meba convention news 12-10-14

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12.10.14 • DUBAIMEBAConvention News ®

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Shared executive terminal will anchor bizav at DWCby Peter Shaw-Smith

Dubai World Central has bro-ken ground on the land allocated for the new airport’s Executive Ter-minal. The common-user facility is due for completion in time for Dubai Airshow 2015 next November. Jet Aviation, XJet and Jetex Flight Sup-port have all agreed to share the building. Dubai’s other leading FBO ExecuJet Aviation has continued to

express a preference for establishing a stand-alone facility, although this appears not to be an option that the DWC management will sanction.

“DWC is partnering with indus-try leaders to build a complete ecosystem for a world-class aer-otropolis. The Executive Termi-nal is a step in the right direction,” said Rashed bu Qara’a, chief

operating officer, Dubai Aviation City Corporation.

The DWC aviation district is a 6.7-sq-km (2.6 sq mi) zone situated adja-cent to Al Maktoum International Airport. DWC itself covers 145 sq km (56 sq mi). It will eventually host World Expo 2020, as well as cater to logistics, aviation, commercial, exhi-bition, humanitarian, residential and leisure-related activities.

“Providing integrated access to both land side and air side, DWC’s Aviation District enables the seamless functioning of fixed-based operations and is ideally placed to host a project of this magnitude,” bu Qara’a said.

DESERT BREEZEEven with challenging economic and political times, the warm glow of optimism prevails among business aviation professionals in the Gulf region.

SUNNY-SIDE UP AT MEBA 2014MEBA 2014, as of the closing of the exhibition

hall on Tuesday, registered 44 aircraft on static display, 422 exhibitors and 7,863 visitors. The 2012 event registered 34 aircraft, 385 exhibitors and 7,549 visitors.

Comment from one exhibitor: “We see more people at EBACE than at MEBA and they’ll talk with us, but few have the authority to make a decision. At MEBA, we see fewer people, but more of them will sit down with us to negoti-ate a contract.” –R.R.P.

Connectivity Lifestyles Modifications Air Traffic Flight Support

Satcom Direct Upgrades Router Florida-based Satcom Direct has announced upgrades to its SDR router resulting in data flow rates of up to 1.6 Mbits per second. 0

Seawings Launches Tour Packages Excursion company Seawings Seaplane Tours has launched a series of panoramic scenic flights around Dubai using Cessna Caravan seaplanes. Page 11

Aux Fuel Tanks for Legacy 737sA new company, Long Range, has developed line-replaceable extra fuel tanks for Boeing 737s, increasing range and versatility. Page 14

Airline Traffic Growth Is a ConcernIncreases in commercial airline traffic in the Gulf region are causing consternation among business aircraft operators who fear being crowded out. Page 18

ArincDirect touts four tech solutionsWhen Rockwell Collins acquired Arinc, it formed a new flight-support business unit known as ArincDirect. It’s here with four new tech solutions to show. Page 20

Continued on page 4 u

Gama-Hangar8 merger fits; consolidation seen as a keyby David Donald

As reported yesterday in MEBA Con-vention News, Gama Aviation and Han-gar8 have announced a merger that will create one of the world’s largest managed business aircraft fleets. The deal is due to be completed formally on January 6, fol-lowing approval by Hangar8’s sharehold-ers. The new entity, Gama Aviation plc, is to be headed by current Gama CEO Marwan Khalek, and will have 144 air-craft under management in 15 countries.

“For us it’s a great platform,” Khalek told AIN at Gama’s Stand here (No. 470). “This is the start for us.” Scale is one of the reasons that the two companies are merg-ing. “We’re in an industry that’s very frag-mented,” explained Khalek. “Even the larger operators don’t have much market share. We have a growing market again, but meeting regulations can be expensive. I don’t see this business being sustainable with fewer than 15 to 20 aircraft.”

In Europe around 80 percent of AOC holders operate fewer than five aircraft. To make the jump beyond that requires investment, said Khalek. “This business needs to mature. For the small opera-tor it’s difficult to cross the boundary. To make the jump needs access to funds, and there’s a lot of risk.”

Gama Aviation plc will be a publicly traded company (as Hangar8 has been for several years). According to Khalek the transparent finances will make it eas-ier to attract investment. Also, it will

make it more attractive to other compa-nies in terms of mergers and acquisitions.

