Download - MEBA Convention News 12-12-12

www.ainonline.com Vol. 45 No. 34

PUBLICATIONSWednesday 12.12.12

DUBAIMEBAConvention News ®

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HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman & Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group (center), today officially opened the fourth MEBA. To his left is Ali Al Naqbi, Founding Chairman of MEBAA; and behind him on his right is Khalifa Al Zaffin, Chairman of Dubai World Central. See story page 4.

Aircraft Finance Manufacturing Aircraft Ownership Maintenance Industry Associations

The Jet BusinessThe world’s first business jet “store” was opened this year by Steve Varsano. The Jet Business is high-tech with a sophisticated iPad app making aircraft selection a breeze. Page 6

Embraer brings familyBrazilian manufacturer Embraer continues to strengthen its business aircraft range, bringing three distinct aircraft types to MEBA: a Phenom, a Legacy and a Lineage. 1

Malta Boosts RegistryThe Mediterranean island has joined the trend for promoting aircraft registration to business aircraft owners and operators. Page 15

East Looking WestIndian company Air Works believes that the new airport near Jebel Ali could be the best place for its future expansion in aviation maintenance. Page 18

Lobbyists UniteGeneral Aviation Manufacturers Association and MEBAA to jointly promote Middle East & African development. Page 21

AirClub charter group aligns in common goal by David Donald

Look out, independent char-ter operators! Hello, charter passengers! The launch of the world’s first corporate jet char-ter alliance was announced here

at MEBA 2012 yesterday. Known as AirClub, the al-

liance brings together eight of Europe’s leading corporate jet

Gulfstream rides a wave of 2012 milestonesby Matt Thurber

Gulfstream Aerospace has come to MEBA on the crest of a wave with deliveries of 104 large-cabin jets forecast by the end of the year, albeit “green” aircraft

ready for completion and paint-ing for customers. The company has brought a G450 and G550 to the MEBA static display but was

Bizav OasisLike a mirage in the

desert, the MEBA aircraft park shimmers under a December sun.

Some 7,000 visitors from around the world

journeyed to Dubai to rub shoulders with like-minded

aviation travelers.

Continued on page 30 u


Pg-01_d2_v4.indd 1 12/11/12 11:29 PM

Challengeeverything

The Challenger family of aircraft pushes boundaries to achieve the seemingly impossible.

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Bombardier and Challenger are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. ©2012 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.

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BBJ closing in on goal of 12 plus 12 in ’12by Matt Thurber

Boeing Business Jets pres-ident Steve Taylor chose a unique venue for yesterday’s BBJ press briefing: Comlux’s head-of-state-outfitted BBJ 767-200, which is here at the MEBA show static display on a break from its normally busy charter schedule. The Com-lux BBJ 767, which is based in Bahrain, can fly up to 6,400 nm with a full load of 60 pas-sengers and 10 tons of freight. “This is our flagship,” said Fly Comlux CEO Andrea Zanetto. The BBJ 767 is Comlux’s larg-est airplane and flies 500 to 600 hours a year, mostly for head-of-state missions. “We were lucky to have the opportunity to bring this to the show,” he said, “it’s been very busy.”

For Boeing Business Jets, the goal this year was to

deliver 12 airplanes and have 12 enter service in 2012, Tay-lor said, who added that this goal is nearly accomplished. Through November, 10 BBJs were delivered, with two BBJ 747-8s scheduled for deliv-ery by the end of the year to head-of-state customers in the Middle East. Three BBJ3s are due to enter ser-vice by the end of the year and, through October, nine BBJs did so. One of those was the longest range BBJ in the world, a BBJ 777-200LR that can fly 10,000 nm–basi-cally anywhere in the world from the Middle East, where it is based. The 777 comple-tion was done by Amac Aero-space in Basel, Switzerland.

Thirty percent of BBJ

4 MEBA Convention News • December 12, 2012 • www.ainonline.com

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H.H. Sheikh Ahmed inaugurates MEBA’12by Peter Shaw-Smith

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Pres-ident of Dubai Civil Avia-tion Authority, Chairman & Chief Executive of Emer-ates Airline & Group, accompanied by dignitaries and government officials, inaugurated the first-ever airshow to take place at

Dubai World Central by touring the new airport’s facilities yesterday.

Middle East bizjet fest MEBA 2012, which is now being compared to European show EBACE and NBAA in the U.S., heralds a move by business and general avia-tion to Dubai World Central

(DWC), the new airport com-plex in Dubai.

Business aviation’s transfer to DWC is the second plank in a government of Dubai plan to develop niche sectors at the site, also known as Al Mak-toum International Airport, after original blueprints for it to replace DXB where shelved due to the global slowdown. Cargo operations began in ear-nest in 2011 and business avia-tion is also expected to make a strong showing.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed spent the morning touring the

show, accompanied by HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE minister for foreign trade; Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways’ CEO; Ali Al Naqbi, founding Chairman of MEBAA; Khalifa Al Zaffin, Chairman of Dubai World Central and Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“Business aviation will be transferred to this airport mainly due to [lack of] slots and timing [at DXB],” said Sheikh Ahmed, in remarks to report-ers during the tour. “There are


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SHOW DAILIES

PRESSCENTRE

DUBAIDUTYFREE

RESTAURANT

EXITS TO CHALETS & STATIC AREA EXITS TO CHALETS & STATIC AREA

CHALETS & STATIC AREA

is located in the Show Dailies section.

Enter behind Stand 500 (TDH).

Editor: 971.5.530.07848

MEBAConvention NewsTM

Chalets and Static area


doing business smartly

MEBA’12 has drawn professionals, indus-try executives and high-net-worth individuals who recognize the value and benefits that business aviation brings to their lives. n

Pg-04_29_d1_v6.indd 1 12/11/12 11:32 PM

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Posh UK emporium plus app equals one-stop jet shoppingby Ian Sheppard

Many wealthy Middle Easterners visit London at least once a year, usually for a break from the hot summer, so perhaps it is no surprise that the first shop win-dow for business jets is in an up-market area of the UK capital at One Grosvenor Place–just across the road from Bucking-ham Palace. The shop is home to The Jet Business, the showroom where would-be business aircraft buyers can evalu-ate options, or use its purpose-developed app that helps buyers select preferences to assist with their choices.

Since opening his store in January this

year, The Jet Business founder Steve Var-sano has been overwhelmed with interest from clients, who range from billionaires to Boeing. He also has seen a trebling of the number of preowned aircraft on the company books.

Clients who come through the door–which often include people who have noticed the store when driving round the Hyde Park Corner roundabout near the Knightsbridge and Mayfair districts–potentially include many who already own or charter aircraft. “I’d say about a quar-ter of the people who come in here don’t know much about airplanes, even if they say they do,” Varsano told AIN. His view is that the aircraft sales process has been stuck in the Dark Ages, and 21st century technology allows it to be brought up to date. “We take a two- to three-month pro-cess and reduce it to 20 minutes,” he said.

Varsano’s team recently created a mobile version of the showroom’s iPad app, which was developed to take clients through the selection process on a giant 26-foot screen. This is useful for show-ing aircraft and cabins at full scale and it allows prospective buyers to make a quick selection from 131 aircraft types, based on their individual travel needs. Being able to take the app out to a cus-tomer’s offices is a new option for The Jet Business (Stand 594).

“Clients can’t download the app themselves, as it is proprietary. It took two years to design the software,” Var-sano said. “But we empower people to answer their own questions; after 30 sec-onds with the iPad they already know

how to navigate the program.”Sellers, ranging from private individ-

uals to corporations, as well as manufac-turers, have quickly realized the potential of using the app. Varsano said he has been discussing the concept of manu-facturers having their own private view-ings with potential buyers, and he claims he is open to ideas on how to further use what is a powerful communications and educational resource. “The sales people from the manufacturers like to bring cli-ents here, and we’re happy to help them because they’ll tell their friends about the experience,” he said.

The store has an Airbus ACJ-sized cabin mock-up (created by the UK’s Design Q), which also allows smaller models to be simulated so the customer can actually feel what the aircraft would be like. Then, once a customer chooses a model, the process helps him/her search the market to see what aircraft are avail-able and at what prices.

To populate this database, Varsa-no’s team is constantly contacting own-ers, focusing on super-midsize jets up to the largest bizliners. The data spans

15 to 20 key models, and The Jet Business tries to contact every owner/seller every three months.

Recent additions to the shop’s avail-able stock include a 2010 Bombardier Challenger 605, a new Boeing BBJ, a Gulfstream G550, a 2010 Gulfstream 450 and a 2008 Global Express XRS. Varsano is also a board member of San Francisco charter operator XOJet, for which he is currently marketing a Challenger 605.

The Jet Business can also create an interactive PDF presentation to send to customers, with the aircraft selection pro-cess laid out in around 150 pages. This also acts as a useful recap for clients who have visited the store and have been through the selection process. Varsano said that once a letter of intent is signed for an aircraft, delivery to the customer can be in as little as six weeks.

Varsano believes that the store that he spent almost five years planning is leading the way in simplifying private aircraft sales by allowing quick selection and sourcing of candidate aircraft. While he sees Lon-don as “a fantastic central hub,” he said he is considering opening stores elsewhere. o


Steve Varsano, The Jet Business founder, believes the aircraft sales process is stuck in the Dark Ages and brings it up-to-date with 21st century technology.

Testing the Selection Process

Steve Varsano, founder of private air-craft sales company The Jet Business, took AIN through the selection process for a typical customer based in Dubai and want-ing a jet that can fly nonstop to and from London. With a required range of 2,955 nm, The Jet Business database indicated it contained 26 suitable aircraft, such as the Bombardier Challenger 605. To travel further, the shortlist could be extended to include a Gulfstream G550, Dassault Falcon 7X and Bombardier Global Express.

The database presented graphical com-parisons of performance, dimensions and cost, making the choices far clearer.

The app also showed, for example, all the G550s available for sale in the world that day. In each case, the app revealed each aircraft’s owner, operator, avionics fit, hours flown and then easily eliminated aircraft that were not on the buyer’s preferred register. This meant a quick aircraft down-select, leaving the customer to decide whether to proceed with inspections and securing finance. –I.S.

The Jet Business store features an Airbus ACJ-sized cabin mock-up created by

the UK’s Design Q. It also allows smaller models to be simulated so the customer can actually feel what the aircraft would be like.

An iPad app, developed by The Jet Business staff, takes clients through the aircraft selection process on a giant 26-foot screen, allowing them to see aircraft and cabins at full scale.

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Winglets stretch Sovereign’s rangeby Curt Epstein

Cessna arrives at the MEBA show having just refreshed its Citation product line with the recent launch of a new ver-sion of its midsized Sovereign. The most obvious change is

the addition of winglets and these, combined with new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D engines, will boost the aircraft’s range by 150 nm to 3,000 nm.

The cockpit of the $17.8

million jet has been developed around Garmin’s G5000 avion-ics suite and includes an inte-grated autothrottle. In the new Sovereign cabin, more aisle space has been created using seats

with recessed armrests and an improved environmental control system that will deliver cooling more efficiently. Passengers and crew will be able to control cabin features using Cessna’s new Clar-ity cabin management system.

Three of the new Sovereigns are being used for flight tests and have logged more than 800 hours. First deliveries of the new version are set to start in 2013. The model also will be offered in a utility configura-tion, able to carry a mix of pas-sengers and freight.

Meanwhile, Cessna pres-ident and CEO Scott Ernest also recently announced that the company has bowed to cus-tomer pressure by agreeing to revert to the original Citation X name for the upgraded version of the aircraft it had rebranded as the Citation Ten. The new model’s main distinction is a top speed of Mach 0.935, on the basis of which Cessna claims it will be the world’s fastest busi-ness jet. It will also offer 170 nm more range than the original Citation X at 3,240 nm. Like the new Sovereign, its cockpit will be based on G5000 avionics and will be equipped with an autothrottle.

