise in demand for in-flight connectivity, we believe the Aviator 200 satellitecommunications system will makethe aircraft extremely appealing tothe charter market.”

Cambridge airport is seeking abranded FBO to operate from itsestablished state-of-the-art facility.The tender process took place duringJune and a decision is expected byOctober ahead of the NBAAconvention in Las Vegas.

“By bringing a fully branded FBOto Cambridge we are aiming toimprove efficiency and demonstrateour commitment to providing ourbusiness aviation clients with thelevels of excellence they expect,” saidairport director Archie Garden.

The new FBO will take over fromMarshall Business Aviation, whichwill become the brand for businessaviation maintenance provision atCambridge. The airport is keen toattract a growing number of businessaviation operators, and has renewedits commitment to hosting theBusiness and General Aviation Day(BGAD) in conjunction with EBANevery year.

The seventh BGAD will take placeon Tuesday September 20 and willinclude a full exhibition, seminars,panel discussion and static display.

“Cambridge Airport is pleased towork with EBAN on hosting thisprestigious event as we build greaterawareness of the business andgeneral aviation services available atCambridge,” says Garden. “BGADprovides the perfect platform to dothis and following a very positiveEBACE we are certain this is going tobe the busiest BGAD yet.”

This year’s show will see a numberof new initiatives for visitors includingthe introduction of an open paneldiscussion where senior figures fromthe aviation community will discussthe hot topic of “The Practicalities ofthe Olympics”. Representatives fromFBOs, airports, brokers and operatorswill explore and share the issuesassociated with the day-to-dayrunning of business aviation duringexceptionally busy periods. For thefirst time there will also be a dedicatedpress centre, ensuring that mediaattending can gather the latest news

Marshall Executive Aviation managing director Iain Young andchief pilot Pete Stroud are pictured on the arrival of thecompany’s latest aircraft under management, a newly-refurbished Citation C550 Bravo. This latest aircraft is based at Stansted airport and is now available for charter alongside acompany-owned Citation Bravo and Citation XLS and a managedChallenger 300. “We are very pleased with this addition to ouraircraft management portfolio,” says Stroud.

“I am particularly happy with the ease with which we were able

to bring the aircraft into our operation. This represents aculmination of efforts which has doubled our fleet size in lessthan nine months.”

Young remarks: “The additional aircraft marks a significantmoment for the company. After running our in-house fleet forseveral years, we took a strategic decision to expand into aircraftmanagement and this is the second aircraft to join us under thatscheme.” MEA hopes to have the whole charter fleet on showduring the BGAD show at Cambridge on September 20.

Cambridge seeks branded FBO asshow preparations gather pace

Business aviation professionalscan attend the exhibition andseminars at the Business andGeneral Aviation Day atCambridge on September 20 freeof charge.

Save time by registering inadvance using the leafletenclosed in this EBAN, or onlineat www.bgad.aero

A splendid day ofbusiness aviation

from exhibitors all in one spot, andalso file news stories as they areannounced at the show.

New exhibitors include chartercompany Centreline Air Charter andGloucestershire Airport, along withan increased number of Europeanexhibitors including Lancelot, theSpanish-based flight servicesprovider, and Avinode online chartermarket place. Marshall ExecutiveAviation will be taking theopportunity to demonstrate itsgrowing fleet and the EmbraerPhenom 300 will make its debut onthe static. Mark Ranger from EBANsays: “BGAD is now attracting moreattention from European companies,who appreciate the easy and informal

way that the show takes place – allthey have to do is to turn up withthemselves, their promotionalmaterial and make the most of thenetworking opportunities.”

Returning exhibitors includeDaniel Tee, md of Gama companyAirops Software Ltd, that hasexhibited at every BGAD. He says:“We have chosen to exhibit again asthe calibre of visitors and relaxedatmosphere of the show hasgenerated significant interest for ourproducts.” London Oxford Airport’sbusiness development director JamesDillon-Godfray added: “The show has always been really good for usand we’re looking forward to anotherpositive event this year.”

Jarltech keepsin contact

aboard CJ1

Jarltech’s Ulrich Spranger is putting hisCJ1 out for charter.

BGADBusiness & General Aviation Day

11


Rotana Jet Aviation has committed to leasinghangar 27 at Al Bateen Executive Airport.Launched in November 2010, the companybegan private jet operations at the beginningof April with a Gulfstream G450. It the firstDubai-based operator in three years to beissued with a UAE AOC.

Rotana Jet has chosen Al Bateen and its newservice-orientated DhabiJet FBO from whichto develop and expand its services to offer linemaintenance and other technical works.

Company offices in Dubai will bemaintained and plans are in place to add fouror five aircraft to the Rotana Jet fleet each year, specialising in wide-bodied jets to reflect the majority of requirements it sees inthe Gulf market.

“Al Bateen’s convenient location,professional team and fine facilities, which are

continually being enhanced, mirror our owncommitment to superior service and quality,”says Rotana Jet ceo Horm Irani.

In addition to corporate/private aircharters, Rotana Jet offers a range of specialistaviation services, including aircraftmanagement and consultancy. Although ayoung company, it has a management teamwith over 150 years’ aviation experience,internationally and in the Arabian Gulf region.

Irani was a former managing director ofExecuJet Middle East and a qualifiedprofessional engineer with more than 27 years’professional aviation experience.

After his time with ExecuJet, he establishedhis own aviation consultancy practice in theDubai Airport Free Zone, where one of hislarger projects was the creation ofNakheel/Istithmar World Aviation.

Rotana Jet’s Horm Irani and Al Bateen general manager Steve Jones seal their agreement at EBACE.

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Rotana Jet plans expansion at Al Bateen

Business aviation operatorsin the future will need to offer a broad range of serv-ices in the air and on theground, and to draw thesetogether under a highlyprofessional corporateimage, says Steve Grimes, ceoof Ocean Sky Group.

He has now taken thisguiding principle one stepfurther by launching a glossyquarterly magazine forpassengers on the company’saircraft and customers in its FBOs.

Grimes says: “Brand hasalready played an importantpart in Ocean Sky’s rapidgrowth. As the Europeanbusiness jet marketcontinues to mature, brandwill become even moreimportant in unlockinggrowth opportunities.”

The magazine is namedsimply ‘O’ and coverslifestyle, luxury and traveltopics which complementOcean Sky’s aviation services.

The first issue includesarticles by the grande dameof luxury Lucia van der Post,SuperYacht World’s editorHugo Andreae and Wine &Spirit magazine’s formereditor Richard Woodard.Topics to be explored willinclude the pleasures ofArmagnac; the discerningsailor’s new guilty secret,luxury cruiseliners; and a

test drive of the latestarmoured limousines.

Ocean Sky’s Jet CentreFBO network has six bases inthe UK and Spain, withfurther FBOs planned in Italy,other European markets andthe Middle East.

Meanwhile the companyhas made two key salesappointments. JanusKamradt will now lead salesactivities for its newly-established aircraft salesoperation and its aircraftmanagement business, whileSamantha Clouder has beenenrolled as sales andbusiness developmentdirector for Ocean SkyAircraft Charter.

Kamradt joins from Global

Jet Concept SA, where he wassvp for international sales,responsible for businessdevelopment across thecompany’s aircraft sales,aircraft management andcharter activities. Previously,he worked at private aviationoperator Jet Republic as salesdirector for Scandinavia andthe Benelux region.

Said Grimes: “Not onlydoes he have great experienceof business aviation, but hissenior experience in otherluxury sectors gives him arounded understanding ofwhat high net worthcustomers require.”

Samantha Clouder joinsOcean Sky after nine years atNetJets, where she was vp ofUK sales. Prior to joiningNetJets, Clouder worked infinancial public relations as amember of the flotations,mergers and acquisitionsteam at leading Cityconsultancy Citigate DeweRogerson.

“Ocean Sky is a fresh andexciting business with thepotential to become thecoolest air charter brand inEurope,” she says. “Mychallenge is to intensify thebusiness developmentprocess of an alreadysuccessful operation, fine-tuning our activities andreadying ourselves for thecoming market upturn.”

Branding is vital for growthopportunities, says Ocean Sky

Samantha Clouder: Tasked with building charter sales in the coming upturn.


Christopher Whiteside, president ofAJ Walter Aviation, an independentcomplete aircraft spares supportprovider, attributes significantbusiness success to the acquisition ofa Challenger 604 in 2006.

Whiteside says that the company’srapid expansion has requiredpassionate and round-the-clockdedication from its workforce.However, a dynamic business modeland hard work alone were not enoughto elevate the AJW brand’s globalawareness and reach new customers.The decision to acquire a Challenger604 business jet, advertised in EBAN,gave Whiteside the tool he needed topenetrate emerging markets andcontribute to business growth.