Growth through further mergers and acquisitions is one avenue that the new com-pany will explore, although organic growth remains central to the company’s plans. “New owners are favouring scale operators,” noted Khalek. “With our size we hope to take on a larger chunk of that business, as well as competing for re-tendered contracts.”

Although aircraft management and charter are the most visible and glamorous elements of the business, Khalek stressed that the new company will also concen-trate on “bread and butter” activities, for example contract work for clients such as the UK MoD and clients in Africa, which already form important revenue streams, along with its portfolio of MRO, ground support and FBO activities. Further merg-ers and acquisitions could well be made in those sectors, indicated Khalek.

Hangar8 and Gama Aviation (Stand 470) began exploring a merger at the EBACE show in May. Although both are based in the UK, the two companies make a good fit geographically, with Gama active in the U.S. and Middle East, and Hangar8 in Africa. Where the two overlap, princi-pally in Europe, there are some opportuni-ties to streamline operations. While Africa is certainly seen as an important region of opportunity for the new company, Khalek warned that, “We shouldn’t lose sight of the core markets.” o

2 MEBA Convention News • December 10, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

NETJETS BRINGS MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO MIDDLE EAST

AT YOUR SERVICE

Jet Aviation Dubai has been named an authorized service center for Rolls-Royce BR710; Tay 611 and BR725 series engines. Holding the plaque are, left to right, Hardy Bütschi, Jet Aviation Dubai v-p and general manager; Stephen Friedrich, v-p sales and marketing Rolls-Royce; and Stefan Benz, Jet Aviation v-p of MRO and FBO services for the region.

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Fractional-ownership group NetJets Europe, which launched its Executive Jet Management Europe division just over a year ago, is now bringing the aircraft management service to the Middle East. “Companies and individuals who own air-craft can put in place their Executive Jet Management solution and gain access to the NetJets mentality and struc-ture,” said Michael Graham, NetJets senior v-p, here at MEBA 2014.

Executive Jet Manage-ment, NetJets’ U.S. subsidiary, already manages some 200 business jets, Graham said. As a high-volume purchaser, NetJets can offer aircraft own-ers savings on crew train-ing, insurance, fuel, handling and other services and char-ter aircraft when not needed by the owner to help offset operating costs. Additionally, NetJets can arrange supplemental lift, if an owner’s air-craft becomes unavailable because of a maintenance event or for any other needs.

Fractional ownership, however, still remains the keystone of NetJets’ offerings,

as evidenced by the Challenger 350 that Bombardier has on static display. Though not outfitted with the company’s Signature Series interior, this is NetJets’ Challenger 350 demonstrator. NetJets is the launch customer for the newly introduced model, which has already joined its U.S. frac-tional fleet. NetJets Europe will add the first CL350 to its stable in the first quarter

of 2015. Graham said it “will be an ideal aircraft for flights within the [ME] region, but I can also see my customers fly-ing Jeddah to Nice, for exam-ple.” The company ordered 75 of the aircraft as part of a $9.6 billion fleet upgrade announced in 2012.

NetJets previously had a fractional-ownership franchise agreement in the Middle East with National Air Services of Saudi Arabia (now NasJets),

but terminated the arrangement in 2011. Though NetJets has fractional ownership customers in the region, Graham said the company has no current plans to re-establish a physical presence or partner in the region for its fractional program. –J.W.

AIRPLANE TALK

With all the practical advantages of private air travel, there is also an element of fascination. Rare is the person who is not captivated with the art and science of flight. So a walk among the Gulfstreams, Falcons, Boeings, Airbuses and others is bound to be an adventure.

Michael Graham, senior vice-president, NetJets.

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Piaggio trumpets the news of Avanti Evo’s certification by David Donald

Piaggio Aerospace on Monday received initial European approval for its new Avanti Evo twin turboprop, with certifica-tion from the FAA and Indian authorities to follow. The first two aircraft are being delivered to separate Indian customers and are due to be handed over before the end of this month. The third aircraft is for a U.S. customer, and the fourth for one in Europe.

Italy-based Piaggio has orders for 16 Evos so far. The company is owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Aerospace.