Two aircraft are being used for the certification program; they have flown more than 400 hours. The new Citation X is due to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Also in development by the U.S. airframer is the new M2 model, which is set to replace the Citation CJ1+ in the sec-ond half of 2013. The light jet’s cockpit has a Garmin G3000 avionics suite and a lavatory-equipped cabin seating up to six passengers. Cessna is now engaging with customers to help define a possible new fam-ily of light jets. o


The New Sovereign by the Numbers

Range 3,000 nm

Mtow 30,778 lb

Max cruise speed 458 ktas

Landing distance (SL, ISA MLW) 2,680 ft

Takeoff distance 3,650 ft

Max operating altitude 47,000 ft

The addition of winglets, along with updated Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, will help boost the Sovereign’s range to 3,000 nm. The twin will also sport a new glass cockpit and redesigned cabin.

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Falcon 2000S arrives for MEBA static park debutby Matt Thurber

Forty years after the forma-tion of Dassault Falcon Jet, the Dassault Aviation subsid-iary is highlighting the contin-ued strength of the Middle East market for Falcon jets and the promotion of Julien Nargeot to the newly created position of sales manager at its Dubai regional sales office. While the Falcon 7X is a popular choice for Middle East business jet travelers, the new 2000S offers competitive performance and the latest cockpit and cabin accoutrements.

Set for certification in the first quarter of 2013, the 2000S on display at the MEBA static park is equipped with the Falcon Cabin HD+ cabin management sys-tem (CMS). Cabin HD+ is a Rockwell Collins-based CMS that incorporates the Sky-box wireless media server and iPad moving-map dis-play of Airshow information. Skybox allows passengers to bring their own content on their Apple devices and share it with others.

According to Rockwell Collins, “With one terabyte of onboard storage capacity, Skybox is the first airworthy solution to securely stream Hollywood-protected content both to cabin displays and to Apple devices brought on board.” Skybox can also be used to mirror a presentation, photos and documents from

an iPad to cabin monitors during an onboard meeting.

The 2000S can fly 3,350 nm and takeoff and land from smaller airports, thanks to inboard slats and winglets. Typical trips can include Dubai to Paris or Riyadh to London City Airport. This is the first appearance of the 2000S in the Middle East, fol-lowing the new jet’s first pub-lic showing at the NBAA show in October.

New sales manager Nar-geot will help Dassault Fal-con Jet meet growing demand for its products in the Mid-dle East market. “Julien has been very efficient in sup-port for some years for the company,” said Olivier Villa, senior vice president civil air-craft, “and he’s joining [the Dubai office] to strengthen sales support in the area.”

Dassault Falcon’s Middle East service network includes spares distribution in Dubai, a technical office in Jeddah and authorized service cen-ters in Dubai and Jeddah.

“The Middle East is an important market,” Villa said. “We have about 60 aircraft, and we’ve seen good momen-tum.” Dassault Falcon expects to deliver another six jets in the region during the coming 18 months. The 7X is the most popular model, accounting for about 40 percent of Middle East Falcon deliveries. o


Dassault Chief Edelstenne To Retire

in January

Dassault Aviation is poised to name a successor to long-standing chairman and CEO Charles Edelstenne, who is due to retire on January 9 af-ter more than half a century of service at the French aerospace group.

According to a source at the aircraft manufacturer, the re-tirement, which coincides with Edelstenne’s 75th birthday, has been planned for some time and is in accordance with com-pany statutes.

Edelstenne joined Dassault in 1960 and eventually suc-ceeded his mentor, Serge Dassault, as CEO in 2000. He has continued as chairman of the company’s information technology division, Dassault Systèmes, since 2002, having previously held this post, as well as being its CEO. –T.D.

ExcelAire whisks travelers from airliners to bizjets

Here at MEBA 2012, U.S. pri-vate jet charter company ExcelAire (Stand 597) is launching a new international transfer service (ITS) for passengers arriving in New York on long-haul airline flights. ExcelAire’s team will meet passen-gers as they arrive at either New York-John F. Kennedy or Newark International airports, and swiftly transfer them to awaiting private jets for their onward journeys.

“We make it easy for our cli-ents arriving from the Middle East and Asia aboard commer-cial airlines to take advantage of the comfort and conve-nience of private jet travel by meeting them at their arriving

flight,” said David Rimmer, ExcelAire’s president. He also added that many ExcelAire customers visit the U.S. for medical care at a number of world-renowned facilities.

ExcelAire’s ITS team is expe-rienced in arranging and coor-dinating private jet trips in the Americas. The service covers a wide range of aspects, including catering, ground transportation and accommodation. The com-pany, which is based at MacAr-thur Airport in Ronkonkoma, New York, also operates a fleet of long-range aircraft such as the Global 5000 and Gulfstream IVSP/V. –D.D.

The Falcon 2000S on display at the MEBA static park is equipped with the Falcon Cabin HD+ cabin management system.

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Dassault Falcon Wins ADS-B Out STC Approval

Dassault Falcon has won EASA approval for a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to install ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveil-lance-Broadcast Out) on Falcon 50EX and Classic Falcon 2000 aircraft that use Pro Line 4 avionics.

Under the STC, Falcon operators can avail themselves of the safety and operational improvements of the new technology before mandated compliance dates set by airworthiness authorities.

ADS-B is a satellite-based surveillance technology for tracking aircraft and is a key element of initiatives such as the U.S. Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and the proposed Single European Sky.

Falcon operators who have the STC kit installed can realize advan-tages such as optimized flight paths and reduced separation in areas of limited or no radar coverage where the service is currently operational.

“Dassault Falcon brought to market the STC years early because its benefits can be utilized today,” said Frank Youngkin, Dassault Falcon’s senior vice president of customer service. “Supporting out-of-produc-tion aircraft and developing products that improve safety and operation-al efficiencies for our customers are paramount.”

The STC data package allows for replacement of existing transpon-ders with upgraded units that support the new protocol, along with wir-ing and related components. Any Dassault Falcon service center or authorised service center can install the technology. Installation takes around two weeks, but requires no additional downtime if combined with a C check. –P.S.S.

En route to MEBA’12 Dassault Falcon Jet’s 2000S soared above one of Dubai’s famed Palms. Among typical trips for the model is the Dubai-to-Paris route.

ExecuJet Middle East (Stand 595) has been named by GE Aviation as an authorized service center for the Gen-eral Electric CF34-3 turbo-fan, which powers the Bombar-dier Challenger series. Under the agreement, the Dubai-based MRO facility will perform line-maintenance inspections and routine installed-engine mainte-nance, including the removal and replacement of engines and their components. The agreement al-so allows ExecuJet Middle East to support GE’s new-engine war-ranties, and to provide GE’s On-Point solutions.

Nick Weber, ExecuJet Mid-dle East’s maintenance director, said, “We take [the agreement] as recognition of our level of ser-vice and expertise that we can now also look after the aircraft’s powerful GE engines.” –D.D.

AT THE BOOTHS

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Embraer touts milestones as family visits MEBAby David Donald

Just two weeks after begin-ning the flight-test campaign for its Legacy 500 midsize busi-ness jet, Embraer’s executive jets division arrived at MEBA 2012 with a string of other important milestones behind it.

On November 27 Embraer conducted the successful first flight of its Legacy 500, described as “flawless” by test pilot Mozart Louzada, who was accompanied by pilot Eduardo Camelier and engi-neers Gustavo Paixão and Alex-andre Figueiredo on the 1-hour, 45-minute flight.

The Legacy 500 features a fly-by-wire flight control system and a sidestick controller, and is powered by Honeywell HTF 7500E turbofans. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014, to be followed a year later by the Legacy 450, currently in devel-opment for the mid-light sector.

The Brazilian manufacturer

(Chalet A11) is exhibiting three business jets here at MEBA. The smallest is the Phenom 300, which has just notched up its 100th sale. The first of the type to be assembled at the U.S. plant in Melbourne, Florida, made its first flight on Decem-ber 5, marking the anniversary of the first flight of a Phenom 100 from the same plant. At the other end of the scale is the Lineage 1000, which is in ser-vice with five Middle East cus-tomers. This aircraft typically accommodates up to 19 passen-gers in five cabin zones.

In between is the Legacy 650, which is being demonstrated here in the Middle East for the first time, with a striking new cabin design. The new interior boasts three cabin zones for up to 14 passengers, improved sound insulation, a “wet” galley and a large baggage compartment, which is accessible in flight. More

than 35 Legacy aircraft are oper-ational in the region. Embraer recently delivered the 200th Leg-acy 600/650.

To enhance customer sup-port for Embraer executive jets in the Middle East, the com-pany announced yesterday that ExecuJet Middle East has been appointed as an authorized service

center for the Phenom 300 and Lineage 1000. The company already provides base maintenance for the Legacy 600 and 650.

Whether Embraer announces anything more at the show remains to be seen, but thus far (as of late on MEBA’s open-ing day) there had not been any word. Doubtless, the company’s

executives are working hard behind the scenes to bolster its list of owners and operators in the region, building on the suc-cess of its operators’ conference in Abu Dhabi in October. It has long enjoyed success selling its E-Jet regional aircraft to the likes of Saudi Arabian Airlines and Royal Jordanian. o

www.ainonline.com • December 12, 2012 • MEBA Convention News 11

Embraer’s Legacy 650, with a striking new cabin design, made its first trip to the Middle East, arriving at MEBA to be presented to enthusiastic showgoers.

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Narrowbody ACJs earn kudos for cargo volumeby David Donald

Airbus Corporate Jets is exhib-iting at MEBA 2012 (Chalet A9) having sold more than 170 aircraft since it was set up in the 1990s. Sixty of the aircraft have been in the widebody category, mostly serving with government and VVIP operators. Recent develop-ments in this sector have seen the company announce a new Gala cabin concept for the ACJ330 and ACJ340 (MEBA Conven-tion News, Tuesday), while the A330 airliner has received various improvements to reduce fuel burn and increase maximum takeoff

weight to 242 metric tons, giving it outstanding range capability.

In numerical terms, however, it is the narrowbody ACJ fam-ily, based on the Airbus single-aisle airliners, that is the core of Airbus Corporate Jets’ busi-ness, offering wider and taller cabins than their competitors. With the ACJ318 proving par-ticularly popular in the Middle East region because of its good cargo volume, Airbus Corporate Jets is promoting the ACJ318 Enhanced here at MEBA 2012. This new offering was first

announced at the NBAA Con-vention in Orlando, Florida, a few weeks ago.

While other ACJ narrow-body bizliners have been out-fitted with individually tai-lored interiors, from the outset the ACJ318 was offered in a number of interior options, optimized for various duties, based on customer input and experience from the other fam-ily members.

With the ACJ318 Enhanced program, Airbus Corporate Jets has drawn a number of

developments from the larger family members into the ACJ318, some of which have become standard features, while others are available as new options.

To improve passenger com-fort, ACJ has added stylish “Benvolio” seats as a third seat-ing option, mood lighting, noise reduction in key areas and hu-midifiers. A shower option is now available, as is a cinema lounge with a U-shaped divan. The new interior design features reworked lining and LED light-ing. The cabin can be outfitted

with high-definition screens and Wi-Fi throughout, along with a GSM system that allows pas-sengers to use their cellphones through their own networks. Compatibility with iPads and similar devices is also installed.

Airbus Corporate Jets expects to deliver the first ACJ318 Enhanced in the last quarter of 2013. During the year the com-pany will also begin delivering ACJs fitted with sharklet wingtip extensions (an option), including the first ACJ321 for Comlux.

Another new option for the ACJ321 is a four-tank, long-range fit, which should prove attractive to customers in the Middle East because it can serve destinations in Western Europe and Asia. Next year an optional onboard airport navigation sys-tem is planned, and as of 2015 the A320neo family will be avail-able for ACJ applications. o


OnAir’s comms system is available for Falcon 7Xby Matt Thurber

Buyers of Dassault Fal-con 7X jets can now select the option for installation of OnAir’s mobile telephone and Internet equipment on aircraft delivered in 2014 and beyond. OnAir equipment enables pas-sengers to use their mobile phones and Wi-Fi devices with-out complicated setup and bill-ing processes–as many visitors to MEBA would have experi-enced already on Emirates air-craft inbound to Dubai over the past few days.

The Mobile OnAir system includes a base station that auto-matically lowers the strength of a mobile phone’s transmissions to prevent them from communi-cating with cell phone antennas on the ground.

The base station takes the mobile phone signals, pro-cesses them, then sends them via satcom to OnAir’s ground-based communications network

and then to the destination. “It works in the same way as inter-national roaming,” according to OnAir. “Simply turn on your phone and start using it.” Users are charged calling fees on their normal cell phone bills, so there is no complicated billing system to reconcile.