“The Challenger has enabled theAJW executive team to travel cost-effectively across less developed partsof the world,” explains Whiteside.

“AJW is breaking downgeographical and political barriers allthe time. In the past it took days tovisit remote areas of Europe and Asia.Even previously closed regimes suchas Turkmenistan have welcomed AJWbecause we have taken the trouble tofind a way to visit them. The use of theChallenger conveys a level of respectand prestige upon our visit that manyof these countries appreciate.”

Whiteside has been looking atupgrade options from the 604 andsays: “The company aircraft has beenof such benefit to us that we are nowlooking at options to increase ourrange capability.”

In partnership with businessaircraft sales and acquisition brokerLoudoun Aviation Inc, AJW isextending its spare parts and powerby the hour programmes to owners ofcorporate Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Challenger 604 has brokenthrough political barriers

ExecuJet Aviation Group will launchits own inflight magazine inSeptember. It will be produced threetimes a year in cooperation with theteam behind Jetgala Magazine, andwill be placed in the company’s FBOsand onboard its managed aircraft.

“We appreciate that our clients are busy, so in this way they will beable to read about our latestdevelopments and general industrymatters alongside other lifestylearticles,” says Niall Olver, ceo ofExecuJet Aviation Group.

The magazine will include featureson aviation history, developments inbespoke luxury fashion and lifestyle,along with exclusive getaways andinterviews with leaders, celebritiesand international luxury trendsetters.

Meanwhile, ExecuJet is celebrating10 years of operations at Zurichairport. IT manager Hans Germannsays: “Everything is a lot quicker now,in the past we had to physically typein every flight request or flight plan.Now much of the daily work can bedone automatically on our flight opssystem so it is more time efficient.”

“At Zurich we have approx-imately 600 movements per month,and this has grown by about 300%since we took over the FBO in 2003,” added Cedric Migeon, md ofExecuJet Europe.

ExecuJet sets adate for debut

inflight magazine

ExecuJet’s magazine – set for launch inSeptember.

Captain Peter Turner is honoured with his Master Air Pilot award.

Captain Peter Turner of ExecutiveAviation Services has been honouredwith a Master Air Pilot award from theGuild of Air Pilots and Navigators.

It coincided with Turner’s 50thanniversary of flying in June this year.The team at Executive AviationServices celebrated this alongsideGloucestershire Airport’s 75thanniversary at a charity 1940s HangarParty in July in aid of Help for Heroes, Air Ambulance and the JetAge Museum.

The guild presents certificates to apilot or navigator who has displayed,over a number of years, qualities ofpilotage, air navigation, airmanshipand character that have broughthonour and respect to the profession.

Turner is managing director andchief pilot at the Gloucestershireairport-based Executive AviationServices that now operates a King Air350, Citation Bravo, Citation Exceland King Air 200.

EAS chief celebrates pilot award

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email: [email protected]: Bristow is bigger

EBAN is happy to correct an error inour June issue, in which we referred toUtair as the world’s biggest helicopteroperator. Bristow asks us to point outthat it is in fact larger, owning andoperating 380 helicopters within itsown fleet.

Business aviation in Europe has anenviable safety record, and arigorous regulatory structure tohelp keep it that way. One of thesignificant requirements of this isthat AOC operators have nominatedpost holders in key jobs, and one ofthese is the maintenance manager.

This vital role might be carriedout by a licenced engineer, but not necessarily. With responsibilityfor continuing airworthiness,engineering quality control,contracts with suppliers andcompliance, the modernmaintenance manager must, aboveall else, be a highly competentadministrator.

For this feature we asked thoseresponsible for the maintenance oftheir company’s aircraft all overEurope to tell us about their work.

We were slightly surprised to findthat almost all those we spoke to hadgood relations with their localregulators, and very few problemswith EASA’s requirements aside fromthe sheer quantity of paperwork.

It is quite possible for the aircraftowner’s maintenance manager to bethe only staff member dealing withtechnical issues. The hands-onmaintenance will almost always becarried out by contracted companieswith appropriate approvals. However,those who do employ an engineeringstaff of their own report that there areplenty of worthy candidatesavailable, with engineer shortages athing of the past.

Meet themaintenancemanagers

Candas Erkan Özdogu is director ofmaintenance and accountablemanager responsible for continuingairworthiness at Sky LineTransportation and Trade Co, part ofthe Kocoglu Group in Turkey.

Özdogu began his career with adegree in aeronautical engineeringand an MBA in aviation. “This was

followed by four years with MDhelicopters as a technical rep andthen I joined an airline for a year inquality. For the last three years I havebeen working here as director ofmaintenance for a fleet of 25helicopters and one jet.”

Sky Line employs its owntechnicians for maintenance and isone of very few respondents thatreported being affected by a shortageof suitably qualified engineers. Onoccasion the company also usesthird-party maintenance providersfor different aircraft types.

It offers on-site support services toKocoglu Aviation’s fleet and to otherAW109 Power and Grand operators inTurkey. Its main maintenance centreis located at Ankara Airport with linemaintenance facilities in other cities.A second base maintenance hangarof 1,850 sq m is under construction atAtaturk Airport.

Özdogu is gradually upgrading hisprocedures: “We track our ownmaintenance schedules using Excelsheets and recently we’ve adoptedLeitner LTB/400 software as well.”

“Regarding LTB/400 I must saythat I was very optimistic in thebeginning and really believed thatthis software was going to create amiracle, but for various reasons theimplementation process took way toolong and even after 18-24 months weare not 100% using all the modules ofthe program.

“I am asking my colleagues towork harder on the project andcomplete the implementation and Ihope by the end of the year we willbenefit 100% from the program. Thebest benefit I see is the integration ofall necessary modules (maintenancetracking, work orders, spare parts,labour, invoice and ordering etc.)”

Özdogu rarely gets time to workwith the aircraft himself, and travel is


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not a feature of his days, but does heenjoy his job? “Yes, indeed, I wouldrecommend it to anyone who enjoysplenty of stress.”

Accountable manager deputy andmaintenance post holder at WinairAviation Marijo Bucina says that hiscompany uses factory certifiedapproved maintenance facilities.

“We have our own CAMO and

tracking system, CAMP-CESCOM,but we have a big problem with spareparts and AOG support,” statesBucina, adding that EASA regulationsalso cause complications with the

amount of paperwork. But his work isassisted by the department’srelationship with local authorities:“We have a perfect relationship withand support from the authority.”

After aircraft engineering trainingand then working in the air force,Bucina had his own maintenancefacility before finally taking his

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I would recommend it toanyone who enjoys stressCandas Erkan Özdogu, Sky LineTransportation and Trade Co

This is my profession andmy hobbyMarijo Bucina, Winair Aviation

Continued on next page

Despite some teething troubles, CandasErkan Özdogu of Sky Line sees benefits inthe LTB/400 maintenance software.


Perspectives: the maintenance manager

present position as maintenancemanager. He finds time between the paperwork for a hands-onapproach. “I am always with myaircraft. l enjoy my job – it is myprofession and my hobby.”

Sebastian Kulik is quality managerat General Aviation Sp zoo in Poland,operating fixed wing and helicopterscarrying out business, patrol andrecreational flights and aerial filming.

“We have our own technicians andcall on third-party maintenanceservices for higher level maintenanceneeds, which vary depending on theaircraft type.”

When deciding whichmaintenance company to use, Kuliklists factors in order of priority: “Anappropriate EASA Part 145 certificate,the size of the company and itsmarket position, and its proximity toour home station in Goraszka.”

He adds: “We track maintenanceschedules ourselves using Excelspreadsheets. Excel is good enoughfor our needs. We ‘squeezed‘ a lot out of it to get quite a good system. Itis described in our CAME andapproved in this way by the authority.With operations on our scale, wedon’t see the necessity to useprofessional software for our aircraft management.”

The most unusual maintenanceissue Kulik has come across was adual engine change in Warsaw, 1,000km away from the nearest organis-ation authorised to change engineson Boeing 757s. “A complex logisticalprocess but it was successful.”

He doesn’t get involved in thephysical maintenance of the aircraft.“I am not a licensed engineer. I

am the EASA nominated person, with no need or licence to work onthe aircraft.”

He adds: “I enjoy my job verymuch. However, it is very specific, soyou either like it or not.

“I started in 2002 at LOT PolishAirlines, where I spent two years,”Kulik explains. “That was a statecompany, highly influenced bysocialist attitudes: ‘Work slowly,otherwise they will require you to domore.’ I moved to a private airline in2005 where I was responsible for theoverall maintenance preparation andsupervision of Boeing 737 and 757s.