“The Avanti Evo is an intelligent solu-tion for business travellers, blending the very best of Italian style and the most advanced aerodynamic concepts, giving operators and passengers more efficiency than ever before,” Piaggio Aero CEO Carlo Logli said here at MEBA 2014 on Tuesday.

Piaggio (Stand 942) began flight trials with the prototype Evo aircraft in spring 2013, and the aircraft made its first public appearance at the Farnborough air show in July. That aircraft is being retained by the company for development. A production Avanti EVO is to appear at the EBACE show in Geneva in May, and possibly at February’s Aero India show at Bangalore.

Evo is the third generation of the styl-ish Italian twin turboprop, and introduces a host of features that improve perfor-mance and comfort, as well as making the aircraft a good neighbour. The aircraft has revised aerodynamics with main-wing winglets and redesigned front wingtips. Cruising speed is 403 knots and maximum cruise range is extended to 1770 nm, while climb rate is increased by 10 percent. At the same time, service ceiling is increased to 41,000 ft, while take-off and landing distances are reduced.

Internal and external noise levels are also reduced, thanks to new patented exhaust stacks fitted to the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66B engines and the Hartzell low-rpm five-bladed scimitar propellers. Fitted

with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avion-ics, the Avanti Evo also introduces a new interior with Iacobucci HF seats and out-fitted by Poltrona Frau. Shortly to be intro-duced is a low-maintenance undercarriage with anti-skid braking and digital steering.

From early summer next year Avanti Evos will be delivered from Piaggio’s new facility at Villanova d’Albenga in northern Italy. Until now the aircraft have been built in two separated facilities at Finale Ligure and Genoa. Transfer to the plant began

in September, and the Finale factory is to close down this month, with Genoa follow-ing in the spring. Piaggio’s customer service office will remain at Genoa’s main airport.

While the Evo becomes the standard production model, Piaggio retains the ability to produce the Avanti II for spe-cial requests, such as for existing custom-ers wishing to maintain commonality across their fleet. Piaggio has recently sold an Avanti II for photo-survey work to the Royal Thai Air Force.

The Evo’s new cabin “comfort pack-age” is likely to be made available to Avanti II operators as a retrofit, also.

Piaggio is now focusing on two military derivatives, the unmanned P.1HH Ham-merHead ISR platform and the MPA mul-tirole patrol aircraft. o

www.ainonline.com • December 10, 2014 • MEBA Convention News 3

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Rick AdamsDavid DonaldThierry DuboisCurt EpsteinRob Finfrock

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Piaggio Aero CEO Carlo Logli announced EASA certification for the manufacturer’s new Avanti Evo model.

WALLAN SIGNS FOR THREE BELL HELICOPTERS AT MEBA

Bell Helicopter (Stand A20) of Forth Worth, Texas, announced here at MEBA 2014 the sale of a Bell 429 to Wallan Aviation, and a letter of intent for two Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters from the Saudi Arabian operator.

The Bell 429 is a seven-passenger light twin, while the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X is a four-pas-senger clean-sheet design expected to receive certification at the end of 2015. “With this agreement, I feel Wallan Aviation is making an investment in the future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said company chairman Saad Wallan, who is shown shaking hands with Steve Suttles, Bell Helicopter’s v-p of Middle East and African sales, who added, “There is consid-erable customer interest in the Middle East for the Bell 429 and Bell 505, and MEBA gives the region a chance to see these aircraft up close.” –J.W.

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FSI to build sim center by R. Randall Padfield

Abu Dhabi Aviation and Flight Safety International (FSI) have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to further advance a memorandum of understand-ing signed in October to build a flight-training center in Abu Dhabi for up to 17 full-flight sim-ulators. Company officials signed the LOI at MEBA 2014 in Dubai.

The “Learning Center,” as

FSI calls its training facilities, is planned to be built in two stages, with Phase 1, an 8,000-sq-m facility, to be completed by September 2015.

This building will house eight simulators. Phase 2 is expected to double the size of the facility and will accom-modate nine simulators. Cost of the facility is estimated

to be about $200 million.The center will operate

FlightSafety FS1000 simulators equipped with Vital 1100 visu-al systems, electric motion con-trol and cueing and advanced in-structor consoles.