Internet OnAir creates a Wi-Fi network in the cabin so passengers can connect to the Internet with any Wi-Fi-enabled device.

The equipment for a com-bined Internet and Mobile OnAir system weighs less than 15 kilograms, and 7X buyers can select installation of either or both OnAir systems.

The airborne equipment consists of two units called GSMConnex-Aero, which are designed and manufactured by TriaGnoSys and are compati-ble with Inmarsat’s SwiftBroad- band satcom.

“OnAir is ideal for Das-sault’s customers,” said OnAir CEO Ian Dawkins, “because it is simple to use.

“What could be easier than turning on your phone? You have access to all your contacts, you use your normal number and no one need know where you are.” o

The owner of this Falcon 7X, shown here on the ramp of Al Maktoum International Airport soon after its arrival for display at MEBA, will be able to simply turn on his cellphone and start using it while in flight, if he opts to buy OnAir’s mobile equipment when available in 2014.

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OnAir (Stand 588) announced that it has selected PATS Aircraft Systems of George-town, Del., as an OnAir completion center. PATS specializes in Boeing BBJ comple-tions and auxiliary fuel tank installations and is installing Mobile OnAir in a 737-900ER BBJ. “We are seeing a high demand from VIP jet operators for in-flight connectivity,” said John Eichten, PATS senior vice president of sales and marketing. “PATS prides itself on finding innovative and industry-leading ways to satisfy our customers’ re-quirements, and our partnership with OnAir is a good example of that.” –M.T.

AT THE STANDS

ACJ Operators Have a Clear Voice

To provide ACJ operators with a clear voice, and to help steer future developments and smooth operational processes, a Cus-tomer Advisory Group has been created. With Dr. Mark Pierotti, COO of Al Jaber Aviation, as chairman, the board comprises influen-tial ACJ customers and senior ACJ manag-ers. Eight members of the newly established board met during the MEBA show yester-day. They are (l to r) Andrea Zanetto, CEO, Fly Comlux; Graham Williamson, president,

TAG Aviation; Martin Lener, CEO, Tyrolean Jet Services; Sudhir R. Nayak, v-p commercial, Reliance; Arnaud Martin, v-p programs, ACJ; Habib Fekih, president, ACJ; François Cha-zelle, v-p commercial, ACJ; Régis Broutée, customer services, ACJ. Also on the board, but not in the photograph are Thierry Bout-sen, president and CEO, Boutsen Aviation; Michael Kuhn, CEO, DC Aviation; Björn Naf, CEO, Metrojet; and Olivier Raynaud, opera-tions and services development, ACJ.� n

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Two ACJs are on show at MEBA: a Comlux ACJ318 and this privately owned ACJ319. The latter has recently been repainted in this striking new livery designed by Studio E/Motions’ Francis Munch.

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Malta’s registry is key to supporting bizavby Ian Goold

The Mediterranean island of Malta, which was awarded Brit-ain’s George Cross gallantry medal for its resistance against Axis air raids and a naval block-ade during World War II, is now engaged in a campaign to become as involved in the avia-tion services industry as it pre-viously has been in maritime affairs. With the largest Euro-pean–and the world’s seventh most extensive–shipping regis-ter, the island’s government has a vision to repeat that success in the sky through Transport Malta, part of the island’s Minis-try for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications, including the civil aviation directorate.

To accomplish this, Maltese authorities highlight many per-ceived advantages to providers of aviation services and related businesses wanting to set up shop on the island, including its geographic position between Europe and North Africa and a largely English-speaking pop-ulation. Government initiatives include a €17 million, 200,000-sq-m aviation park at Safi to host several business aircraft operators and maintenance, repair and overhaul companies.

Transport Malta and the Malta Business Aviation Asso-ciation (MBAA–see box), which boasts almost 30 members, are among several MEBA exhibitors in the Malta Pavilion (Stand 540).

A key part of the campaign to attract aviation business has been Malta’s Aircraft Registra-tion Act 2010, allowing busi-ness aircraft operators to benefit from local registration that pre-viously served only commercial carriers; that is, those with air operator’s certificates (AOCs). According to Transport Malta, “The Civil Aviation Director-ate is responsible for receiv-ing, reviewing and processing applications for registration and entry in the [National Air-craft] Register of the relevant details relating to the aircraft and any registered mortgages.”

For those needing to operate on an AOC, Maltese approval is claimed to be granted in as few as 90 days, a period much shorter than would be possible in many much larger European Union (EU) states.

Malta operates within the EU’s tax regulations and offi-cials are at pains to emphasize that the island is not an offshore tax haven. Nevertheless, the gov-ernment has made local regula-tions, such as corporation tax that can be reduced to 5 per-cent through a reimbursement scheme, more attractive to oper-ators than elsewhere in the EU.

Aircraft on the Maltese regis-ter at the beginning of November this year numbered 123 of more than 300 for which certificates of registration have been issued. The

register grew by 20 percent during 2011, according to MBAA (draw-ing on Transport Malta statistics).

Earlier this year, MBAA said the authority was process-ing more than 30 registration requests from overseas business aviation operators. AIN’s anal-ysis of the current register sug-gests that about 30 business aircraft are registered, including corporate airliners. Ten airliners comprise the Air Malta fleet and more than 30 registered aircraft are microlights. Malta continues to “secure more business from a sector that gives our country prestige, direct foreign revenue, employment and added value,” said Transport Malta chief exec-utive Dr. Stanley Portelli.

Blue-chip CompaniesTransport Malta has been

restructuring the Civil Aviation Directorate to reinforce its abil-ity to attract business aircraft, investing in qualified personnel and working with local law firms and other professionals, many in the financial and corporate ser-vices industries, to promote com-pany registration in Malta. “The efforts targeted blue-chip avia-tion companies operating in the private- and business-aviation sectors [and] included partici-pation in the annual European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition [in Geneva] and attendance [at] important inter-national industry networking seminars,” reported the govern-ment department.

The island has demon-strated that its revised avia-tion laws mean business, with the detention of an airliner ear-lier this year. In March, Fenech

& Fenech Advocates was instructed and successfully car-ried out the first “arrest” of an aircraft under new provisions providing for precautionary sei-zure of aircraft in Malta.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320-211, was undergoing rou-tine maintenance when it was arrested by order of the Malta Court as security for claims for payment of due lease fees. It was owned by a leading lessor through an Irish financial spe-cial-purpose “vehicle” (com-pany) and operated by an Italian carrier based in Sicily.

Following the relevant appli-cation, the order was obtained and duly executed within three hours, despite “problems of for-mality and logistical difficulties.” The arrest was possible because the claimant’s interest was reg-istered as an international secu-rity interest under the Cape Town Convention, which Malta ratified last year. (The arrest was subse-quently lifted following agreement between the parties, but nonethe-less it was a first for the island).

MEBA’s Malta PavilionAssistance with Maltese air-

craft registration and other cor-porate and financial services is available through a number of companies exhibiting in the Malta Pavilion here at MEBA, including the following:

The fiscal incentives that can be enjoyed by aircraft owners and operators who register their air-craft in Malta are handled by 3A Malta, a group of accountants, auditors and business advisors.

Another company, Aero-Nautica (Malta), said its par-ticipation at MEBA 2010 led to “introductions that have proved key to [our] growth in the avi-ation sector.” Under Malta’s highly qualified persons rules, certain AOC holders’ employees may benefit from a flat 15-per-cent income tax rate. Aircraft owners and operators can remain anonymous by using “a range of

corporate services which include nominee shareholding or direc-torship and trusts,” according to AeroNautica.

Aircraft Corporate Services (Malta) said the recent act, which widens the appeal of air-craft registration, also includes innovative legislation that not only ratifies the Cape Town Convention, but also introduces “such progressive concepts as the registration of aircraft under construction, the registration of engines and the fractional own-ership of aircraft.”

Malta’s largest financial ser-vices provider, the Bank of Valetta, claims it has “always been very active in financing important sectors within our small economy, be it [in] tour-ism, maritime, aviation, man-ufacturing, [or] retail and wholesale.” This policy has recently included assistance in the purchase of a small aircraft to set up a flying school.

DC Aviation Malta is a sub-sidiary of Stuttgart-based busi-ness-jet charter and aircraft management and maintenance company DC Aviation, whose origins lie in the corporate flight department of Daimler Chrysler.

For M.C.M. Group, MEBA provides a shop window in which to promote its aircraft mainte-nance, engineering, airworthi-ness management, consultancy and training services, including M.C.M. Maintenance Malta.

The aviation department of law firm Mamo TCV Advocates offers a variety of legal services relating to aircraft ownership, finance and leasing. The com-pany points out that Malta’s value-added tax (VAT) depart-ment has issued leasing guidelines (based on marine practice) seek-ing to mitigate the VAT impact on the purchase of an aircraft and its engines. The guidelines would apply to private aircraft (not registered to a local AOC holder) that would be exempt from VAT upon importation. o

Maltese Bizav Group Promotes Excellence

The Malta Business Aviation Association (MBAA) was founded three years ago by three companies–DC Aviation, BizAv Services and FFF Legal–and three individuals. It aims to promote excellence and professionalism to enable members to “deliver ‘best-in-class’ safety and operational effi-ciency,” while representing their interests at all levels in Malta and, con-sequently, Europe.

The MBAA also strives to ensure business aviation is recognized as a vital part of the aviation infrastructure and the Maltese economy, as well as to promote the island as the ideal location in which to operate and own business aircraft.

In addition to dealing with “challenging ‘issues’ of the European Aviation Safety Agency rulemaking process [and] the Maltese Civil Aviation Act,” the association has access to Malta International Airport, “including fees and charges, security and better facilities,” as its primary concern. –I.G.

Unlike offshore registers like the Isle of Man, Malta’s aircraft register has the advantage of being within the European Union, giving operators full flexibility commercially within the 27 member states. This, in part, is what motivated Swiss-based Comlux to register some of its fleet in Malta.


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Learjet 85 takes shape as wing joins fuselageby Curt Epstein

Last month, the first wing shipment for Bombardier’s new Learjet 85 arrived at the com-pany’s assembly line in Wich-ita to be prepared for mating to the composite fuselage of flight test vehicle one (FTV1). Service entry of the Learjet 85 is slated for later next year.

Alongside the arrival of the first complete all-composite Learjet 85 wing, the fuselage for FTV2 recently passed its integ-rity inspection. Installation of the nose, bulkheads, floor, wind-shield and door surrounds also got under way in November. Once complete, the main fuselage will be shipped with the aft fuselage to the final assembly line.

Wings for the complete aircraft static test article were expected to arrive from Bombardier’s Queré-taro, Mexico plant just ahead of this week’s MEBA show as prep-arations for static ground testing continues. Meanwhile, all system supplier safety-of-flight test rigs are up and running.

According to Bombardier, development work for what will be the first all-composite Part 25 business jet is progressing on schedule. The manufacturer

is expecting to achieve initial power-on by year-end, but as yet has set no date for a first flight. Also taking shape is the complete aircraft structural test (CAST) article, which when complete will be sent to the nearby National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) for testing.

In Querétaro, Bombardier is preparing additional fuselages for use in lightning-strike and bird-strike testing as well as for the remaining flight-test aircraft. The facility, located in central Mexico, north of Mexico City, was opened in 2005. Among other duties, including producing the aft fuse-lages for the Global series of jets and electrical harnesses for many of Bombardier’s aircraft, it is the company’s site for pre-impreg-nated carbon fiber lay-up manu-facturing, which accounts for 85 percent of the composite material in the Learjet 85, including the major fuselage components.

Part Counts LoweredBy producing the fuselage

sections with pre-preg compos-ite processes, part counts decline dramatically over the traditional metallic rib-and-stringer-based

process. In making the fuse-lage, the resin plies are applied by hand over a 17-day period in a clean room, with a laser pro-jector showing the technicians exactly where to lay the resin-infused carbon fiber sheets.

In total, the facility produces approximately 560 composite parts for the twinjet. The remain-ing composite parts, such as the

wing spars and skins, are produced using resin transfer injection–a dif-ferent composite process–at the company’s Belfast site in North-ern Ireland, and shipped to Mex-ico for assembly into the wing unit, which is then trucked to Wichita in one piece.