“That was a fantastic lesson inaviation and the experience allowedme to be maintenance manager from2008 until now with differentoperators of aircraft from DiamondDA42 and Eurocopter EC130, to theLearjet 60.”

Calima in Spain operates variousmodels of Boeing 737 and offersbusiness charter, scheduled fleetsupport, emergency response andexecutive and group travel.

Elena Vazquez Fernandez islogistics manager and also TRTOquality manager and told EBAN aboutthe company’s maintenance setup.“Our continuous airworthinessmanager is Javier Arrondo Navarro.Arrondo has a strong background in

maintenance and quality assurance.”Third-party organisations provide

maintenance services, althoughCalima is in the process of being Part145 certified to have its own linemaintenance capability for the 737.

Vazquez continues: “We auditmaintenance companies with acomprehensive checklist and one ofour staff will audit the facilities. Mainpoints to look for are quality offacilities, work and procedures,training of staff, and reliability. Theymust have their certifications updatedand with the scope we need.”

Some maintenance schedules aresubcontracted to AirworthinessManagement Company, a CAMObased in Paris, but Arrondo and

engineering manager Luis Jimenezrevise the schedule to update it tocurrent needs. “We use softwaredeveloped by AMC called AMSbecause it is fast, reliable and anintuitive and visual software,” saysVazquez. “As well as beingcomprehensive (as it handles logisticsand invoicing modules) it is easy touse and to learn.”

In general, spare parts availabilityis good, although some parts andmaterials are harder to come by thanothers. Says Vazquez: “Sometimesmanufacturer response times are notas good as brokers, and we think itshouldn’t be like that, as the keycontact for this should be themanufacturer most of the time.

“Most of the time I enjoy my job,although it is hard to be 24/7, 365days a year. You must learn to handlepressure – and to sleep less.”

Vazquez worked for BinterCanarias Group where she wastrained in Part M, Part 145, HHFFand quality and purchases. Later atIslas Airways she focused on CAMO,QA and logistics, and then on toCalima, there obtaining the first AOCtype B for the company, adding therole of CO2 emissions manager twoyears ago.

Denmark-based Air Alsie has a 21-strong all-managed fleet whichincludes a variety of Falcons andCitations. Klaus Rasmussen, as AirAlsie’s technical manager, isnominated post holder forcontinuing airworthiness.

Air Alsie employs 10 certifiedtechnicians and uses third-partymaintenance companies for itsvarious aircraft types. Services beingoutsourced include C-checks andbeyond on Falcons, structural andNDT tasks. Rasmussen says thatfactors in choosing the providers forthese services include cost anddowntime.

CAMP software is the company’schoice for tracking of maintenanceschedules in-house.

Rasmussen gained 10 years in atechnical background in the base andline environment, followed by time asa troubleshooter, then a projectmanager and five years as keyaccount manager within thebusiness. The biggest issue he canrecall encountering was when theentire fleet was grounded by the typecertificate holder.

On another occasion, when an

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I have no need or licenceto work on the aircraftSebastian Kulik, General Aviation

Andrey Nazarenko at Challenge Aero believes that some maintenance facilities do nothave enough suitably qualified personnel.

You must learn to handlepressure and to sleep lessElena Vazquez Fernandez, Calima

Fleet was grounded by thetype certificate holderKlaus Rasmussen, Air Alsie

Calima in Spain finds some spare partstake longer to obtain than others.


aircraft needed AOG maintenanceoutside the EASA area, the companysent its technician and parts on itsown aircraft.

Rasmussen explains: “Themaintenance service is mainlycarried out on aircraft under our AOCand grew up as a service for theaircraft owners that we operate for.”

Aero Jets Darta, with bases atAtlantique airport and Le Bourget,turns forty this year.

“As technical manager I am incharge of the continuingairworthiness and certification,” saysPhilippe Julienne. “Maintenanceschedules are tracked using CAMPsoftware.”

Aero Jets Darta considereddifferent maintenance companiesacross Europe, with an emphasis onthe important factors of quality, price,efficiency and reactivity. “We use UniAir Enterprise or Dassault FalconService,” Julienne reports.

“We do encounter somedifficulties with Hawker Beechcraftspare parts due to the reorganisationof their logistics system.”

Julienne feels that EASA changesare not causing problems, but doincrease the amount of work. “We arein contact with our local inspectorsevery week. Many changes need to beintegrated by both parties. We aretrying to work together.”

Julienne was lieutenant colonel inthe French air force at the start of hiscareer. After more than 6,000 flyinghours as military captain and over300 in combat, he decided to take upa role in maintenance for an airtransportation company. “Mymilitary qualifications gave me theequivalent rank of engineer. Being a

pilot gave me some important lessonsI use for my civilian colleagues andtheir needs.

“Of course, I love my job, but arecommendation to a friend? it isclearly NO, because I would like tokeep it for me!”

With four active helicopters andtwo back-up helicopters ANWBMedical Air Assistance can cover the whole of the Netherlands. Ittransports mobile medical teams onbehalf of four trauma centres.

Roland van der Loo was with theRoyal Netherlands Air Force beforetaking his post as technicaloperational manager at ANWB MAA.“Do I enjoy my job? Yes! And would Irecommend it to a friend? Of course.”

The medevac operation based atThe Hague in the Netherlands uses acontracted Part 145 company for itsmaintenance and bases the decisionof where to place the work on a long-term relationship and contract, withfrequent reviews. “We monitorscheduled maintenance by oursupplier using the RAMCO system,”explains van der Loo.

ASL Airtaxi was founded in 1998and has its head office in Hasselt,Belgium. It has bases at Beek, Deurne,Wevelgem and Luik.

Since June 2005, the nominatedpost holder for continuingairworthiness at ASL has beenBernard Biquet. He says: “We havetwo line technicians (B1) working

under the approval of a German Part145, performing pre-flights andminor defect rectification.”

Biquet explains that the fleet iscomposed of 18 aircraft includingCessna Citation, Hawker Beechcraft,Dornier and Pilatus. As he says: “Onemaintenance company holdingapprovals for all our aircraft doesn’texist. We try always to use the mostequipped, qualified and experiencedmaintenance providers for eachaircraft in our fleet. This is moreexpensive in the short term due tohigher labour rates and positioningflight costs, but better value in thelong term due to higher technicalhistory value for the aircraft.”

It is very important to have the fullauthority to plan the maintenance,Biquet insists. “I’m between theoperations side asking to fly andmaintenance needing to be providedon time. A good knowledge of bothsides allows me to optimise the

aircraft availability for flight. We useour own maintenance trackingprogram which is an Excelapplication, personalised for eachaircraft. Simple and efficient.”

In finding qualified engineers, hefeels that some maintenance facilitiestend to grow too quickly. They cannotfollow the demand with respect toturnaround times and quality due toa lack of qualified and experiencedpersonnel.

ASL has good relations with itsnational authority and otherauthorities for aircraft not registeredin Belgium but, says Biquet, it issometimes difficult. “The differenceswith the theory aspect of a regulationand the practical aspect of theoperations are sometimes big.

“There is sometimes a bit toomuch rigidity, which inducessupplemental and costly processesand a lot of paperwork.”

The company’s operations aremainly in Europe inside the EASAterritory. Nevertheless all technicalissues do not always occur at anairport with a qualified maintenancefacility. As Biquet explains: “We haveat least one technician on standby24/7, able to reach the place where heneeds to be. We have also ourcontracted maintenance facilitiesable to provide us with a mobile teamanywhere in Europe, the Middle Eastand Africa.

Continuing airworthiness andmaintenance manager tasks by theirnature require a lot of paperwork andadministration. But, Biquet says,visiting the different maintenancefacilities to have direct contact withmanagers and technicians isimportant and valuable for all.“Aircraft airworthiness reviews forthird party customers allow me tovisit some other operators andmaintenance facilities.


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Winair receives great support from its local authorities.

Being a pilot gave mesome important lessonsPhilippe Julienne, Aero Jets Darta

There is sometimes a bittoo much rigidityBernard Biquet, ASL Airtaxi

Would I recommend my jobto a friend? Of courseRoland van der Loo, ANWB MedicalAir Assistance


Biquet made his first entry intoaviation during 10 months of militaryduties in the Belgian air force. “I had afriend working as a mechanic in theBelgian airlines. These twocircumstances prompted me to lookfor a place as a mechanic in the heavymaintenance department of thatcompany.”

He worked initially on Boeings andtrained for his first technician licence.Then he applied to the generalaviation department and worked formany years on small aircraft at theBelgian civil aviation school.