Instructors will meet the re-quirements of the UAE GAA, EASA and FAA. Classrooms and other specialized areas for self-paced and instructor-led learning will feature Ma-trix, the company’s integrated training device. o


Bombardier’s Challenger line a favorite in the Middle Eastby James Wynbrandt

Bombardier Business Aircraft is show-casing its new Challenger 350, which is making its MEBA debut here at the 2014 show, while also highlighting the compa-ny’s regional product support.

With some 100 jets in the region, the Montreal-based OEM enjoys about 25 percent of the ME’s business aircraft mar-ket, but has been particularly successful with its Challenger line, capturing 60 per-cent of the mid-size market, said Khadar Mattar, regional v-p sales for the Mid-dle East, Africa and Turkey. That line includes the Challenger 605, which is also here on static display, along with a rep-resentative of Bombardier’s large cabin, long-range line, a Global 6000.

“Every region has got its own require-ments,” said Mattar, explaining the Chal-lengers’ popularity. He noted that London, a popular destination from the Middle East, is within the Challenger 605’s range, while its cabin can accommodate the entourages that customers in the region often travel with. “Let’s not forget lug-gage,” he added. “Luggage is very impor-tant to the region, and as you know the 605

and Globals have big luggage spaces.”Bombardier (Chalet A23) also under-

scored its regional product support here at the show by ratifying its recent des-ignation of Arabasco in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as an authorized service facility (ASF) for Challenger 605 aircraft. Under the ASF agreement, Arabasco can pro-vide a full range of maintenance services to Challenger 605 operators from its facil-ity at the Private Aviation Terminal of King Abdul-Aziz International Airport.

The facility, authorized by the General Civil Aviation Authority, the U.S. FAA, Bermuda Department of Civil Aviation and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands, has been providing main-tenance on business aircraft for 32 years, and is staffed by more than 40 employees.

Bombardier president Eric Mar-tel said the agreement “will provide our Challenger 605 aircraft customers across Saudi Arabia and the surround-ing countries with greater access to quality and first-class customer support in their own backyards. Arabasco has a solid knowledge of our Challenger air-craft, as well as over three decades of

maintenance experience, and we are confident they will meet the needs of our customers in the region.”

Arabasco joins a network of more than 50 ASFs around the globe, supported by seven Bombardier-owned service centers in North America, Europe and Singapore.

HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Turki Al Saud, chairman of Arabasco, said, “This authorization firmly strengthens Arabasco’s position as the premier pro-vider of aircraft maintenance services in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the several

steps Arabasco has taken throughout its history in supporting business jet cus-tomers in the Kingdom.”

Mattar said the company’s ASF expan-sion is far from complete. “Bombardier is always looking at expanding our ser-vices in the region. We will keep looking as long as our fleet expands.” Addressing the impact of regional conflicts on that expansion, he said, “The market has dou-bled in the last ten years and the growth is still here, despite the disputes you have at the moment in the Middle East.” o

HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Turki Al Saud, Arabasco chairman, left, signs an agreement authorizing the company as a service center for the Challenger 605. Eric Martel, president Bombardier Business Aircraft looks on.

New Haeco introduces feng shui cabin conceptby James Wynbrandt

Hong Kong-based Haeco Private Jet Solutions (HPJS), formerly Taeco Cabin Com-pletion Center, launched its new corporate identity and introduced a new interior con-cept based on feng shui here at MEBA 2014. The name change is part of the rebranding of its parent company, Haeco (Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Ltd.), announced in October, and aims to under-score HPJS’s suite of services covering the entire lifecycle of an aircraft.

Nonetheless HPJS, the only company in Asia that is both an Airbus and Boeing approved completion facility, has its eye on the completion market for Asian customers, as the “Xiao Yao” design concept the company unveiled here at Dubai World Central illus-trates. “Ultimately, the objec-tive is to serve ultra-high net worth individuals in China,” said Henry Chan, HPJS’s com-mercial v-p.

The Xiao Yao design brings feng shui principles used in tra-ditional Chinese architecture

to the executive-configured airliner cabin, expressed in the curving lines of the interior, the relative positioning of liv-ing and sleeping areas, and the balance of the “five elements” of fire, earth, metal, water and wood.

“We’ve seen good, respect-able designs from Europe or the States, but these are really modern Western designs,” said Chan. “We have not seen designs that are of gen-uine heritage and based on the respected philosophy of ancient Chinese philosophers.”