As the fuselages take shape on the Wichita line, the process of assuring the communication between all the systems is taking place in the 85’s system integrated test station (SITS), a lab where all the suppliers bring their “boxes” to assure communications with the latest version of the Rockwell Col-lins Pro Line Fusion avionics soft-ware. The Learjet 85 features a Pro Line Fusion-based Bombardier Vision cockpit. SITS is also used to explore the human factors inte-gration with the system’s architec-ture. An exact duplicate rig exists at Rockwell Collins’s headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For the Learjet 85 program, the system suppliers are being run through three separate interface trials. “It’s all about making sure that when we start that final line and we run those functional test procedures the interfaces aren’t an issue,” said Ralph Acs, Learjet’s vice president and general man-ager. “It’s all about entry-into-ser-vice reliability at first flight, driving the supply base to do a lot more than they have traditionally done because the more mature the sys-tems are, the easier it will be to go through the flight-test program.”

According to David Flett, program and aircraft integra-tion manager for the Learjet 85 program, the manufacturer has

been able to begin examining some basic flight characteristics due to synergies the new aircraft possesses with its larger stable-mate. “Because the wing is very similar to the Challenger 300,” he said, “we were able to take a look at the Challenger 300 and do some testing there to make sure we understand the stall sen-sitivity and the aerodynamic performance of that wing.”

The Learjet 85 will be the larg-est and longest range Learjet ever, slotting in just beneath the Challenger 300 in the fam-ily. Bombardier sees the new air-craft as a direct competitor to the Cessna Citation Sovereign and the Hawker 900XP. It will have a range of 3,000 nm with four pas-sengers in a nearly 25-foot-long stand-up cabin arranged in a dou-ble-club seating configuration. An optional three-seat divan plus a belted lavatory could boost the seating capacity to 10 passengers, and for comfort, the cabin is pres-surized to 6,000 feet at the jet’s maximum altitude of 49,000 feet.

To reach that altitude, the air-plane will mount a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307B flat-rated Fadec-controlled en-gines, each developing 6,100 pounds of thrust, which delivers a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.82. The engines will give the twinjet 30 percent lower NOx emissions than current ICAO standards upon entry-into-ser-vice. The aircraft’s designers al-so plan for a takeoff distance of less than 5,000 feet under opti-mum conditions and a landing distance of 2,700 feet. o


Focus Group Weighs In On Learjet 85In its design of the new Vision cockpit, Bombardier relied heavily on input from a pilot focus group to ensure functional-

ity and convenience. The Vision platform is intended to harmonize the front office’s appearance with the rest of the interior. Baseline functionality includes three 15-inch (diagonal) displays with a dual cursor control device. Other standard features are synthetic vision, terrain awareness, ADS-B out, autothrottle and dual EFB, along with paperless charts and documents, as well as data-link capabilities.

In the cabin, a Lufthansa Technik Ethernet-based cabin management system will feature eight 10-inch high-definition touch-screen monitors as well as optional 15-inch bulkhead monitors. The CMS also will be controllable through Apple iPad and iPhone applications.

Among the cabin customization options, the newly designed berthable divan features a middle seat back that can split to form a table, as well as fold-down arm rests to further individualize the seating. Another option sure to catch the eye of charter operators is an expanded deluxe galley for increased in-flight catering capability during longer trips. The cabin’s modular design will allow it to be completely disassembled using just three tools. Heeding advice from a user advisory panel, designers gave the new jet expanded cabin storage, including under-seat drawers, sidewall pockets and several closets in addition to an externally accessed heated baggage compartment capable of holding 1,000 pounds of luggage.

New for the Learjet 85, Bombardier has developed an aircraft specification tool on its website that will help customers narrow down their cabin customization preferences. –C.E.

The first Learjet 85 all-composite wing arrived at Bombardier’s assembly line in Wichita in November. It is to be mated to the fuselage of flight test vehicle number one.

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Business AircrAft of All sizes flock to MeBA

The static park area at MEBA features about 40 aircraft of various sizes, including the Bell 429 light twin helicopter, Diamond DA40 NG and DA 42 NG pistons, Beechcraft King Airs and Dassault Falcon 900LX seen here. There are also plenty of midsize and large-cabin jets, as well as bizliners from Boeing and Airbus, available to tour here at MEBA.

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Wingtip business looking up at Aviation Partnersby David Donald

If you walk around the static display here at MEBA 2012, a common theme emerges: there are hardly any airplanes on show that do not have upturned wingtip extensions.

Aviation Partners (U.S. Pavil-ion, Stand 575), a Seattle-based company established in 1991, pio-neered the blended winglet design, in which the winglet forms a grace-ful curve up from the wing rather than turning up at a sharp angle.

Its initial application was an upgrade for the Gulfstream II, launched in 1993. Then came the big breakthrough as the company partnered with Boeing to provide blended winglets for the manufac-turer’s aircraft, beginning with the 737 BBJ. The winglets were later adopted for regular 737NG airlin-ers, plus some earlier versions. Avi-ation Partners winglet technology has subsequently been applied to the Hawker 800, Boeing 757 and Boeing 767, as well as being tested on the

Airbus A320 and Boeing 747-200.In 2009 Aviation Partners

winglets were certified for the Dassault Falcon 2000, marking the first application of a high-Mach-number winglet. The Falcon 900 and, most recently, the Falcon 50, have also received the Aviation Partners treatment. The latter type was certified with API winglets in September this year.

Fuel EfficiencyBlended winglet technology sig-

nificantly reduces induced drag, in which high-pressure air spills around the wingtip and forms a vortex. The winglets greatly reduce the amount of seepage, and thus greatly improve the wing’s effi-ciency. This translates into better longitudinal and directional stabil-ity, improved takeoff performance and, most important, reduced fuel burn. Aviation Partners cal-culates a 6-percent reduction for a 737, equating to about 100,000

gallons saved over a year with typi-cal usage. The company claims that its blended winglets have already saved 3.4 billion gallons of jet fuel, a figure projected to pass five bil-lion by the end of 2014.

Aviation Partners has refined its winglet technology over the years, leading to the development of the Blended Scimitar tip, which was first applied to the Hawker 800. This winglet has a refined tip with an extended section at the top. More recently the company devel-oped the Blended Split-tip Scimi-tar Winglet, which adds a ventral fin beneath the upturned winglet. This is being tested on a Boeing BBJ, which first flew with the new tips in May this year.

Aviation Partners is also work-ing at a more radical development, the patented Spiroid wingtip, which comprises sophisticated looped surfaces and was first tested on a Gulfstream II in 1993. Nearly two decades later the Spiroid took to the air again in July 2010, fitted to a Dassault Falcon 50. The inter-vening period has seen an improve-ment in computational fluid dynamics modeling that has led to improvements in the design. The recent trials proved a drag reduc-tion of more than 11 percent. o


Aviation Partners’ winglets curve gracefully upward on this BBJ on display at MEBA’12. Many of the airplanes on the static line are equipped with the aerodynamic innovation.

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Pg-17_d2NEW_v4.indd 1 12/11/12 2:41 PM

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Air Works aims to grow in worldwide marketby Neelam Mathews

Business for general avia-tion providers in India is gener-ally slow as the economy shows signs of slackening, yet 60-year-old Mumbai-based Air Works Engineering (Stand 624) is look-ing at innovative ways to expand its business in India and abroad.

“We are now looking at doing heavier checks in India–one of the first in the country–as we will get certification, one-by-one, for the Bombardier series, Bell Helicopters and Hawker Pacific,” managing director Vivek Gour told AIN.

The “deep level of heavy maintenance” will encourage customers to get 8-, 10- and 16-year checks in India rather than at facilities abroad, Gour said. While taxes in India are high, labor is cheap. “Clients also save on ferry costs. If han-gar rents would come down in India, then it would be possible to do maintenance in India with a significant margin, as well as to attract international custom-ers,” he said.

Interestingly, Air Works’ han-gar in Manchester, UK, costs $57.5 per sq m per year, com-pared with exorbitant rents of $343 to $405 per sq m charged at major airports in India.

The company said breaking into commercial aviation is dif-ficult in India, so it has chosen to concentrate on what it does best: general aviation. “We are presently in discussions with Jet Aviation to view opportunities to synergize our business here [in India],” said Nick White, vice president of general avia-tion at Air Works. “When they send their jets to India, maybe we could support each other,” he added.

Air Works holds EASA cer-tifications at Delhi for the Hawker 750 and 950XP, and was expecting EASA approval for Mumbai early this month. “Our approval will cover the [Bom-bardier] Challenger 300, Chal-lenger 604/605, the Learjet 60 and Global. The reason we have gone for EASA first rather than FAA is because the operations of India’s regulator, DGCA, are based on EASA rules.”

In June, Air Works India Engineering Pvt. Ltd. made a strategic investment in Dubai-based private aviation specialist, Empire Aviation Group (EAG) that will help Air Works increase

its footprint in the Middle East and provide aircraft manage-ment services to its customers in India. EAG co-founder and executive director Paras Dhame-cha said the move would “help facilitate our entry into India and allow us to exploit more fully the Indian market opportu-nity by replicating the full port-folio of aviation services for India that we have successfully developed for the Middle East.”

Delhi FacilityIn addition, Air Works will

service Challenger 604/605 and Global Express/XRS business jets at Bombardier Aerospace’s recently established 9,042-sq-ft business jet line-maintenance fa-cility at Delhi. It also operates a similar facility in Mumbai.

“The two Air Works facil-ities are an important part of our overall network in India, an-chored by our Mumbai region-al support office. We continue to focus on growing our local roots in key markets, and are pleased to collaborate with local part-ners,” said Eric Martel, Bom-bardier Aerospace president of customer services and special-ized and amphibious aircraft.

A new interior refurbishment business facility planned in Mumbai, initially encompassing

7,000 sq ft, will handle car-pet cutting and edge binding, seat repair and overhaul, plas-tic repairs, seat cover manufac-ture in fabric and leather, leather seat cover reclamation, laminate replacement on sidewalls, ceil-ing panels, metalwork plating, wood veneer repair and relac-quering and galley insert repairs.

“We are hoping the work-shop will be operational in late December under DGCA approval. EASA approval will then follow,” said White. A spe-cific problem in the region is heat damage to wood laminates, “due to direct heat or cracks formed by heat when locked up [as large aircraft are parked outdoors at the airport],” said White.

Air Works is also looking to set up a hangar “that we could use as a base for customers in Chennai and Bangalore, in the south. Customers are becoming less willing to move aircraft long distances. For example, if there is no hangar in Delhi, the customer [based there] is unwilling to come to Mumbai,” said White.

Earlier this year, Air Works paid $30 million for a major-ity stake in Dubai-based Empire Aviation Services, which spe-cializes in aircraft management, sales, charter and finance. The acquisition is completed and integrated fully with the compa-ny’s activities, said Gour. It now also owns Air Livery, its subsid-iary, which has a wide experience in the aircraft refinishing market.

Plans for Dubai FacilityThe company is looking at

tax-free Dubai for its future expansion. It plans to build its first narrowbody-sized hangar of around 3,000 sq m at Jebel Ali Airport, for which land has been identified. The facility, expected to be set up in three years, will service Indian clients initially.

“We are looking at busi-ness jets, not commercial cli-ents, as Emirates and Etihad already hold a big market [com-mercial domain] in the region,” said Gour. “We will invest with our own equity and will have the Empire advantage [with the government]…Here [in Dubai],

heavy maintenance will be our first preference,” he added.

Because Dubai is an easy place in which to do business, it will also afford the company easy access to spare parts known to be associated with major clearance issues in India. Also, the facility in Dubai will enable the company to offer across-the-board services “with holistic rates under one roof, occasion-ally some credit and flexibility,” said Gour.

Air Works’ international busi-ness also is increasing, Gour said. The company recently commis-sioned a paint hangar under its Air Livery brand at the Bratislava airport in Slovakia, where “busi-ness is packed” with bookings up to next May by clients that include Lufthansa, Austrian and Alitalia. “We are positioned to complete four paint jobs in a month,” he explained.