“In April 2005, one of ourcustomers proposed to me to becomehis maintenance manager, I acceptedand so I joined ASL,” Biquet says.

“In terms of flight activities 2011 isnot bad, but we feel the financialcrisis is not yet behind us.”

At the end of the day, Biquet reallyenjoys his job, finding it rich indiversity. “Of course it takes time andvery often your work overlaps yourprivate life,” he admits. “It’s a choice...My friends have a general view of mywork but they don’t really know thedetails.”

Andrey Nazarenko is responsiblefor the airworthiness of ChallengeAero’s operated aircraft and formaintenance coordination, planningand AOGs. Based in the Ukraine, thecompany has three bases andoperates freight and passengercharter with helicopters and fixedwing aircraft.

Nazarenko explains that thecompany employs its owntechnicians, certified for the types itoperates. “In our home base weperform all kinds of line maintenanceand defect rectifications. From ourstart with the smallest scheduledtasks, we are looking forward to theextension of our capability for morescheduled tasks with bigger intervals.

“We have contracts with basemaintenance providers for the bigchecks. We operate a Bombardier andHawker fleet, and maintain ouraircraft only with manufacturerapproved service centres.”

Nazarenko lists the criteria forchoosing a maintenance provider ascapability, being an ASC, position onthe market, price/downtime and aprevious relationship.

Usually, all aircraft are enrolled inCAMP, which is managed byChallenge Aero’s CAMO station.“Separately we manage our owntracking system based on Excel,” headds, “where all maintenanceschedule/flight hour tracking isentered. This helps a little bit toimprove reliability of maintenanceplanning in general.

“This tool is used to keep track ofour CAMO; we mark the CAMOstation which helps us decide do westill want to work with this CAMO orfind another company?”

The problem of qualifiedengineers lies with the maintenancefacility itself, Nazarenko believes.“Some of them have a good team ofengineers, but some of them have areal shortage of qualified personnel.

“Being often involved withmaintenance coordination at ourmaintenance providers I see this, andtry to arrange that a responsibleengineer pays enough attention tomy aircraft to keep it on schedule.”

Most of Challenge Aero’s aircraftare registered on the Isle of Man andNazarenko says they share very goodcommunication and a goodrelationship. “This authority has itsrules, which are common to aviation,and if you follow them, there are no problems.”

As for spare parts, Nazarenko saysthat, for scheduled maintenance, thecompany or its providers alwaysarrange spares in advance. “But in thecase of AOG it sometimes becomes apuzzle of how to get the correctspares in the correct place at thecorrect time. As we are based inUkraine, the problem of our Customsservice must be taken intoconsideration.”

He believes that every AOG is aseparate problem with its own

decisions to be made. “One time wesent for the AOG mechanic from ourcontracted facility – they also have anAOG support service. In another casewe found an EASA Part 145maintenance facility at the airportwhere we had an AOG, yet in a thirdcase we sent our own mechanics.”

Nazarenko likes to be hands-on,saying: “I try to go to the aircraft at thefirst opportunity I have. It is alwaysgood to understand things from apractical side too.”

He says: “I really enjoy my job, butto do it you must have someexperience and background beforetaking up these duties.”

Nazarenko tells of oneproblematic incident: “We hadcontracted a maintenance companyin Russia for some unscheduledmaintenance and duringtroubleshooting they found corrodedbolts which need to be replacedbefore they could release the aircraft.

“They told us that they could orderthem but it would cost a lot of money

and take a couple of weeks to deliverit and perform Customs clearance – itis Russia with crazy regulations! Andthe owner required an aircraft in thenext two days. With great effort wefound and ordered this part in themarket ourselves and delivered it tothe facility just a couple of hoursbefore the owner needed the aircraft.At the end of the day, the owner wasnot delayed.”

Maintenance and engineeringdirector Nuno Perestrelo isnominated post holder formaintenance at Masterjet, with basesat Le Bourget and Geneva.

Perestrelo graduated as anaeronautical engineer in 1999 and hisfirst job was as planning engineer onan airliner. This airliner had abusiness aviation unit for whichPerestrelo was nominatedmaintenance coordinator. In 2004 hewas invited to become nominatedpost holder for maintenance duringMasterjet’s start-up process and hehas been working there since.

The charter operator, which hasrecently taken delivery of an ex-airline Airbus A320 converted to a 26-seat head of state configuration, usesthird-party maintenance only.

Perestrelo says: “We tend to useone main maintenance provider andhave a second one as back-up.Avoiding too much diversificationaims to build long-term relations andbring mutual benefits in terms ofcost, flexibility, efficiency andprocedures compliance.”

With aircraft based at Le Bourget,maintenance providers located thereare first choice, such as DFS and theCitation service centre. After that,important factors for Masterjet inchoosing maintenance providers aretechnical capability, cost vs servicequality, organisation, good long-termrelations and a willingness to copewith customer needs.

Maintenance schedules for allaircraft are tracked through CAMP.This is a core activity of CAMOprocesses, explains Perestrelo, andthe company prefers to keep it in-house rather than handing it to athird party. “At the end of the day andper EASA rules we retain maximumresponsibility over this,” he says.

Perestrelo admits to sometimesencountering difficulties with Cessnaand Bombardier parts, since the mainstock is in the US, not Europe.

Masterjet is in full support ofrecent EASA regulations, specificallythose related to CAMO. “Especiallyfor small operators and private

owned aircraft, there was a real needto raise the level of continuingairworthiness management andprofessionalism,” Perestrelo says.“EASA changes in regulations havebeen very important, not only forsafety reasons but also for businessaviation growth and image.”

A good relationship with localauthorities is an essential part of theorganisation, says Perestrelo. “Weconsider our aviation authorities akey shareholder of our process. Ourrelationship is based on cooperation,dialogue, transparency and beingfirm when necessary.”

He adds: “We have had some AOGsin Africa and we either used theassistance of our home basemaintenance providers or contractedlocal EASA certified maintenanceorganisations. It all depends on thetype of technical problem, availabilityof EASA certified local support,Customs clearance, etc.”

The most unusual incidentPerestrelo recalls involved an A319CJ,when the aircraft was drifting leftduring its take-off run. An inspectionrevealed nothing. At the secondattempt, the aircraft was still driftingduring its take-off run. A secondinspection revealed the source of theproblem: the co-pilot’s kneeboardwas placed against the steeringwheel, thus inducing the aircraft todrift to the left.

Does he enjoy his job? “Absolutely.It’s a challenge every day. Masterjet isgrowing and providing an excitingenvironment and career opportunity,although it is quite difficult andcomplex to manage such a variedfleet. Growing with the organisationhas allowed me to play an importantpart. It is quite different from joiningan organisation that is already well established.”

Spanish Executive Airlinesspecialises in long distance flightsusing its fleet of 30 aircraft featuringGulfstream, Falcon, Cessna,Bombardier and Hawker aircraft.Ricardo Tercero works in themaintenance department asnominated post holder forcontinuing airworthiness.

Executive Airlines is an approvedPart 145 maintenance organisationfor line maintenance while for basemaintenance it works with third partycontracted organisations.

“We work with different providersdepending on the aircraft model,”says Tercero. “Currently we areoperating nine different aircraftmodels and that means having towork with four or five differentproviders as well.”

When deciding which companiesto place this work with, apart fromhaving all the approvals required,Executive Airlines looks for highquality work and reliability in keepingto the downtimes agreed.

Using the application toolsprovided by the manufacturersenables Executive Airlines to keep upwith the maintenance schedule whileCAMP is used for aircraft modelswithout any specific computerisedmaintenance system.

Tercero was one of the fewrespondents to report an issue withrecruiting suitably qualifiedtechnicians, adding that it wasaffecting the company’s ability toexpand its staff.

Changes to EASA regulations cancause problems, as Tercero explains:“Usually we are running after thecontinuous changes coming from ouradministration.”

Other issues which can arise areoften due to conflicts between the different administration rules,such as certification issues, technicaldata approval, and AOG issues

Perspectives: the maintenance manager

Changes in regulationshave been very importantNuno Perestrelo, Masterjet

Probably the most memorablemaintenance incident Belgian jetand turboprop operator ASL’sBernard Biquet has come upagainst involved assisting a pilot tostart an Embraer Xingu’s engineswith a GPU (via the external powerconnector on the fuselage near thenose landing gear and left engine).

Biquet did not realise the pilothad removed the chocks. “Thepilots first started the right enginefollowed directly by the left. Whenthe propellers were going out offeather, the aircraft started to moveforward – the pilot had forgotten toset the parking brakes.