To translate the concept into reality, HPJS’s Haeco Xiamen facility has six han-gar bays, each capable of accommodating two widebody and one narrowbody aircraft simultaneously. The hangars are currently 80 percent occu-pied by aircraft undergoing maintenance and refurbish-ment as well as green comple-tions. “So potential customers will have to act pretty fast if they want to secure a full-time hangar slot to perform a com-pletion like this,” Chan said. o

Jet Aviation’s local FBO partner, Al Mulla Investment Group, expressed support for the announcement. “DWC has the ideal infrastructure, competitive pricing and the flexibility that we need to do business, especially with regards to technical stops, where flights from Europe land for technical checkups or for refu-eling purposes,” said Khaled Al Mulla, the group’s chairman.

“The Executive Terminal will complement the rapid growth of business aviation in the Mid-dle East in general and Dubai in particular,” said Jetex CEO Adel Mardini. “Considering the geo-graphical advantage that Dubai

enjoys, I am confident that DWC will exceed all expectations for success and Jetex will play a sig-nificant role in the success.”

Yesterday at the MEBA show, DWC also signed a $40 million agreement with France’s STTS Group for a painting facility to be set up at the airport. STTS, will invest in the multi-purpose facility to cater to narrowbody airlines, VIP aircraft and business jets. According to a DWC press release, “The business case could develop into a capacity to service widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A380.”

“With this new partnership, DWC has come closer to its ambition of becoming the only hub outside North America and Europe to offer a complete ecosys-tem to the aviation and aerospace industry,” said bu Qara’a. o

DASSAULT SELLS A FALCON 5X TO

WALLAN AVIATION

Saudi Arabia’s Wallan Aviation yesterday agreed to buy a new Dassault Falcon 5X. Wallan, which is a Middle East dealer for Cessna and Bell Helicopter, has already operated Dassault Falcons (900EX EASy and a 900LX). It will use the aircraft for “the company’s own use with the option to charter,” said a statement from Dassault, which reported that the Middle East accounted for 20 percent of 5X sales to date. Saad Wallan, chairman of Wallan Aviation, said, “We chose the Falcon 5X because it is the right aircraft for the Middle East.” –I.S.

Ground breaks for executive terminaluContinued from page 1

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Comlux inks a deal for its first widebody projectby R. Randall Padfield

Comlux America has won its first widebody completion proj-ect, with the announcement of a contact award to provide a VIP interior for an Airbus A330. The aircraft is set to arrive in Sep-tember 2015 at the company’s completions, refurbishment and maintenance facility in India-napolis, Indiana and the work will likely take up to two years.

“This [first] widebody air-craft is the start of a new era in the development of Comlux America,” said CEO Jim Soleo. “We are now capable of offer-ing completion and service work on the whole range of VIP aircraft. Our team is fully committed to delivering our first widebody with the best quality and on time.”

To accommodate the A330 and future widebodies, Com-lux America has begun expan-sion of its current hangar from 128,000 square feet (11,900 square meters) to 157,000 square feet (14,600 square meters). When finished, by mid 2015, this

will allow the facility to hold one widebody the size of a Boeing 747-8 and up to six narrowbody airliners simultaneously.

Comlux America is a subsid-iary of the Europe-based Com-lux Aviation Group, which also offers aircraft management, charter, sales and acquisitions. Group president and CEO Rich-ard Gaona told AIN that Com-lux is now seeing a lot of charter demand in the Middle East, where its Boeing 767 and Airbus ACJ aircraft are especially popular.

Earlier this year, Comlux delivered an Airbus ACJ321 to an undisclosed client based in central Asia. More recently, in June, the company delivered to a Chinese customer a refurbished Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). These two deliveries represent the sev-enth and eighth green inte-rior completions since Comlux America became an authorized service center for both Airbus and Boeing in 2010.

The ACJ321 was delivered on time despite having an extremely

demanding deadline and, like all other Comlux completions to date, also met or bettered contrac-tual commitments for weight and cabin noise levels. The refurbished BBJ featured extra-wide seats with electric controls that were developed by Italy’s Iacobucci, as well as a high-performance enter-tainment system. This aircraft allows for four different interior configurations with the lounges and office area being converted into bedrooms as required.