Gour also told AIN another “really large” project related to an OEM outside India, “bigger than we have undertaken,” is in the cards. The announcement is to be made in mid-February. o


Air Works recently commissioned a paint hangar under its Air Livery brand at the Bratislava airport in Slovakia. The facility is booked with work up to next May.

move over, BIG BoY!

Cessna’s Citation X, the fastest fully certified civilian jet, appears to challenge the spacious, comfortable Airbus ACJ319 when the two jets arrived for display at MEBA.

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Pg-18NEW_d2_v3.indd 1 12/11/12 12:05 PM

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San Marino relaunches offshore aircraft registryby Charles Alcock

San Marino has relaunched its aircraft registry by taking steps to make it more attractive to foreign owners and has signed a partner-ship agreement with U.S.-based Aviation Registry Group (ARG), which already administers Aru-ba’s offshore registry. The land-locked microstate, which has no airport and is surrounded by Italy, will be outsourcing all technical tasks to ARG, which is promising to ensure high safety standards as

well as competitive pricing and flexible service that will be com-petitive with the Isle of Man’s highly successful offshore reg-istry, and others in places such as Bermuda.

ARG and the government of San Marino, which has had its own register since 2001, have signed a 10-year exclusive agree-ment. Guidelines have been established for the new-look registry, which is designated by

tail numbers beginning with T7. They will see ARG’s network of inspectors “recommend” air-craft as suitable for registration by the San Marino authorities. The San Marino Aircraft Regis-try (Stand 425) is currently home to some 40 light jets, which must be maintained to ICAO stan-dards. In line with other off-shore registries (due to expense), compliance with European Avi-ation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements is not mandatory.

Miami-based ARG will use the same Aircraft Registra-tion Management System that it has developed to run the Aruban registry, which it has done since 1995. The system allows it to track all necessary aircraft and pilot approvals, as well as details such as insur-ance. ARG president and CEO Jorge Colindres explained that the Aruba and San Marino registers will be run by separate divisions of the group.

Colindres told AIN that the registry is effectively getting a fresh start because previously “it was not attractive to foreign own-ers, since to qualify for registra-tion you had to be a San Marino citizen or corporate body, and there was a 2-percent import duty. Now it has become attrac-tive to foreign owners, banks and leasing houses…as long as they

simply claim domicile with a local agent, and if the aircraft is above 5,700 kg (12,540 pounds) there is zero percent duty.” He added that the San Marino government had passed “certain laws to make air-craft registration attractive and beneficial to foreign owners.”

Controversal Luxury TaxOne significant exception to

registration is that the aircraft can-not be based in Italy, which recently introduced a controversial luxury tax on private aircraft. Aircraft can be “imported” into the European Union but not be subject to VAT as long as they don’t spend more than 180 days per year in the EU (so-called temporary admission). San Marino itself, like Monaco, is not part of the EU although both use the euro currency (note that the Isle of Man is also outside the EU but does not use the euro, it in effect uses the pound sterling but with its own notes).

San Marino recently passed specific new legislation to allow aircraft to be registered in its jurisdiction under the name of the owner–a move that it argues ensures complete transparency. However, the registry also prom-ises to keep aircraft owner details confidential and they are not available as public records.

Colindres told AIN that the administration of the registry operates on a 24/7 basis with a high degree of responsiveness. ARG is targeting aircraft own-ers from Asia, and especially from China and India, who may seek an alternative to restrictive bureaucracy and tax issues in their own countries.

ARG and San Marino have yet to disclose the fee structure for the revamped registry, but Colindres indicated that charges are likely to start at around 5 per-cent less than those on the Isle of Man, which has registered more than 500 aircraft since the registry was established in 2007. “Aruba, Bermuda and the

Cayman [Islands] were blown away by the Isle of Man,” said Colindres. “We want to bring air-craft to the San Marino registry and provide very a high quality jurisdiction and safety standards in order to retain the residual val-ues of aircraft,” he said.

There is no need to establish a company in San Marino to join the country’s aircraft regis-try. The state is on the so-called “whitelist” drawn up by the Orga-nization for Economic Coopera-tion and Development to control the use of offshore tax shelters.

ARG has a network of 45 air-craft inspectors located around the world, with many of them being former officials with well-respected aviation agencies, such as the UK CAA and ICAO. The company says it can get an inspector to a client’s home base very quickly and will aim to be able to complete a registration within one or two days.

Like the Isle of Man, San Marino accepts only privately operated aircraft, although it does want to expand the register to commercially operated air-craft when it is ready to provide the higher degree of responsibil-ity and oversight that this would require. “We are very mindful of illegal charter,” said Colin-dres. “In Aruba, we have already shut down some private opera-tors doing charter. We do audits on operators and sometimes you can just tell from the logbooks that they are flying charter.”

One possible market niche for the San Marino registry could be to offer aircraft opera-tors restricted by blacklists such as that imposed by the Euro-pean Union on states not meet-ing ICAO safety standards. In countries such as Kazakhstan, ARG believes its inspectors can work with operators and local officials to help them to find a way to comply with the required standards by registering aircraft outside their own country. o


San Marino Registry DetailsAccording to San Marino Registry CEO Jorge Colindres, the key competi-

tive advantages to registering a business aircraft in that country are:• Registrants are not required to comply with EASA mandates (which are

expensive), as ICAO rules are adhered to.• Foreign nationals and companies may register aircraft after establishing

domicile with a representative residing in San Marino.• Registered aircraft will not be subject to import duty or VAT if their maxi-

mum takeoff weight exceeds 5,700 kilograms (12,540 pounds). The limit does not apply to turbine helicopters.

• The secure mortgage registry protects the mortgagee against the registra-tion of a T7-registered aircraft (San Marino tail number) without the mort-gagee’s consent or the discharge of the mortgage.

• A certificate of airworthiness is valid for three years.• Flight crew and engineer licenses are valid for three years.

Jorge Colindres, CEO of the Aviation Registry Group (left), and San Marino civil aviation director Marco Conti are here at MEBA after having signed a 10-year exclusive agreement for ARG to administer the European state’s aircraft registry, which has been opened up to foreign owners.

Sabena Technics promoting VIP completions capability hereby Thierry Dubois

Sabena Technics (Stand 619) is promoting its capabilities in VIP aircraft completion and refurbish-ment, as company officials see the Middle East as a fertile region for its business. The company, whose parent TAT Group is based in Tours, France, also is engaged in aircraft leasing and real estate businesses. It plans to open a showroom in Bordeaux, France, where customers can plan their interiors.

“We have three aircraft in the works,” Jean-Luc Fournel, COO, customers, told AIN. Two of them are Airbus ACJ319s, while the third is a Boeing BBJ. The three narrowbodies will be operated by charter operators based in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Next in line for a similar application in the same region will be an ATR 42-600 turboprop.

Sabena Technics’ Bordeaux VIP cabin interior facilities are involved in both completion and refur-bishing. The aforementioned BBJ, for example, is 10 years old and is having its interior renewed, and in-flight entertainment and communications equipment fitted. Sabena Technics’ first project was high profile–the French government’s Airbus A330, which is still nicknamed “Air Sarko One” even though François Hollande has since replaced Nicolas Sarkozy as the country’s president. The A330, formerly a passenger airliner, was delivered in November 2010.

At the Bordeaux facility, 130 employees work in VIP completions, including 80 in the design

and certification office. Design activities are on the technical side, as Sabena Technics has no in-house VIP cabin designer. However, as Fournel pointed out, the company benefits from a net-work of local experts also used by southwest France-based business and VIP aircraft manufac-turers, led by Airbus and Dassault Falcon.

All this gives a capacity of “one widebody and two narrowbodies per year,” said Fournel. The actual output is still below that, he added, as “the market has not been very active.”

The company has seen a strong trend in cus-tomer demand for cabin electronics. “Passengers want to use their iPads with an on-board Wi-Fi that is hooked up to a satellite data link; they also want live TV,” he said. While tablets, wire-less Internet and TVs can be seen as plug-and-play equipment on the ground, installation is tricky on aircraft. For example, “the antenna’s location should be chosen so the signal is not lost when the aircraft turns,” Fournel said.

Another of the company’s strong points, he continued, is its ability to provide maintenance support for the aircraft it has outfitted. Sabena Technics now plans to create the showroom in Bordeaux to highlight its capabilities. “We will be able to show customers choices of materials, equipment and so forth,” Fournel explained. o

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GAMA, MEBAA join to advance bizav in ME

The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) and U.S.-based General Avia-tion Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced a joint initiative yesterday here at MEBA to further promote and develop business aviation in the Middle East and North Africa region. The objective of the joint effort is to change the regulatory environment by encouraging civil authorities in the region to adopt a “best practices” set of common prin-ciples, which the two organiza-tions will soon develop.

“The Middle East and North Africa region is of growing importance for busi-ness aviation, and we want to ensure it develops to its full

potential,” said GAMA pres-ident and CEO Pete Bunce. “It is important that we com-bine our efforts to ensure busi-ness aviation is treated fairly, with proportioned rules imple-mented across the region.”

MEBAA founding chair-man Ali Al Naqbi said the partnership with GAMA comes at an opportune time, since business aviation is on the “threshold of rapid expan-sion” in the MENA region. “The single biggest obstacle to the full development of busi-ness aviation in our region is the lack an appropriate frame-work tailored to [its] particu-lar needs,” he said. “Through this partnership we aim to change that.” –C.T.

Airbus adds overrun protection for ACJs

A runway overrun protec-tion system (ROPS) option for the Airbus Corporate Jet will be available from next year, tack-ling what has become the pri-mary air transportation safety issue. ROPS is an avionics solu-tion that compares aircraft energy state and landing per-formance against the runway end throughout the short final approach to the aircraft’s even-tual stop. It issues warnings to pilots on final approach, if the runway length from the pro-jected touchdown spot is too short, aiding them in making the decision to go around.

Once the aircraft has touched down, ROPS warns if heavier braking and reverse thrust are required to stop the aircraft within the confines of the run-way. ROPS represents a major

contribution to increased safety, and will be fitted as standard to the A350XWB airliner, and available as a retrofit to all Air-bus aircraft. It is also being offered to other manufacturers.

While the safety enhance-ment aspect of ROPS cannot be overlooked, there is also a cost-saving implication. Yesterday at the show, Willis Aerospace,

an aerospace insurance bro-ker, announced that underwriter Starr Aviation would recog-nize the benefits of ROPS in its assessments for aircraft insur-ance. While such policies are con-sidered on a case-by-case basis, the insurance savings would be expected to recoup the cost of fitting the ROPS option within “three to five years.” –D.D.

Boutsen is promoting custom cabin comforts

Boutsen Aviation is here at MEBA 2012 (Stand 598) for the first time, promoting its new cabin interior depart-ment, which specializes in providing linen, crockery and other “loose equipment” for high-end business jets. The Monaco-based company is known for its core enterprise–business jet sales–and claims to have been involved in 247 transactions so far. The com-pany launched its cabin inte-rior department in 2011.

“We want to be the

one-stop-shop for cabin com-fort,” department head Daniela Boutsen told AIN. She empha-sized the valuable advice her team can give to business jet owners–even as far as care of the furnishings. For example, she said, “We have performed washing tests with sheets and towels [so the customer will be informed about linen resistance] because handling companies use tough washing processes.”

Boutsen also has created a database for every customer so they can have a precise

inventory of the glasses, plates and so forth on board the air-craft. “If a glass is broken, for instance, we have the ref-erence details and can swiftly order a new one,” she said. She explained that before the database was created, one cus-tomer waited four months for a set of six glasses to be replaced, after enduring a tor-tuous process involving the cabin attendant, the manage-ment company and the com-pletion center.

In the near future, she said, she would like to see business jet interiors have some more flair, such as one finds in lux-ury hotels. “We could choose a tablecloth to match the head-rest covers,” she suggested. This would be the final touch of cus-tomization Daniela Boutsen has been dreaming about.

The company provides cus-tom services for business jets ranging from midsize to large cabin, such as Airbus ACJs and Boeing BBJs. It does not design cabin interiors but partners with completion cen-ters like AMAC Aerospace and Jet Aviation.

Boutsen Aviation employs nine in Monaco and has one representative here in Dubai. CEO Thierry Boutsen said he is considering further develop-ment in the region. –T.D.

In addition to selling business jets, Boutsen Aviation has an interior cabin design department that offers high-end business jet owners advice about the aesthetics and durability of the linen, crockery and other fine furnishings for their aircraft.