“I tried to draw his attention by

knocking on the fuselage but it wastoo late and time for me to leavethe area.”

Turning around, Biquet realisedhe was stuck between the aircraftand the power unit with the aircraftstill moving. “Finally, I found an exitand ran away just as the propellerstruck the GPU. At last the pilotrealised the problem and shut bothengines down.

“This event gave me a dreadfulfright and an engine and apropeller replacement to plan.”

For Biquet it was a reminderhow dangerous an aircraft can be and how important it is to follow the safety procedures.

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Different providersdepending on the aircraftRicardo Tercero, Executive Airlines

Our Customs service mustbe taken into considerationAndrey Nazarenko, Challenge Aero

Stavros Arampatzis, maintenancemanager at GainJet, that has CAMOcertification.

most of the time, all our maintenancestaff, including myself, travel to theaircraft when needed. Most of thetime, the aircraft are away from ourAthens headquarters.

“So we’ve had to travel to manyplaces, which has made the job evenmore interesting. In some cases, ourmaintenance staff also travel with theaircraft for support onboard.”

“I certainly enjoy this job – 35 yearson and I still enjoy working withaircraft. It gives you the opportunityto work on a global level, see differentplaces and, of course, I believe thereis no better experience than gettingyour hands dirty working on anaircraft.”

Arampatzis started his career witha 24-year spell in the Greek Air Forcewhere he learned about many typesof aircraft and aircraft maintenance.“I had the chance to gain experiencein various positions on aircraftmaintenance, line and basemaintenance and QA systems. I alsoqualified as flight engineer on theC130 and NATO E3-A B707.”

Soon after he retired from the airforce he got his license as a B1mechanic in 2000 and was nominatedpost holder for maintenance for the first time in 2004 for a Greekaviation company.

“In 2005,” he says, “I wasintroduced to the founders of GainJet– a start-up at the time – becamemaintenance manager and I’ve beenhere ever since.” ■

beyond the company’s controlincluding Customs and localgovernment policies.

Tercero admits that there havebeen occasions when aircraft haveneeded AOG maintenance outsidethe EASA area. “Mostly we have hadto contact a local engineer andrelease a one-off authorisation inaccordance with EASA regulations forthese kinds of situation.”

After gaining an aeronauticaldegree, Tercero has worked for morethan 15 years in maintenanceactivities for different aircompanies. He finds it an enjoyablejob and recommends it to those wholike learning continuously andsearching for rapid solutions whentroubles occur.

Redstar Aviation undertakes avariety of operations including aerialworks, medevac, freight, offshore,passenger, photography, sightseeingand surveillance. It has its head officeat Sabiha Gökçen InternationalAirport, Instanbul.

Jaber Hasbestan is nominated postholder for continuing airworthinessand says that the company usesvarious third party providers fordifferent aircraft types.

When looking for a maintenancecompany, Redstar Aviation takes intoaccount authorisation, experience,the man-hour price and distancefrom its base. Maintenance schedulesare tracked in-house using Excel.

Hasbestan says that changes incustoms procedures are the majorproblem for his department. Andwhile Redstar has a good relationshipwith its local authorities, he adds: “Itmakes no difference, relationshipsare not important, rules andprocedures are important.”

This year, European vip aircraftoperator GainJet Aviation SAcelebrated its fifth anniversary. It isheadquartered in Athens and has afleet including a Boeing 757 executiveairliner, a Boeing 737 vip airliner, aGulfstream G550, two GulfstreamG450s, five Gulfstream G200s, aBAe146 and a Phenom 100.

Stavros Arampatzis is nominatedpost holder of maintenance atGainJet. “We have a certification as aCAMO organisation,” he explains.“This certificate gives us the privilegeto manage aircraft, focusing oncontinuing airworthiness.

“Our CAMO capability includesBoeing 757, Boeing 737, MD80,Gulfstream G550/G450/G200, GlobalExpress XRS, and Phenom 100. We arealso approved as a Part 145organisation, limited to linemaintenance, on MD80 and G200.”

As a CAMO, GainJet has its ownstaff to control its own aircraft.However, for the Boeing 737 someCAMO tasks have been contractedout, with responsibility remainingwith GainJet to supervise everything.

Arampatzis says: “As Part 145 wesupport the two types of aircraftthat we are certified for where we useour own technicians for linemaintenance. For base maintenance,we utilise various third partycompanies, depending on aircrafttype and base location.”

For its different airplane types,GainJet uses maintenance providersthat it believes are best suited for eachspecific type. “However, we try toconsolidate our maintenanceproviders as much as possible inorder to simplify the process.”

In making the choice of whichcompany to use, the flight schedule is

taken into account and that is basedmainly on ad hoc charter requests.Arampatzis says: “We operateworldwide and must take this intoaccount when considering schedules.Due to our worldwide operation, oneof the most important factors in thedecision process is to find a globalsupport maintenance provider.”

Aircraft maintenance schedulecompilation and development isprepared by GainJet staff using two systems for tracking, AVTRAKand CAMP.

In general, Arampatzis says, spareparts are available within anacceptable time. He suggests that thebest solution to supply problems is toensure a variety of subscribedsuppliers to be called on for the partsneeded to overcome AOGs quickly.“Spread your supply chain so that youhave access to many suppliers, whichensures that, in most cases, at leastone of them has what you need.”

Basic EASA regulation hasimproved lately, according toArampatzis, with incorporation of allupdates/revisions instead of separatedecisions as in the past. “If EASA

established a standard interval for therevisions,” he proposes, “that wouldbe helpful to everyone.”

“Usually the maintenancemanual provides directions on how totreat any snag reported by the crewafter landing, or discovered duringscheduled maintenance. In myexperience most of the unusualmaintenance issues are as a result ofmiscommunication with flight crew,which tends to lead us in the wrongdirection to remedy the issue. Thisdoes waste time focusing on one taskand then trying to properly diagnosethe issue.”

As a worldwide operator, GainJetoperates heavily outside the EASAarea and has had cases where aircrafthave needed AOG maintenanceoutside the EASA area. If the aircraftin question is a G200 or MD80 thenGainJet’s own staff are called on, or inmore severe instances globalsupport maintenance providers, whotend to have a support centre in mostcountries.

“Due to the certifications that wehave and the fact that we oper-ate worldwide away from the base

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General Aviation’s Sebastian Kulik gained valuable experience working for a private airline.


Relationships are notimportant, procedures areJaber Hasbestan, Redstar Aviation

35 years on and I still enjoyworking with aircraftStavros Arampatzis, GainJet Aviation

Our regional review this monthfeatures the three countries groupedaround the north and west of theBlack Sea; Ukraine, Romania andBulgaria, where business aviationcontinues to develop slowly butsteadily. We will continue ourjourney around the coast, taking inGeorgia and Turkey in ourDecember issue.

Bulgaria has five major airportswhere general aviation flights mostlytake place: Sofia (the capital),Bourgas, Gorna Oryachovitsa, Plovdivand Varna. Eurocontrol statisticsshow an average of 20 daily businessaviation flights for Bulgarian airportscombined in 2010.

The airports are owned by the stateand, according to our own Handbookof Business Aviation, do not host anysubstantial FBO facilities. However,there are a number of handlers andagents who can attend to the specific

needs of business flights.One of nine listed at Sofia, Euro Jet

says that the best solution is to have asupervisor who is present at everyarrival and departure, dedicated tothe given aircraft, its crew andpassengers at all times. Without sucha service vip passengers canexperience delays, waiting in lines togo through the main terminalbuilding, it says.

But this may be about to change, atleast at Sofia which currently has two vip lounges, one forgovernment flights and another forcommercial business aviation. By theend of June 2011, Sofia airport reportsthat it will have opened a new GAlounge with internet access, faxmachine, restrooms and a showerroom. There will be a crew officeadjacent to the passenger loungewhere the flight crew will be able toprepare for the flight and wait for thepassengers in a quiet atmosphere.

Sofia airport was affected by theworld financial crisis and reports thatthe number of business aircraftmovements in the first half of 2011 is still lower than in the same periodof 2008.

Air Lazur General AviationOne of Bulgaria’s largest jet charteroperators, Air Lazur is experiencingthe first signs of rising trafficfollowing the financial crises of recentyears. Director of businessdevelopment Radoslav Atanasovreports that the market has not yetcompletely recovered, “but demandis significantly growing and Air Lazurcan report very good results.”

As a result the company hasincreased its flying, operations andsales staff.

Three Challenger 604s and a KingAir 200 are based at Sofia, Varna andBourgas as required. The companysays that the facilities available thereare good, but that bureaucracy can

get in the way. “Business aviationdiffers significantly from the regularairlines but permit applications arethe same, which makes the processvery complicated and sometimesrisks the execution of the flightprogramme,” says Atanasov.