The latest deliveries have cleared space in the hangar for an ACJ320 green comple-tion that Comlux was awarded back in February and which

is due for delivery in August 2015. Also now in the works is another major cabin refur-bishment for a BBJ and one for another ACJ320, which is due to leave Indianapolis by the end of December.

Service Heats UpMaintenance activities on the

service side of Comlux Amer-ica’s operations are also get-ting busier. This is especially the case since the company added Airbus aircraft to a portfolio that already includes Boeing, Gulfstream and Bombardier (for which the facility is an autho-rized service facility).

Learjets and Challeng-ers account for much of the work handled in the mainte-nance hangar and Comlux is looking to increase its activ-ity with the larger Global mod-els through the introduction of the 10-year 8C check (the first of which it intends to complete this month). It is also adding sup-port for the Learjet 70/75 series to its capabilities.

Another growth area is sup-porting the new FANS 1/A+ datalink requirement for which Comlux has developed a new supplemental type certificate covering the Challenger 600s (including the 604 model). o


GRAND PLANS

At the front of the exhibit hall here at MEBA, a large diorama represents future plans for the Dubai World Central development. Included are an industrial park and shopping.

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Comlux America is expanding its Indianapolis facility to be able to take on widebody aircraft projects.

Satcom1 touts new capabilities in cabin electronics and moreby David Donald

Satcom1 (Stand 632), with headquar-ters in Denmark and represented in the Middle East by a regional sales office in Dubai, is highlighting a number of recent advances here at MEBA, including becom-ing a hardware re-seller for the first time through an agreement with Honeywell.

In addition Satcom1 has updated its AvioPhone application to allow passen-gers to use their personal iPhone and Android phones without the need for a picocell system. The phone works directly with an aircraft internet connection and can make and receive calls to and from ground phones in the same way as it would on the ground, complete with caller display. At present U.S. and European phones are supported, and the system is undergoing beta testing. The AvioPhone update is to be released commercially in the first quarter of next year, by which time it will support all phones.

Satcom1 has also introduced a new cabin billing system that allows inflight charges to be passed directly to passengers through an Internet log-in system, freeing charter operators from having to invoice customers for WiFi services. The system can be switched on or off, giving operators

the flexibility to provide for long-term charters and VIP customers who require unhindered access.

Meanwhile, the company’s R&D team in Paris is pursuing another avenue of development. Using the innovative Aggre-gation technology that uses multiple SwiftBroadband channels to increase data speeds, Satcom1 has demonstrated data transfer rates of up to 1.4 Mbit per sec-ond using four SwiftBroadband channels. Aggregation of three channels is planned for inclusion in the AvioIP 2.6 software due for release early next year.

Next year the Inmarsat Jet ConneX (JX) service is due to go live, offering high-speed WiFi and the ability to video-con-ference inflight. In preparation for this Satcom1 has signed a deal with Honeywell to resell the U.S. company’s JetWave Ka-band hardware.

In May the companies signed an agree-ment under which Satcom1 will act as a channel distributor of airtime for busi-ness aviation. The tie-up with Honeywell, which is the exclusive hardware manufac-turer for JX, allows Satcom1 to continue to offer a full spectrum of satellite commu-nications solutions. o

Jeppesen and Company celebrated its 50th anniversary last week. It was very exciting and emotional. I got some really good licks in for FlightSafety.”

– Jepp Jeppesen, from a letter to FlightSafety founder Al Ueltschi, 1984

Building trust over time, and continuing to earn it each day, is FlightSafety’s promise and commitment. Aviation professionals from around the world trust FlightSafety to continuously provide the highest quality training and outstanding service they expect and deserve since 1951. Today more than 1,800 highly experienced professional instructors deliver aircraft and mission-specifi c courses, using FlightSafety’s comprehensive training systems and advanced-technology fl ight simulators designed to enhance safety. Trust your training to FlightSafety. You’ll see why so many of yesterday’s and today’s aviation professionals have made the same choice.

For information, please contact S. Sabry, Middle East Regional Sales Manager • +971 56 7479233718.902.3196 • S.Sabry@fl ightsafety.com • fl ightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company

“

A Legacy of Trust

FLIGHTSAFETY JEPPESEN TRUST AD - AIN CONVENTION NEWS - SABRY CONTACT - MEBA 2014 - Trim: 10.8125” w x 13.875” d Bleed: 11.0625” w x 14.125” d PDF/X-1a VIA EMAIL

ELREY B. JEPPESEN Navigational Aviation Pioneer

Aviation pioneers Elrey “Jepp” Jeppesen and Al Ueltschi started out as barnstormers and went on to become industry leaders and icons. They were close friends and business colleagues who led industry-changing efforts to make aviation safer.