MedAire compact kits save space, meet regsby Matt Thurber

Medical kits are not only a good idea but they are often required equipment to be car-ried aboard aircraft. MedAire’s new Advanced Aviation Medical Kit meets regulatory mandates while saving space and providing solutions for many critical and common medical events.

The kit includes an annual refurbishment to ensure that everything inside is up-to-date and stocked. After receiving the kit for reconditioning, MedAire reviews the kit’s contents and condition, adds any new items needed, updates content cards and tags and replaces used, missing or damaged supplies and components, including any that will expire within the next 12 months.

Contents of the kit, which is designed to enable first responders to stabilize and begin treatment of patients, include assessment, survival, medicine, dental and respiratory items. MedAire will begin making the Advanced Avi-ation Medical Kit available in early 2013, but MEBA attend-ees can get a preview of the kit at MedAire’s stand (112).

MedAire also recommends that operators carry an auto-mated external defibrillator (AED) in case a passenger suffers a cardiac arrest. MedAire offers the Philips FRx AED, which

weighs just 1.58 kilograms and includes an extra battery pack, a prep kit, a data-tracking card and a pediatric key for proper appli-cation on child patients. MedAire also offers AED training.

While at the MedAire stand, MEBA attendees can learn about the company’s other aeromedical services. The com-pany has long been known for providing in-flight emergency medical advice and assistance from its 24/7 support center. Customers can take advantage of MedAire services before takeoff, with advice about pas-senger medical issues before boarding to help prevent in-flight incidents and also medical, security and travel information on more than 300 cities in 200-plus countries.

All of this information is accessible via MedAire’s online membership portal. Portal users can also receive email alerts about planned destinations, secure access to emergency records, a vaccination-tracking system, travel advice and a dis-ease and prevention tool.

Once in flight, MedAire ser-vices are available via normal communications channels or using telemedicine devices such as RDT’s Tempus IC, which sends patient vital signs to MedAire for diagnosis. o


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Yesterday, Airbus Corporate Jets, insurance broker Willis and underwriter Starr announced that ACJs fitted with Airbus’s runway overrun protection system should qualify for cheaper insurance. Here at the announcement are (l to r) ACJ’s François Chazelle, Martin Collins from Willis, Starr’s Nigel Griffiths and Henry Adair from Willis.

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Av-shield paint cuts fuel costsby James Wynbrandt

Apparently, the gleaming business jets on static display at MEBA 2012 have a rougher side than most admirers imagine and this creates air resistance, drag, and higher than necessary fuel-burn. This is something that UK-based Action Aviation is trying to do something about, by persuading aircraft owners to apply a nanotechnology aircraft coating called Aviation Shield.

Recently a Gulfstream GIV under-went the Aviation Shield treatment at Jet Aviation’s maintenance facility in Dubai, performed by a crew of four special-ists in 12 hours. The aircraft has realized a 2-percent savings in fuel usage since the treatment, claimed Hamish Hard-ing, chairman of Cranfield, UK-based Action Aviation, which is an Aviation

Shield distributor. “We have had inde-pendent parties analyze fuel-usage fig-ures before and after,” accounting for load factors, sector lengths and other variables, said Harding. “A paint surface that feels smooth to the touch is like a mountain range at microscopic level.”

Developed for the airline industry and coming to market this year, the Aviation Shield coating, an acrylic comprised of nano molecules that fill in the microscopic valleys in the aircraft paint, can reduce surface friction and drag, providing about a 2-percent fuel savings for business jets, and up to 3 percent for airliners. The dry coat material can be applied to an aircraft in a matter of hours, permitting applica-tion during routine maintenance or other scheduled down time.

“We have trained engineers,” said Hard-ing, who holds an air transport pilot cer-tificate. “It’s all about the quality of the application. You’ve got to apply it in a par-ticular manner, and sequence of stages.”

The process includes aircraft prepara-tion, application of a base primer, apply-ing the nanotechnology coating itself and a final finishing process. The Avia-tion Shield treatment lasts for four years, though leading edges are redone every two years. As for cost, Harding said it could be recouped in about two months with the savings in fuel, based on operating a busi-ness jet about 600 hours per year.

Harding said the coating also helps to protect paint against blowing sand and reduces the ability of ice to adhere to sur-faces, helping to reduce de-icing costs.

The coating is approved by both Boeing and Airbus for application to all their air-craft, and is also AMS1650c approved

Here at MEBA 2012, Harding said he and his team are meeting with prospec-tive clients, including at least one OEM, whom he declined to name. o


Lineage Tows The LineA Lektro tug tows the Embraer Lineage 1000 into its static display spot here at MEBA

2012. Six Middle Eastern operators are now flying the bizliner, which is the largest aircraft in the Embraer Executive Jet family. The Lineage 1000 can carry 19 passengers in five cabin zones and can fly nonstop from Dubai to Cape Town. n

Fuel Provider Pumps Up FBO

World Fuel Services of Miami, Florida, is showcasing its Ascent fuel brand at MEBA 2012 (Stand 151). With enhanced bene-fits and a new logo introduced at the 2012 NBAA convention in October, the Ascent fuel program aims to provide FBOs with more sales and marketing power through provi-sion of additional support services.

As part of the company’s World of Op-portunities program, Ascent’s benefits in-clude Avcard (an aviation fuel card), Alliance Contract Fuel, Baseops (International Trip Planning), FlyBuys (global loyalty program), AHT (credit card processing), and equip-ment leasing and FBO marketing assistance.

“Our combined organization and commit-ment to the aviation community, along with our new Ascent global fuel brand, ensure we are able to provide the most comprehensive programs in the industry for our customers,” said Michael Clementi, president of World Fuel Services’ aviation division.

World Fuel Services’ global operations span more than 6,000 locations in 200 countries. –J.W.

A Gulfstream GIV recently received a protective Aviation Shield coating at Jet Aviation Dubai’s facility.

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Arinc connects ME operatorsby David Donald

Arinc Direct has brought a range of its products to the MEBA show, underlin-ing its position as a leading flight services solutions pro-vider for business aviation. The company (here at Stand 387) is showcasing its Connect

Communication System, a new development that provides three-in-one capability in a sin-gle portable device.

Arinc has an expanding presence in the Middle East– for example, in providing sys-tems for some of the region’s

airports. At the New Doha International Airport in Qatar, it partners with Thales in pro-viding the IT, security and tele-communication systems, while it is also upgrading systems at Dubai International Airport, as well as extending its systems to include 20 new A380 gates in Concourse A.

The Connect system being provided by Arinc Direct offers complete Acars mes-saging, high-quality voice comms and managed e-mail functions, and its two chan-nels allow simultaneous voice and data communications. It works through the Inmarsat and Iridium satellite networks to give global coverage, and it is fully compatible with Arinc Direct’s existing services.

The company also is pro-moting the ADConnect App that was launched a few weeks ago at the NBAA convention. This allows passengers to use their own smartphones while airborne, rather than dedicated aircraft handsets. Another development is Arinc Direct’s partnership with FlightAware, which allows Arinc Direct cus-tomers to access FlightAware’s web-based live tracking and fleet map system. o


news clipsz JSSI Names Neil Book As New Leader

Jet Support Services (JSSI) named Neil Book as its new president and CEO on December 6, succeeding Louis Seno, who will serve as chairman emeritus and special advisor to the board of directors. Book has served on the company’s board for the past three years and earlier this year joined JSSI as co-president, where he has led the sales, marketing and technical services teams.

JSSI (Stand 124) is a provider of hourly-cost maintenance programs for business aircraft operators, offering coverage for most types of jets, turboprops and turbine-powered helicopters with programs that include airframes, engines and auxiliary power units. Maintenance costs can be managed more efficiently under an hourly-cost program by avoiding the need to save ahead of time or pay unexpected large sums for costly maintenance events that are covered under the program.

According to JSSI, “Seno will continue his active role as ambassador for JSSI, representing the company within the industry and participating in numerous advocacy groups.”

“We are excited for the future here at JSSI, and I am proud to be a part of the talented and dedicated team of professionals that make JSSI what it is today,” said Book. “Our sights are set high for the growth of our business around the world, and our focus will continue to be on exceptional customer service.”

z ABS Jets Launches Gulf Region ServicesABS Jets of the Czech Republic has traveled to MEBA 2012

to highlight the company’s launch of services in the Gulf region. With bases in Prague and Bratislava, ABS Jets (Stand 386) is offering operation control center services and other services to Gulf-based operators.

“I see our [operation control center] services as an integral part of supporting owners and operators to help them increase

and maximize the use and efficiency of their aircraft,” said Vladimir Petak, ABS CEO. A key incentive for customers is that ABS Jets helps make clients feel like part of the company, treating pilots as if they are ABS crewmembers.

While ABS Jets is here at MEBA specifically looking for companies that want to outsource flight-planning services, it also can maintain client aircraft and provide aircraft charter and management services, aircraft sales, consulting

and travel management. “At ABS Jets we recognize the professionalism and

excellence of the Gulf region operators,” said Jan Kralik, ground operations manager, “and we welcome them to try our facilities throughout central Europe.”

z Jet Professionals Helps Clients CopeJet Professionals, the wholly owned staffing specialist and

subsidiary of Jet Aviation, has announced two new ventures here at MEBA: a strategic alliance with Future Stream Japan; and a similar arrangement with EDI-Staffbuilders in the Philippines. Earlier this year Jet Professionals was selected to provide aviation staffing and consultation services to Dubai World Central, and last year it opened an office at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi.

Through the Future Stream alliance, Jet Professionals is hoping to accelerate its introduction into the Japanese market, while the alliance with EDI-Staffbuilders is aimed primarily at providing employment opportunities for skilled Filipino aviation professionals.

Jet Professionals (Stand 560) also recognizes that aviation is something of a fluid marketplace, and provides services that cater for what it terms “outplacement,” when companies are forced to rebalance their workforces. The company offers courses that range from career guidance and employee counseling to CV writing and interview techniques. These courses are currently offered in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Arinc Device Upgrades Old Satcoms

Arinc anticipates its Connect Communications System (CCS), de-signed to give current-generation

capabilities to aircraft equipped with legacy satcom systems, will be pop-ular in the Middle East.

Here the business aviation fleet “is quite dominated by larger air-craft, some former airliners with existing satellite infrastructure that might be relatively old,” said James Hardie, the company’s director, Eu-rope, Middle East and Africa. Two factors are driving interest from potential customers with legacy

communication systems, said Har-die: “One is the cost is quite low, and second is the fact that it inte-grates everything else we do, and makes it very compelling oppor-tunity to upgrade to some level of connectivity.”

The $25,000 unit will be intro-duced as a portable system that can be carried aboard an aircraft, with deliveries in the U.S. expected to commence in the first quarter of 2013. The CCS has been designed to work in conjunction with company’s iPad app, introduced in 2011, with the iPad and CCS together making communication and access to the Internet analogous to what it would be in a modern home or office. “Our iPad app is one of the things that’s going to make this unique,” said Hardie. “We’re trying to take advan-tage of everything else that’s hap-pening in the world.” –D.D.

VistaJet 6000 tours Asiaby Charles Alcock

One of VistaJet’s Bombar-dier Global 6000 business jets made a brief stop here at the MEBA show on Monday as part of a 12-city promotional tour. The itinerary began in London on December 2 and has included visits to Hong Kong, Beijing, Vladivostok (Russia), Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Moscow, Kiev, Delhi and Mumbai.

The aircraft was due to fly on to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before returning to London after a stop in Istanbul. The block charter operator is to conduct a tour of 12 or more African cities in February.

Last month VistaJet, which is headquartered in Switzerland, announced firm orders for 56 Bombardier Globals, with options for up to another 86. The deal is worth up to $7.8 billion at list prices. Deliveries of the latest batch of aircraft under firm order are due to begin in January 2014 and run

through the end of 2017. The air-craft covered by the new contract comprise 25 Global 5000s (plus options for 40 more), 25 Global

6000s (plus 40 options) and six Global 8000s (plus six options).

Thomas Flohr, VistaJet founder and chairman, told AIN

that all new aircraft purchases are being funded from cash flow. He reported that the company has been achieving year-on-year flight revenue growth of about 25 percent in annually since it was launched seven years ago.