AerostarNot to be confused with the aircraftoperator of the same name inUkraine, Aerostar in Bulgaria is a newair charter broker business based in Sofia.

Aerostar offers consultancyservices to business aircraft owners,should they decide to offer theiraircraft to third parties for ad-hocflying. “We assist them in addingsome flight hours for their machinesat the time that they are notoperating for their owners,” saysGeorgi Metodiev.

This is part of a package of servicesincluding aviation consulting, ACMIleasing, charter series and ad-hocflights, business vip flights and cargocharters. “A month ago we bought aBulgarian tour operator companynamed Happy Fly,” says Metodiev.

“This company will provide ourcorporate and retail clients with fulltravel services, such as airline tickets,hotel accommodations and holidaypackages, as well as full MICE(meetings, incentives, conferencesand exhibitions) support.”

The biggest impact on businesshas been the rising cost of fuel, butthis has mainly affected the holidaycharter side of the operation. “Ourclients are facing problems coveringthe fuel surcharges.

“At the end of the day, it is thetourist paying extra money and itsometimes causes cancellations ofwhole flights, not to mention wholeseries of flights in some severe cases,”he says.

Aerostar is striving to build areputation as a reliable b2b partner inthe charter business, who can provideexclusive conditions to the flyingcorporate partner. “This includessport teams, which are a great part ofour business,” says Metodiev. “We’vealready arranged the transport for thestrongest local football teams,receiving positive feedback andrepeat orders.

“This of course matters the most,as happy customers are the bestreward for every enterprise.”Romania is a large country with 17


Black Sea states are fertileground for business aviation

Regional Air Services, based at Tuzla, organises a World Elite Aerobatic Formula event on the Black Sea coast.

Major business aviation airports*

1. Sofia LBSF SOF

2. Varna LBWN VAR

3. Bourgas LBBG BOJ

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

Leading fixed-wing charter operators**

1. 1 Heli Air Services2. Air VB3. Air Lazur General Aviation

Leading helicopter charter operators**

1. Heli Air Services

** ranked by number of aircraft for charter

Data extracted from the Handbook of Business Aviation in Europe,

and the EBAN reader roster.

Business aviationin Bulgaria by the numbers

5 business aviation airports

12 business charter operators

LZ 73 business aircraft on theRomanian register

S-76C++ makes way for S-76DThe S-76C++ helicopter is officially“sold out”, and first customerdeliveries of the replacement S-76Dwill begin in 2012.

Final assembly of the S-76Dhelicopter began in December 2010at Aero Vodochody in the CzechRepublic, that has produced morethan 300 S-76 airframes.

G450 uses biofuel duringAtlantic crossingA Gulfstream G450 has become thefirst business jet to cross theAtlantic using biofuels. TheHoneywell-operated aircraft flewfrom North America to Europeusing a 50/50 blend of HoneywellGreen Jet Fuel and petroleum-based jet fuel powering one of itsTay engines. The G450 was also theworld’s first business jet to bepowered by a biofuel.

Ernest takes the helmScott A Ernest has been appointedpresident and chief executiveofficer of Cessna Aircraft Company,succeeding retiree Jack J Pelton.

Ernest joins Textron as a 29-yearveteran of General ElectricCompany, where he most recentlyserved as vice president andgeneral manager, global supplychain for GE Aviation.

More juice for King Air 350Hawker Beechcraft has unveiled aproduct enhancement for its latemodel King Air 350s (from serialFL-500) that provides moreelectrical power for special

mission applications.“This upgrade provides another

190 amps of 28 VDC power formissionised King Air 350 aircraft,”said Jay Gibson, vp specialmissions. “The new system will notonly include additional amps, it will provide higher quality power to our customer because it will befiltered through the aircraft battery system.”

AgustaWestland unveilsAW189 helicopterAgustaWestland has announced theAW189, a new generation multi-purpose twin-engine eight-tonneclass helicopter. It will be certifiedin 2013 and enter service in early2014, intended for roles includingoffshore transport, search andrescue, passenger transport andparapublic missions.

CEPA reschedules ExpoThe CEPA Expo 2011 conferencehas been rescheduled for 1-2December, 2011. The venue hasalso moved, switching fromVodochody Airport to the PragueCongress Centre.

For the future CEPA plans todevelop an educational arm toprovide data about the currentclimate in business aviation inCentral Europe.

SyberJet continues theSJ30 at Cedar CityThe manufacturer of the SJ30 lightjet has announced it will operate asSyberJet Aircraft. Earlier this year,SyberJet purchased the assets ofEmivest Aerospace out ofbankruptcy and has moved theassembly line to its facilities inCedar City, Utah.

King Air 250 receives FAA certificationHawker Beechcraft has receivedtype certification from the FAA forthe King Air 250. It features BLRAerospace composite winglets,composite propellers, lighterweight construction, and engineinduction modifications.

Hawker says that its shorterrunway capability adds access tomore than 1,100 airports previouslyunavailable to King Air 200operators.

I NDUSTRY NEWS . . .

Scott A Ernest joins Cessna.

One hundred year since Cessna first flewIt is 100 years since Cessna Aircraft Company founder Clyde VernonCessna learned to fly and built his first aeroplane, just eight years after theWright brothers first flew.

The 31-year-old spent much of 1911 teaching himself to fly whileattempting to get his first aeroplane in the air. He had used his life’ssavings to purchase a copy of the Blériot XI fuselage, and he and hisbrother Roy Cessna added an engine and propeller.

He formed what was to become the Cessna Aircraft Company in 1927,and it has since delivered more than 192,500 aircraft.

BULGARIAEuro Jet agents in Sofia, Dimitar Petkov(left) and Dimitar Bachvarov.

REGIONALREVIEW


business aviation airports, of whichseven are frequently used.

The busiest are the two in thecapital Bucharest: Otopeni (HenriCoanda) airport is more modern,while Banaesa is older but some 20minutes drive closer to the city.

According to Eurocontrolstatistics, the number of generalaviation flights in Romania is around23 daily, including the locally basedoperators’ movements.

The road network in Romania isstill under development and so theeasiest way for investors to getaround the country is to use a privatejet. Other major destinations,typically for investors in agriculture,forestry and the automotive industry,are Timisoara, Sibiu, Craiova andConstanta. Constanta lies on theshore of the Black Sea and also servesas a favoured fuel stop for aircraftflying onwards to the CIS countries or south Asia.

During the late summer and earlyautumn seasons Romania is popularfor hunting trips, although priorpermissions are needed for huntingweapons and ammunition.

Romanian Airport Services is theFBO at Baneasa, but Czech-headquartered Euro Jet also acts as ahandler there. It has full timeemployees, a handling license and a crew lounge that provides the crewwith internet access andrefreshments while they are awaitingtheir passengers.

Euro Jet advises passengers to usethe ‘vip hall’ to clear at the airport,which has an additional charge. This is because there is no GAT, sowithout using the vip hall they wouldhave to mingle with the scheduledairline passengers.

For the future, Bulgarian andRomanian operators may be able toprosper by offering price advantages,says Russian broker Absolut Avia. “Itseems that they serve Ukrainian andRussian clients, and always arepresent in Moscow,” says VladimirGavrilov of Russian broker AbsolutAvia. “They calculate the price fromand to Moscow without positioningand prices are much less than westEuropean operators provide. In-flightservice is generally not as good as thewest European operators provide,although some Romanian operatorssuch as Eurojet and Toyo Aviationhave higher levels of service.”

Laszlo Pal at Air Connect Hungaryreports that from Romania hereceives requests mainly for very lightand light jets for business travel or airambulance flights. “Travellers fromthis country who we are in touch withare even pleased with turboprops.”

InterAviationEquipped with a factory-new Hawker900XP and a Eurocopter EC155helicopter, Romanian-British GroupInter Agro has established a vipcharter operation under the nameInterAviation.

“Our Hawker joins the privilegedlist of very few new private jets whichare based at Bucharest Baneasaairport, registered in Romania, andopen for commercial charter flights,”says director of operations and salesmanager Alexandru Dascalu.

“In addition to the most spaciouscabin in its class, the Hawker 900XPrepresents unbeatable value, ideal forbusinessmen, government officialsand families who wish to travel to theMiddle East, Europe, Russia and CISregion, or to the Atlantic paradises,the Caribbean, the Antilles or theCanary Islands,” he says.

C&I CorporationNow becoming established in theRomanian charter market, C&I Corp-oration reports that many potential

clients currently consider cost to be amuch more important factor than thelevel of service provided.