Their correspondence, now housed in Seattle’s Museum of Flight, illuminates their mutual respect and goals. In 1962 Ueltschi wrote in a letter to Jeppesen, “If we can provide the fi nest instruction and equipment, our Company should continue to grow even more.” Jeppesen shared how he actively promoted FlightSafety, whether at aviation events or in one-on-one interactions. As a longstanding member of FlightSafety’s board of directors, Jeppesen was directly involved in the business. Al and Jepp discussed such milestones as ferrying the fi rst Falcon aircraft across the ocean and the arrival of FlightSafety’s Gulfstream, Falcon and JetStar simulators.

The company Jepp founded in 1934 continues to help aviation professionals worldwide reach their destinations safely and effi ciently. Al’s commitment in 1951 to provide the very best training and simulators remains at the core of FlightSafety’s mission to enhance aviation safety around the world.

Fly home in this Challenger, for sale by Boutsen Aviationby David Donald

Resale specialist Boutsen Aviation–exhibiting at MEBA on Stand 660 with sister company Boutsen Design–is pre-senting a Bombardier Challenger 604 in the static park here this week.

Well maintained, and with just 2,914 hours and 1,698 cycles, the aircraft is presently the lowest-time Challenger 604 on the market, claims Monaco-based Boutsen. Listed at $6.95 million, the aircraft is fitted with the Precision Plus avionics upgrade and Safe Flight’s AutoPower autothrottle enhancement. The 604 has been used only by its owner and is managed by an operator with an air operator certificate.

Established in 1997 by Formula One race car driver Thierry Boutsen and his wife Daniela, Boutsen Aviation has become a leading re-seller of business aircraft and helicopters. To date the company has sold 291 aircraft. Bout-sen’s portfolio currently comprises 15 jets and helicopters, including a

Gulfstream G550, Dassault Falcon 7X EASy II, Bombardier Global Express, AgustaWestland AW109 SP Grand new and Eurocopter EC135P2+. The company recently placed two G550s and a Falcon 7X.

“We have a representative in Dubai, which is a good base for sales I the Mid-dle East and Asia,” CEO Thierry Bout-sen told AIN. He singled out Qatar, where his company has placed seven air-craft over an 18-month period.

“Transactions in the region take longer than the average and there is still a need for education, but I very much appreciate the loyalty of these customers.”

The sales team of four at Bout-sen Aviation sells a total 20 to 30 air-craft per year. About 90 percent are pre-owned. Measured by aircraft type, turbine helicopters account for 20 per-cent of the total. Helicopters and busi-ness jets are following opposite trends,

Boutsen said, as rotorcraft sales tend to concentrate in the lower-end segment, while large-cabin, long-range business jets are the ones that sell best.

For interiors, Boutsen Design works with 140 suppliers for crystal glasses, chinaware, bathroom essentials, cash-mere plaids, etc. Most of them can be customized, Boutsen said.

Usually, the owner makes his or her selection of such objects dur-ing the cabin design process, to ensure every piece of tableware fits well into the cabinets. o


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Airlines at MEBA with VIP amenitiesby James Wynbrandt

One sign of the vitality of the Middle East’s busi-ness aviation market here at MEBA 2014 in Dubai is the presence of the region’s lead-ing commercial airlines at the show. Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Execu-tive are all exhibiting here at Dubai World Central, eager to showcase their offerings to the business and luxury travel markets.

“When big, game-chang-ing players like Emirates and Etihad get involved, you know things are going to get interesting,” said Ali Al Naqbi, founding chair-man of the Middle East and North Africa Busi-ness Aviation Association (MEBAA). “This is a real testimony that our hard work at MEBAA is pay-ing off. The commercial air-lines want to attend to get a better understanding of the region’s private and business aviation market.”

Renowned as a driving orce in encouraging a strong regulatory framework and industry guidelines for re-gional best practices, Al

Naqbi anticipates some 1,200 business aircraft will be registered in the region by 2020. The airlines clearly would like to divert some of that demand to their sched-uled services and are en-hancing their offerings to appeal to the business avia-tion demographic.