The new long-range, large-cabin business jets will be deployed in growth markets, including Rus-sia, China, the Middle East and Africa. VistaJet plans to tap the U.S. market by offering intercon-tinental flights for clients on the East and West Coasts.

The operator recently took delivery of its 50th airplane in its all-Bombardier fleet and has about 30 in service today. From four previous deals signed with the Canadian airframer, the operator is still due to receive 11 Learjet 85s, seven Global Express jets (due to arrive in 2013) and a mix of the new Global 7000 and 8000 aircraft (in 2017). The average age of VistaJet’s fleet is just under two years. The company replaces its jets after three to four years of service, while they still have 12 to 18 months remaining on their warranties. o

VistaJet’s Global 6000 visited MEBA as it neared the end of a 12-city tour throughout Asia.

James Hardie

Neil Book

Vladimir Petak

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Comlux expands horizons in the east and the westby Charles Alcock

The Middle East continues to be a key market for business aviation ser-vices group Comlux, with Bahrain being its main base in the region and home to three of its largest managed aircraft: a Boeing 767, an Airbus ACJ320 and an ACJ319. The Swiss-based company is seeing increased flying activity in Saudi Arabia, but group president and CEO Richard Gaona indicated to AIN ahead of this week’s MEBA show that increased competition, some of it from so-called “gray” (that is, probably illegal) charter operations, is inhibiting growth in the region. So, too, is political uncertainty with instability further north, in poten-tially promising markets such as Leba-non and Egypt, stalling the expansion of business aviation there.

“But we have a neutral approach [in this region] and put a Swiss touch on everything we do,” said Gaona. “The Middle East market certainly appreciates European quality.”

That said, the recent focus for growth of Comlux (Chalet A24) has been much further to both the west and east, with

significant developments in both North America and Asia.

Back in September, Comlux America opened a new hangar at its completions, engineering and maintenance facility in Indianapolis, Indiana–its third han-gar there. The addition of a 129,000-sq-ft hangar complex has provided space for up to four bizliners in the Airbus Corpo-rate Jet class to be worked on at the same time. The facility also features customer offices, a clinic and a prayer room.

Comlux’s completions capabilities on site include cabinetry and work shops for sheet metal, avionics, upholstery and fin-ishing. There is also an interior-design department in Indianapolis, as well as departments for engineering, certification, technical publications, document control procurement and program management.

Much of Comlux’s early work in com-pletions and maintenance focused on the ACJ family, but the company has since built up a stronger portfolio covering the rival Boeing Business Jet family, as well as providing support for Bombar-dier, Cessna, Dassault and Gulfstream

jets. Evidence of this came in October when Boeing contracted Comlux Amer-ica to provide maintenance and a cabin upgrade for a pair of its own BBJs. The work includes removing the existing inte-riors and refitting them after modifica-tion, as well as a comprehensive upgrade to the in-flight entertainment and cabin management systems. The first of the two BBJs will arrive in Indianapolis in early 2013 and the second will follow next summer.

“We are extremely proud to be selected by The Boeing Company,” said Com-lux America president and CEO David Edinger. “It was a tough competition and

we have managed to demonstrate that our full in-house capabilities–engineer-ing, certification, design, maintenance and production shops–make the differ-ence versus several other centers.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, this year has seen the Fly Comlux aircraft charter and management divi-sion expanding into Asia. It now has two ACJs operating in China–one based in Shanghai and the other in Macau–and it has opened an office in Hong Kong. In addition, earlier this year Korean auto-making group Hyundai contracted Comlux America to do the completion work for its BBJ. o


Switzerland-based Comlux, which has a base in Bahrain, also operates an interior-design department in the U.S., as well as engineering, certification, technical publications, document control procurement and program management departments.

Lufthansa Technik outfitting ACJ318s and winning awardsby Ian Goold

Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is exhibit-ing here at MEBA as Airbus’s 2012 best VIP cabin outfitter. The award–which LHT received at Airbus’s Corporate Jets VIP operator forum in Prague earlier this year–recognizes work undertaken at LHT’s Hamburg completion center and

at its U.S. subsidiary BizJet International in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In October, LHT (Stand 335) and Air-bus confirmed a contract to outfit three ACJ318s that will increase to 22 the num-ber of such LHT completions for pri-vate individuals, and for scheduled and

nonscheduled jet operators. Seventeen ACJ318s have been outfitted for VIP service at the two centers. Three of the outstanding five aircraft are scheduled to arrive at BizJet next year, with the final examples due in 2014 and 2015. Since 2009, BizJet has handled ACJ318 com-pletions, leaving LHT Hamburg to con-centrate on other VIP aircraft.

Since September, LHT has been working on the first customized comple-tion of a VIP Boeing 747-800. The cabin will incorporate “the ultimate in interior design,” said LHT. It has completed and modified more than 30 widebody aircraft, including 15 Boeing 747s, for private and government customers.

LBAS Serves WorldwideMeanwhile, Lufthansa Bombardier

Aviation Services (LBAS) is the Cana-dian manufacturer’s 2012 best overall (and best European) authorized ser-vice facility, based on excellence awards received during October’s U.S. National Business Aviation Association conven-tion in Orlando, Florida.

A 51:29:20 joint venture among, respectively, LHT, Bombardier Aero-space and ExecuJet Aviation Group, LBAS (also on Stand 335) supple-ments the factory-owned service cen-ter network for Bombardier business jets outside North America and serves cus-tomers operating more than 750 aircraft in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The company’s services include short-term checks and 12-year inspections and other maintenance, repair and overhaul of Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global executive and corporate aircraft at Berlin’s Schoenefeld airport in Germany.

LHT’s Innovation business unit has recently begun production deliveries of its Nice high-definition cabin-manage-ment and in-flight entertainment system for Bombardier Learjet 70 and 75 execu-tive jets. The equipment includes seven-inch pop-up video displays at all seats, except those at the emergency exits.

The system features media interfaces that enable Ethernet-network encoding and streaming via personal devices. The company said the system’s open Inter-net protocol architecture allows LHT to offer cabin-equipment packages from lighting and environmental control to integration of satellite communications and television, portable audio/video devices or cameras. o


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In October, Lufthansa Technik and Airbus confirmed a contract to outfit

three ACJ318 corporate jets that will take to 22 the number of

such LHT completions.

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Jet Services’ Paris FBO primps for Mideast VIPsby Thierry Dubois

The Jet Services Group is here at MEBA 2012 (Stand 345) promoting its Advanced Air

Support (AAS) FBO at Par-is Le Bourget airport, claim-ing it is particularly well suited

to Middle Eastern VIP aircraft visiting Europe. Jet Servic-es president Marie-Antoinette Dain told AIN that AAS has adapted to the growing clientele from the region: “We have pri-vate lounges, one of them with a full en suite bathroom, a prayer room and dedicated catering. In addition, some of our staff speak Arab dialects,” she said.

AAS reports it handles 700 to 800 movements of widebody business aircraft (ranging from the size of a BBJ or ACJ) every year. “This is about 30 percent of Le Bourget’s widebody traf-fic,” Dain said, with the major-ity of those movements coming from the Middle East.

The FBO also is currently involved in an expansion proj-ect that will permit access to widebody aircraft directly from a lounge, where security checks also will take place. Archi-tect Jean-Jacques Devilliers has designed a nose-in-hangar arrangement for the aircraft. One constraint imposed on the project was avoiding use of an exterior air bridge, which is not

allowed by local architecture rules. The rules protect Le Bour-get’s older terminals’ “visual environment,” Dain explained.

Construction of the new ter-minal is anticipated to begin in mid-2013, and it should be in service late in 2014. Dain esti-mated the cost at “30 to 40 mil-lion euros [$39 to $52 million].”

Jet Services is also exhibit-ing a Falcon 50 that was modi-fied by its Aerovision subsidiary to permit air-to-air filming. The aircraft is a special-mission Fal-con 50 that features innovative aerial photography and cine-matography hardware. “We are expecting EASA approval soon and hope the aircraft will be in service by year-end,” Dain said.

The group also revealed it has made some corporate changes. In August, it disposed of Uni Air, a Toulouse-based main-tenance specialist, although it retained Uni Air’s line main-tenance activities. In addition, all of Jet Services’ maintenance business in Le Bourget, Toulouse and Lyon has been regrouped under the BCA brand. o


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Advanced Air Support has created a prayer room for its Muslim customers at its Paris Le Bourget FBO.

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With special optic equipment, Aerovision’s modified Falcon 50 can shoot air-to-air pictures– still or motion.

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www.ainonline.com • December 11, 2012 • MEBA Convention News 00www.ainonline.com • December 12, 2012 • MEBA Convention News 29

nice facilities here [for it]. It is close to the Marina area, Jebel Ali, and well connected to more than three highways, including Emirates Road and Sheikh Zayed Road.”

Asked to comment about improvements in ease of access, he said that a helicopter service could be introduced for VIP travellers. “I

am sure we, as the operator run-ning this airport, will be happy to give business people a licence to operate, if they require one.”

Al Naqbi conducted Sheikh Ahmed on a tour of several new and existing global businesses now in Dubai, such as Aurora Aviation, The Jet Business and CAE, which is now well estab-lished here. He also inspected an overhead projection of Dubai World Central, which depicts an eventual airport configuration

of five runways, passenger ter-minals, a logistic park, an “exhi-bition city,” residential areas and even a golf course.

In the static park, the dele-gation also visited Saudia Pri-vate Aviation’s Dassault Falcon 7X, Comlux’s Boeing 767 config-ured for business travellers, a pri-vately owned ACJ320 variant, and Bell Helicopters’ Bell 427, in which Dubai Police is believed to be interested.

Official F&E Aerospace figures

released Tuesday referred to expec-tations the show would host “7,075 industry visits” during MEBA 2012. However, at 34 aircraft (as counted by AIN yesterday), the static display was smaller than in 2010, when the show attracted some 65 aircraft.

DXB is not expected to hit full capacity until 2018, when a major passenger influx is expected at DWC, which today boasts a nameplate capacity of around 7 million passengers a year. The

third phase of DWC’s develop-ment is likely to be the introduc-tion of a scheduled airline, which officials say could be Dubai low-cost carrier, flydubai, if the move is correctly incentivised.

Emirates is not expected to move its operations to DWC until the mid-2020s. At last month’s Cityscape real estate expo, Al Zaffin told AIN he did not expect a second runway to be constructed at DWC for another five years. o

sales are in the Middle East, and eight of nine BBJ 747-8s ordered thus far have been for Middle East customers. A pop-ular modification for the 747-8 is the Aeroloft cabin space extender built by Greenpoint Technologies. Taylor likes to point out that the Aeroloft adds more area to the 747-8’s upper cabin than the cabin space of a Gulfstream G650, for a total of 5,200 sq ft. So far, five Aero- lofts have been ordered, with two delivered and the third to be delivered next week.

The BBJ 747-8, while longer than the 747-400, is more effi-cient, Taylor noted, and can fly 1,000 nm farther, “effectively nonstop anywhere in the world from the Middle East. That’s

the kind of capability that world leaders look for.”

While it might seem like there would be a limited market for large airplanes like the BBJs, Taylor sees plenty of opportu-nity for additional sales. There are about 25 VIP 747s flying today, he explained, and many are getting old. “There’s a sig-nificant market opportunity to replace them,” he said, “and the 747-8 is very much the choice.”

Boeing has sold 12 BBJ 787s, and the first delivery will take place in a year, followed by several more through 2014. Boeing Business Jets is cur-rently working with comple-tions centers that are preparing for 787 work. Jet Aviation is likely to get the first BBJ 787 completion, but Taylor noted that a contract for that has not yet been signed. o

Comlux Added To Embraer’s Lineage and Legacy Service

Brazil’s Embraer Executive Jets, manufacturer of the Lineage and Legacy business jet families, has selected Indianapolis-based Comlux Aviation Servic-es, a division of the Comlux Aviation Group, as the first independent Lineage 1000 Authorized Service Center (ASC) in North America. Embraer also bestowed ASC status for the Legacy 600/650 on the maintenance and refurbishment center.