“Our prices are based on marketrates and represent the average pricein our segment,” says Robert Zach. “Itseems that despite the required highlevel of services the customerrequests, price is the one and onlyfactor which brings in the business.”

The company commencedoperations in 2008 with domesticflights using its two helicopters, anEC135 P2+ and an EC120B, and oneyear later expanded its business tointernational charter flights with aCitation XLS+ based at Baneasa.

Now it has a full range ofcapabilities in operations,maintenance and flight training at itsheadquarters in Oituz, Bacau, and iskeen to enlarge its fleet. “We are openfor any aircraft management,” saysZach, who is also looking to build oncharter activity.

“Competition is on the Romanianmarket mostly throughrecommendation and local brokers,”he says. “In the international marketAvinode is used, and the plan is toextend our direct access andcontracts with brokers.

“As a newcomer and smalloperator, is it tough to get somecharter work. Despite our dedicationto a high level of service, cheaperoperators are often used instead.”

Alfa Air ServicesAlfa Air Services has recentlyextended its charter fleet with thearrival of a Hawker 750 to flyalongside its Hawker 900XP andvariety of Piper twins from its base atBucharest Baneasa.

The latest Hawker’s owner isbusinessman Emanuel Muntmark ofwind farm developers Monsson SA ofConstanta. He has become the launchcustomer for a modification involvingthe retrofitting of Hawker wingletswhich provides an improvement intime to climb, range and fuelconsumption. By effectivelyincreasing the wing aspect ratio,Hawker says it also enhances stabilityat altitude, reduces lift-induced dragand generates more responsivehandling in slow flight. Muntmarkshould now be benefitting from a fiveper cent improvement in time toclimb and a four per cent rangeincrease at long-range cruise settings.

Regional Air ServicesOne of Romania’s longer-establishedprivate aviation companies, RegionalAir Services continues to develop itsrange of operations and trainingfacilities. The company is based at asmall airfield at Tuzla, that directorDorin Ivascu acquired eleven yearsago. This is just one kilometre fromthe Black Sea coast and 26 kilometressouth of Constanta, the mainRomanian harbour on the Black Sea.

It was originally a base for

agricultural flights, but RAS hasexpanded the range of activities toinclude air taxi, flights to offshoreplatforms in the Romanian sector,pleasure flights and a flight school.Tuzla was the first private airfield inthe country.

Regional Air opened a sea survivalschool in 2010 and this was certifiedby the oil industry safety organisationOPITO in February this year, the firstfacility with this approval in centraland eastern Europe. Delegates followa comprehensive course whichincludes donning a transit typesurvival suit, aviation lifejacket andemergency breathing system duringpool exercises, and learning how toprepare for a helicopter ditching andan emergency landing.

Sea survival is a natural extensionof the pre-existing training facilities,which Ivascu says offers “the besttraining at the best price in Europe.”

Also new for 2011 is cabin crewtraining, comprising initial safetycourses, conversion and differences,recurrent training and medicalinterventions/first aid.

The air taxi side of the RAS

business has a diverse fleet made upof a King Air 200, also for medevac,Diamond DA42, Piper Seneca, BN-2Islander, Aerospatiale SA365N, Bell206 and Guimbal Cabri. It has a D-SIM-42 flight simulation trainingdevice which is an exact replica of theDiamond DA42, with accurateaerodynamics, systems replicationand complex aircraft instrumentssimulation including a sophisticatedexternal visual system.Ukraine is an enormous country with

19 airports where general aviationusually flies. Kiev with its twopassenger airports, Boryspil andZhuliany, is the most populardestination. At all airports thegovernment owns the facilities andhandling equipment, but there is awide choice of handlers andsupervisory agents to smooth thepassage of business flights throughthe system.

The most difficult issue in Ukraineis the overflight and landing permitarrangements. Euro Jet reports thatadvance notice is required, at least 72hours, and every change in theschedule requires an explanation forthe CAA and a new permit issuance.

Most airports are equipped withvip lounges or vip clearance facilitieswhich are highly recommended forgeneral aviation passengers to avoidgoing through crowded terminals.

There are 34 general aviationflights in Ukraine daily.

Charter brokers from aroundEurope see Ukraine as an increasinglypopular destination. Nordavia FlugGmbH has seen an increasingnumber of bookings for short andregional flights to Ukraine, as hasFarid Gassanly of Direct Air Charters.“Over the past year we have seen anincrease in demand for flights to and

Rotor Ukraine has begun the process of applying for an AOC for commercial operations. Pictured are the company’s generaldirector Nikolai Zaporozhets, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation ceo Jerry Mullins, Diamond Aircraft Industries ceo Christian Dries andVladimir Kopytin, shareholder of Rotor Ukraine.

ROMANIA UKRAINE

C&I Corporation: price is key.


1. Bucharest Baneasa LRBS BBU2. Bucharest Henri Coanda LROP OTP3. Timisoara Traian Vuia LRTR TSR



1. Regional Air Services2. Tiriac Air3. Eurojet Romania

Leading helicopter charter operators**

1. Tiriac Air2. C&I Corporation3. Direct Aero Services

** ranked by number of aircraft for charter



Business aviationin Romania by the numbers



YR 95 business aircraft on theRomanian register



from Eastern Europe with Ukrainebeing a popular destination,” he says.“There are various peculiarities aboutKiev and other local destinations andit is prudent to keep an eye onhandling, especially if the carrier isnot too familiar with the area.

“Apart from being highlyexpensive, vip lounges are usually notincluded in ‘standard’ handlingpackages and unless you put in aspecial request, passengers will beguided through commercialterminals. Also, having direct contactwith service providers on the ground

is of great help, especially if your teamhas a Russian/Ukrainian speaker, asmisunderstandings can be avoidedand urgent matters resolved quickly.”

The country retains close businessconnections with Russia. “Ukrainehas a fully-featured market closelyintegrated into the European andRussian markets. It serves mostly itsown clients and clients from Russia,”says Vladimir Gavrilov of Russianbroker Absolut Avia.

In June next year there will be acharter boom surrounding the Euro2012 football championship, dividedbetween Poland and Ukraine. Fourdestinations in each country includeLvov, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kievwhere the final will take place on July 1. Fabrice Mandon of brokerKevelair says his company is alreadyworking with some tour operatorsand travel agencies to offer packagesfor Euro 2012. “We aim to findreliable partners, as we have in theother eastern countries, to workwith,” he says.

Laszlo Pal at charter broker AirConnect Hungary says that Ukrainianpassengers are similar to Russians, inthat they also prefer midsize andbigger jets on commercial charterswith stand-up cabins, even if thetravelling group is small. “However, inthe period after the latest economicrecession, sometimes they are alsopleased with super-light jets as well,”he says. “The super-midsize and large

Music tour specialistPremier changes handsSpecialist aviation and travelservices group Hunt & Palmer hasacquired aircraft charter brokingcompany Premier Aviation (UK).

Premier was established in 1994and looks after the air travelrequirements for many of theworld’s leading performers,including Bruce Springsteen, EricClapton, Sting and Roger Waters.

Hunt & Palmer chairman JeremyPalmer said: “Premier Aviation is anestablished supplier to the musicindustry and as this is a market wehave not ventured into previously, sothe purchase opens the door tosignificant new opportunities.”

Founder and former owner ofPremier Aviation Adrian Whitmarsh,who will remain as a director postsale, commented: “I am delightedwith the sale and see this as a veryexciting development for bothcompanies. The continuingrelationship that we have with ourclients is of primary importance tous and I have spoken personallywith many of our key accounts toexplain about the sale.”

Air Partner provides flightsfor Jet AccessUS clients of the block hour JetAccess scheme offered by Cessna’sCitationAir can now include flightswithin Europe and the Middle Eastin their package.

Jet Access now also covers aircraftchartered through Air Partner

Private Jets, provided customerspurchase 50 hours of flying timewithin North America and 10 hourswithin the EMEA region.

Air Partner was appointed lastyear to look after CitationAir’scustomers flying privately in Europe.

“Many US private aviationcustomers often need to travelwithin Europe and the Middle East,and CitationAir now offers a viablealternative,” said Steve O’Neill,CitationAir’s president.

ACI web site offers ‘immediate’ pricingAir Charter International hasdeveloped its own web portal which allows end users andcustomers to access instant pricingand pictures for a route, and book

their charter online.The company believes that its

SkySearch site offers a major changein business aviation chartering.Claire Brugirard, who heads thecharter sales team at ACI, says:“Other brokers do have onlinequoting systems, however, these areall powered by third parties, such asAvinode for example.