“We welcome Comlux Aviation Services to the growing family of Embraer Authorized Service Centers and we are proud to bring the extensive capabil-ities of Comlux Aviation Services to both the Lineage 1000 and the Legacy 600/650,” said Scott Kalister, Embraer Executive Jets’ vice president, cus-tomer support and services for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. “Comlux has earned an excellent reputation in the large and ultra-large execu-tive jet maintenance and completion market and those services are now avail-able to Embraer Legacy and Lineage owners.”

As an ASC, Comlux will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, avi-onics and structural repairs and interior refurbishments. The company already has approvals to perform authorized service on several other large-cabin business jets.

“We are honored to not only be approved as the first Lineage ASC, but to join the Embraer Executive Jets’ Legacy ASC network,” said Tony Bailey, CEO of Comlux Aviation Services. “Our aircraft technicians have a high level of experience and training which provides Embraer operators in North America access to exceptional aircraft service.” –J.W.

BBJ’s 12-12-12uContinued from page 4

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed opens MEBA 2012uContinued from page 4

This Comlux BBJ 767-200 is outfitted for head-of-state charters.

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The absence of the G650 is unlikely to dent its popularity. According to Scott Neal, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Savannah, Georgia-based airframer (here at Chalets A1 and A2), the ultra long-range and large-cabin G650 is generating strong interest in the Middle East, a region where large-cabin Gulfstream jets have long been popular. Meanwhile in the Middle East and Africa, the overall number of Gulfstream jets has increased from 77 to 134 jets in the past nine years.

“We’ll get the G650 on the road soon,” Neal said at Gulfstream’s MEBA press conference here yesterday, adding that plans call for a G650 world tour starting in February. “The G650 has gained wide acceptance in the Middle East,” Neal maintained, with the first customer G650 in the region expected to enter service within the next 12 months. Although Gulfstream had previously fore-cast delivery of 17 G650s by the end of this year, Neal said, “We’ll be somewhat under that by the end of the year.”

During its development, the G280 gained 200 additional nau-tical miles of range than origi-nally planned. It can carry four passengers 3,600 nm at Mach

0.8 and fly from Dubai to Bang-kok at Mach 0.84. The G650’s range increased even more, add-ing 1,000 nm above the range announced at its launch, for a total of 7,000 nm at Mach 0.8 and 6,000 nm at Mach 0.9.

The FAA certified the G650 in September and the G280 in August and the company expects both jets to receive EASA certi-fication by the end of this year. Gulfstream delivered the first customer G280 to a U.S. manu-facturing firm on November 14.

To support upcoming deliver-ies, Gulfstream’s training provider, FlightSafety International, has already trained 46 G650 pilots. The two G650 simulators located at the FlightSafety learning center next to Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah, Ga., were approved and ready for training by the time

the G650 received its type certif-icate. Two more simulators are under construction.

Last year the company deliv-ered 107 aircraft: 90 large-cabin and 17 midsize. Revenues for the third quarter of this year were up 30 percent compared to the same period last year, the backlog has grown to $16 billion. “The third quarter was our best quarter for orders,” Neal said, and included a number of customers who made multiple-jet orders. During the past year, Gulfstream has added 1,500 new personnel and the com-pany is adding more people as growth continues.

In the past 11 years, Gulfstream has grown its fleet from about 1,000 jets based mostly in the

U.S. to twice that many operating all over the world; while the com-pany doesn’t break out backlog numbers, it has revealed that it is balanced evenly between the U.S. and rest of world. This global growth means that Gulfstream has had to rapidly expand its ser-vice and support network, which now includes 3,700 person-nel, $1.4 billion worth of spares worldwide, 11 Gulfstream-owned service centers and a number of factory-authorized facilities.

The latest Gulfstream facil-ity is the new Gulfstream Bei-jing, which opened in November after receiving Part 145 approval from China’s CAAC. The facility, housed in a 7,618-sq-m hangar at Beijing Capital International Air-port, is a joint venture between Gulfstream and Hainan Airlines Group’s Hainan Aviation Technik

and Deer Jet subsidiaries. “We continue to install prod-

uct support worldwide,” said Trevor Esling, Gulfstream regional vice president Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We’re looking at expansion in Europe, Asia and South America.” o

Also here at MEBA 2012, Gulfstream introduced its new-est employee, Allan Stanton, who has taken on the role of regional vice president for international sales in the Middle East. Stan-ton is intimately familiar with the Middle East market, having lived in Dubai for many years. His pre-vious job was regional sales direc-tor for Hawker Beechcraft in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Gulfstream rides a wave of milestonesuContinued from page 1

Gulfstream brought a G450 and this G550 to display on the MEBA static park. The number of Gulfstream jets in the Middle East and Africa has increased from 77 to 134 over the last nine years.

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Aircraft Finance Manufacturing Aircraft Ownership Maintenance Industry Associations

The Jet BusinessThe world’s first business jet “store” was opened this year by Steve Varsano. The Jet Business is high-tech with a sophisticated iPad app making aircraft selection a breeze. Page 6

Embraer brings familyBrazilian manufacturer Embraer continues to strengthen its business aircraft range, bringing three distinct aircraft types to MEBA: a Phenom, a Legacy and a Lineage. Page 11

Malta Boosts RegistryThe Mediterranean island has joined the trend for promoting aircraft registration to business aircraft owners and operators. Page 15

East Looking WestIndian company Air Works believes that the new airport near Jebel Ali could be the best place for its future expansion in aviation maintenance. Page 18

Lobbyists UniteGeneral Aviation Manufacturers Association and MEBAA to jointly promote Middle East & African development. Page 21

charter operators: ACM Air Charter, Air Alsie, Air Hamburg, Corporatejets, Flyinggroup, Glo-beAir, Masterjet and PrivatAir. Between them they operate 106 aircraft, covering a wide spec-trum of range and payload ca-pabilities, from the Beechcraft King Air to the VVIP Boeing 757. Various Cessna Citation and Dassault Falcon models are the predominant types.

“We will combine the strength, purchasing power and expertise of some of Europe’s leading play-ers within the industry to provide clients with premium service, top aircraft availability and flexibili-ty, as well as the highest possible standard of safety and comfort,” said PrivatAir’s Christian Hatje, who is chairman of AirClub.

Eight European OperatorsFor the eight charter opera-

tors, who will retain their inde-pendence, the alliance will allow them to upgrade their customer service and widen the type of service they can offer. From a purchasing point of view, the alliance membership gives them greater strength, particularly in the areas of fuel provision, insurance and spares. “If you’re not part of an alliance you’re going to face challenges in the future,” Hatje warned.

Having now established the alliance, which was founded in Geneva on October 30, the pri-ority is to get an online booking

service up and running. AirClub members expect that to hap-pen early next year. Through the booking website, air charter customers will be able to easily specify their requirements and receive instant availability infor-mation from across the alliance’s joint fleets.

The website will match cus-tomer requirements to various aircraft types, and provide rapid pricing. With the website live, AirClub will look at the next step of an alliance-wide jet card, although jet cards from any of the eight members can now be used across the alliance.

Launching a corporate jet alliance could be the start of an industry-changing trend. Air-Club intends to increase in size, both at home in Europe and farther afield. “Our target is NetJets,” said Philip Queffelec from Masterjet. “We feel it is too expensive for the customer, so we will compete with them with a new model.”

Expansion beyond Europe could see the alliance extend into Turkey, the Middle East and beyond, although Hatje noted that the AirClub would proceed in a step-by-step fash-ion. However, he added, “We’re aiming for at least 500 aircraft worldwide.” o


AINonline iPhone App NOW AVAILABLE

AirClub charter allianceuContinued from page 1

AfBAA welcomes Hadid as a founding member by James Wynbrandt

The African Business Avi-ation Association (AfBAA), launched at the EBACE this past May, announced at MEBA 2012 that UAE-based flight planning and support service provider Hadid International Services has been selected as the association’s penultimate founding member.

“We are delighted that Hadid has accepted our invitation to become a founding member,” Tarek Ragheb, chairman of AfBAA, told AIN here at the show yesterday. “It is joining an exceptional line-up of inau-gural members and brings valu-able experience and breadth of knowledge to the table,” he said.

Hadid (Stand 350), the first privately owned flight support service company in the Middle East, was established in 1981 in Damascus by Baha Hadid, in response to the poor services delivered by the monopoly, gov-ernment-owned ground-han-dling company. Since then Hadid has grown into a worldwide force with offices in Dubai, Karachi, Delhi, Niamey and Algiers.

“We see tremendous growth and opportunities in Africa and recognize the need for a profes-sional, thoughtfully structured and well-funded association that can support the development of the business aviation sector on the continent,” said Hadid’s

director of business develop-ment, Dr. Adnan Branbo. “Hav-ing the opportunity to be a founding member and contrib-ute to shaping the future of eco-nomic development in Africa is a very exciting prospect for us.”

Hadid specializes in flight support in locations where

airport services fall short of inter-national standards, experience likely to be invaluable in an orga-nization dedicated to improving business aviation and its support infrastructure in Africa.

“Hadid’s founder filled a gap and succeeded in launching a ven-ture that raised the standard of ground-support services deliv-ered to business aviation to match those of the global industry,” said

Mohammed Abu Libdeh, the company’s Dubai-based CEO. “This was done again and again in airports around the world, such as Mali, Libya and Chad in Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan and Myanmar in Asia, and Venezu-ela and Cuba in the Americas.”

As a founding member, Hadid joins a roster of leading African and global business avi-ation companies, including Afri-jet Business Services, Embraer Executive Jets, Apple Evergreen Nigeria, Gulfstream Aerospace and Hawker Beechcraft. With one founding member position remaining to be filled, AfBAA has established a launch mem-ber category to complement the founding members, and will later create regular and affiliate memberships for aviation com-panies that have an interest in operating in Africa.

AfBAA held a board meet-ing here at MEBA 2012 yester-day afternoon where the primary item on the agenda was the devel-opment of a white paper detail-ing “a bucket list of broad issues we see in Africa,” said Ragheb, who is also eager to have oper-ators and aircraft owners who fly in Africa come to the asso-ciation’s stand, (380). AIN was told that it was unlikely the white paper would be finalized during the show, and that it was more likely to be released in January.

“Africa is China in our backyard,” Ragheb said. “It has tremendous potential. Business aviation is going to be the very tool and catalyst to achieve a lot of the business that will be conducted.” o

Tarek Ragheb, AfBAA chairman

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Bombardier in buoyant mood after VistaJet mega-orderby David Donald

Bombardier of Canada arrived at MEBA in good spirits, having just landed the biggest order for business aircraft in the company’s history.

Just two weeks ago on November 27, VistaJet signed a purchase agreement with Bombardier for 25 of its Global 5000, 25 Global 6000s and six of the forthcoming Global 8000s. Total value of the deal, at list price, is about $3.1 billion. Deliveries of the transcontinental business jets are set to begin in 2014. VistaJet also took options for a further 86 Global aircraft, which could raise the total value of the agree-ment to $7.8 billion at 2012 prices, if they are exercised.

Two days later, Bombardier initiated the delivery of aircraft to fractional own-ership operator NetJets, as the first of the

company’s Signature Series fleet regener-ation. Under this program, NetJets has ordered several hundred business jets from Bombardier and Cessna, including Challenger 300s and 605s. The first of the new Signature Series, however, is a Global 6000 aircraft, which was handed over at Bombardier’s completion center in Mon-tréal. NetJets reports that all shares in the aircraft have already been sold.

Bombardier’s business jet range is repre-sented here at Al Maktoum International Airport by a Challenger 605, Challenger 850 and Global 5000 (Stand A16). The company is also demonstrating its Bom-bardier Vision flight deck for the first time at MEBA. This system is the first to be certified for the presentation of syn-thetic vision system imagery in the head-up

display. The Vision flight deck entered ser-vice in March this year in a Global 5000 delivered to former Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda, and Bombardier has been demon-strating it on a major world tour.

The Middle East remains a good mar-ketplace for Bombardier, which contin-ues to invest in regional infrastructure

and services. The Canadian OEM recently named Qatar Executive as a line mainte-nance facility for the Challenger 300/604/605 and Global aircraft, complementing Bom-bardier’s regional support office in Dubai, which is an authorized service facility. Last year Bombardier added authorized facili-ties in Jordan and Turkey. o

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Pg-01_d2_v4.indd 2 12/11/12 11:29 PM

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