“ACI now has its own in-housedatabase of aircraft and a differentway of calculating the cost andmatching the right aircraft.

“What we are offering is reallymuch more catered to the end userwho does not necessarily have anidea of what aircraft he should use,so the system picks the right aircraftfor them through an intelligent shortlisting filter system.”

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jet fleet of Romania and Bulgaria isoften very useful for us.”

YuzmashaviaYuzmashavia is an air charteroperator aiming to bridge the gapfrom eastern-manufactured aircrafttypes to modern western-builtmodels. The company has its ownYak-40s and majors in cargooperations with Il-76 transport jets.However, it is equally at homeorganising charters with modernbusiness jets and keen to take suchaircraft onto its own operatingcertificate in the future.

For now business flights arenormally flown aboard a Yak-40configured with 19 seats and modernsystems such as ACAS 2, ELT andEGPWS. This has a passenger cabin

equipped with leather seats, sofa, TVand DVD.

Aircraft are based at its home baseof Dnipropetrovsk and atGostomelbut, and the company’sconcentration is on scheduled flights until August. HoweverDnipropetrovsk is still developingfacilities for handling businessaviation services: “There are quite alot of business aviation flights here,even now. It is a growing trend,” a

spokesman reports.“Business aviation is our future as

it is so convenient to spend timeworking rather than waiting in theairport. Now the main goal ofbusiness aviation is to become moreaccessible. Of course the financialcrisis has influenced all flights,especially business aviation flights.But the good news is that thisproblem is gradually decreasing.”

Rotor Ukraine LLCExciting developments are under wayat Rotor Ukraine, which has begunwork on applying for an AOC forcommercial operations.

From July the company will haveincreased its aircraft fleet to ten, andalso begun to look for businessbeyond its national borders. “We haverealised that national aviationcertification is not sufficient anymore for our fast-growing company,” says Oleksandr Guzenko.“That is why we are now getting readyfor undergoing a Europeanexamination in order to issue pilotand engineer training certificatescorresponding to the requirements ofthe European Union.”

The company is a sales agent forEnstrom 480B and Robinson R44helicopters, and the Diamond DA-42light twin.

“From September we will relocateour company’s office to a new airterminal at Kharkov Internationalairport, where our pilot and engineer

Adrian Whitmarsh, director of Premier Aviation (UK) seals the deal with JeremyPalmer, chairman of Hunt & Palmer.

Yuzmashavia’s Yak-40 is equipped withleather seats in its passenger cabin.

Alfa Air Services’ recently added Hawker750 will fly alongside its Hawker 900XP.


1. Kiev Boryspil UKBB KBP

2. Kiev Zhulyany UKKK IEV

3. Simferopol UKFF SIP



1. Aero-Charter Airlines2. Aerostar3. Challenge Aero** ranked by number of aircraft for charter



Business aviationin Ukraine by the numbers



UR 116 business aircraft onthe Ukrainian register

Continued from previous page


training centre will be housed as wellas the aircraft maintenance centreand the marketing department,”Guzenko adds.

Challenge AeroProAir Charter Transport GmbHcurrently has its Learjet 31A based inKiev as part of a joint venture with theUkraine’s Challenge Aero.

Challenge Aero is an airline basedin Kiev and established in 2002. Itoperates charter flights withinUkraine and to neighbouring CIScountries. However, the airline nowholds a leading position in businessaviation and providing services forvip passengers.

ProAir’s Elmar Monreal says:“Each company, ProAir andChallenge Aero, ranks highly atnational level and has benefited from longstanding cooperation witheach other. The formal union ofProAir and Challenge Aero will buildon a number of successful projectswe have carried out together. Theformal partnership will enable us toconsolidate and develop the creativeand financial potential of bothcompanies’ teams. Sharingexperience and knowledge is thelogical step to take our businesses tonew heights.”

Challenge Aero has subdivisionsserving market niches in the Ukraineincluding fixed-wing and helicoptermanagement, ground handling anddispatch support, fixed-wing andhelicopter sales and purchasesupport, technical maintenance, airticket sales, vip service arrangementsand charter flights.

ABS Jets/Avcon JetABS Jets of Prague and Avcon Jet ofVienna are to open an Embraer linemaintenance station at Kiev Borispolairport. The joint venture agreementwill also cover warranty work onEmbraer aircraft.

Daniel Holda, technical director atABS Jets, is particularly pleased with the development of the facility inKiev having taken a lead role in the preparations and discussions todrive the agreement forward. Holdasees the Ukraine as “an area withgreat potential and an excellentlocation to become the third ABS Jetsmaintenance station after Prague and Bratislava.”

Already looking to the future, hesays: “The next phase is to furtherdevelop the maintenance station toattract third party customers anddevelop a close working relationshipwith existing and new clients.” ■

The 2011/12 EBAN Handbook ofBusiness Aviation in Europe is out now, and gives details of manymore Black Sea charter operators.

It also lists business aviationfacilities and services includingairports, FBOs and maintenancecentres.

The details can be accessedonline through a search of aircraftoperated or the airport bases. Formore information please visitwww.handbook.aero

Comprehensive Black Sea data online

free-of-charge

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Legacy 6502010, Significant savings over factory list.A Gulfstream 550 cabin, but $20,000,000less. A larger cabin than the Gulfstream450, but $8,000,000 less. A cabin largerthan a Falcon 2000EX EAsy or Falcon 900BEX EAsy but cost less. And, loweroperating cost. Tel: +1 940 898 1999Business Air International. Web: www.businessairinternational.com.Email:[email protected]

EUROCOPTER

EC120B2000, S/N: 1138. TTAF: 1,003. UK based.This EC120 is in exceptional condition andhas had one owner since new. No damagehistory. Customized paint scheme, greyleather VIP interior. Always hangared andmaintained by Eurocopter UK since new.Just finished a T24 inspection. All servicerecords and maintenance status available.Price – Euro 625,000. Tel: + 353 1 2953000Atron. Email: [email protected]

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT

800B1987, TTAF since new 7682. JAR-OPSapproved, engines on MSP Gold, Aircrafton Camp. Thrust reversers. Maintenanceby Hawker certified service centres. Fireblocked seven passenger executive withover size executive leather seats. ContactPaul Forster. Tel: +44(0)1959 579950Global Flight Solutions. Email: [email protected]

800XP2000, SE-RIS, Delivered with EUregistration SE-RIS. Airframe 6,378 hours.Engines on MSP Gold. APU on MSP. FDR,EGPWS, TCAS II, Satphone etc. AskingPrice 4,9 million USD. Contact Mr BengtGrafström. Tel: +46 705 391101 Grafair.Web: www.grafair.se. Email: [email protected]

Hawker 800B1993, EASA Certified, 12, 24 and 48 monthinspections completed,1 6 year X Rayscompleted, fresh ARC, new PFD displays,new FMS, interior 10/10, paint – 10 /10.Available for viewing at Biggin Hill.Contact Paul Forster. Tel: +44(0)1959579950 Global Flight Solutions. Email:[email protected]

WE HELP AVIATION SALES PROFESSIONALS

GENERATE DEALS

Information that moves you forward

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Centreline Air Charter are looking for an experiencedaviation professional to join our charter sales team

Centreline takes pride in providing our broker clients with well

planned, robust charters on our fleet of 7 Citationjets. We are

looking for someone who can build relationships with private jet

brokers whilst offering quotations that are feasible and profitable.

Whilst the role is predominantly a commercial one,

at times you will be required to help in Ops.

A good standard of education, extremely numerate, analytical and

likeable, you will be able to work an on-call roster. You will have an

ops or commercial background in an AOC environment and live, or

be able to relocate to the Bristol area.

Centreline Air Charter are part of the BFC Group of companies

established in 1986 and incorporating Aircraft Charter and

Management, JAR 145 Maintenance, FBO Facilities at Bristol, and

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Application by CV and summary letter to

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Career opportunities

Job advertisements can be placed at a cost of UK£50 per single column centimetre, theminimum depth being five centimetres. Job opportunity advertisements are alsoincluded on the EBAN web site free-of-charge.

VERSATILITY, DEPENDABILITY AND CABIN SIZE THAT VLJS CAN’T MATCH

As a leading beauty industry entrepreneur, David Gold relies on the ability

LEARN MORE, VISIT EMAILEUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA ASIA-PACIFIC UNITED STATES & THE AMERICAS

SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL PERFORMANCE DATA IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO FLIGHT TESTING. ©2011 HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HAWKER AND BEECHCRAFT ARE TRADEMARKS OF HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION.

Beechcraft KING AIR C90GTx

Creature Comforts

European Business Air News July 2011

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Transcript of European Business Air News July 2011