High Flying SuitesEtihad Airways (Stand

836), which has been in-creasing its first-class of-ferings recently, has staked its claim to the market with its launch of “The Residence by Etihad,” three-room suites on its new Airbus A380s. Eti-had is featuring here at the show a full-scale mock-up of the new suites. The 125-square-foot cabin for single or double occupan-cy includes a lounge, a shower area and bedroom with double bed. Passen-gers will be attended by “flying butlers” trained at London’s Savoy Hotel. The first of the airline’s Resi-dence-equipped A380s is scheduled to enter service

between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow on De-cember 27.

The Etihad stand also features the First Apart-ments, which will include a reclining armchair and full-length ottoman that con-verts into a bed. These will be installed on the upper deck of the A380. It will be the industry’s only single-aisle first class cabin, accord-ing to Etihad. Here at the show, the airline’s represen-tatives are also eager to pro-vide details on the airlines’ latest destinations, includ-ing Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Perth, Phuket, Edinburgh and Hong Kong. Madrid will join the list of new routes in 2015.

Emirates Executive is showcasing at the static dis-play (Stand A1A) an exec-utive-configured A319 air-liner that seats 19 and sleeps 15 in 10 private suites. The aircraft has a maximum range of 4,350 miles (7,000 km), and the cabin features amenities including live TV, video conferencing capabil-ity, high-speed Internet and mobile phone connectivity.

Qatar Executive (Stand 537) is highlighting its new Bombardier Global 5000 vision, an elegant two-cabin configuration with a sepa-rate galley, accommodating up to 13 passengers. o

Boutsen has this low-time Challenger 604 for sale at MEBA 2014.

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Etihad Airways is showcasing a mock up of its “Residence” A380 suites here at MEBA 2014.

Boutsen Design provides interior appointments such as crystal glasses, bath essentials,

cashmere throw blankets and more.

nexus.aero

Pavilion 5Visit us at:

Embraer finding success in region with bizjet line by David Donald

The first Embraer Legacy 500 for a Middle East customer is currently undergoing its cus-tomer acceptance process with the aim of the aircraft being delivered later in this month. Deliveries of the new super-midsize, fly-by-wire business jet began in October to a Brazilian customer, and on the 21st of that month the Legacy 500 received its FAA certification. Embraer is expecting to receive EASA approval next week.

In the meantime, the first

Legacy 500 aircrew class com-pleted training with FlightSafety International (Stand 645). The FAA and EASA approved the FSI simulator in St. Louis, Mis-souri, was in late October, allow-ing the first course to start training in November. Mainte-nance technician training is due to begin early next year.

Embraer Executive Jets (Cha-let A3) is currently focusing much of its efforts on bringing the Legacy 500 and the smaller 450 to market. The Legacy 450

development aircraft is cur-rently about halfway through its planned 600-hour test/certi-fication flight campaign, and is on schedule to enter service in the middle of next year. As the Legacy 450 employs many of the same systems as used in the Legacy 500, Embraer is able to complete certification with one development airframe.

Both types are to be assem-bled in the U.S. at Embraer’s Melbourne, Florida, facility, as well as at São José dos Campos in Brazil. The company already has a Phenom 100/300 assembly line and delivery center at Mel-bourne, and in October broke ground on the 140,000-sq-ft Leg-acy 450/500 facility, which was approved in August. The first

aircraft is due to be delivered from there in 2016. Additional facilities are being added at Mel-bourne, including a 42,000-sq-ft hangar and 35,000-sq-ft paint shop. In November an engi-neering and technology center opened at Melbourne.

More Than 800 Jets Delivered To Date

Since it first delivered an air-craft in 2002, Embraer Executive Jets has delivered 803 business jets, achieving its aim of becom-ing one of the industry’s major players. The Phenom 300 was the most delivered business jet in 2013, and looks set to maintain the position this year, having taken 57 percent of the light jet market. The 200th Phenom 300 was delivered in July this year, and more than 500 Phenom 100/300s have now been handed over in five years.

As the global executive jet market recovers from its 2008 low, Embraer is looking to the Middle East for many future sales. The company predicts that 230 aircraft will be sold in the region over the next 10 years, with a value of $10 billion. While large- and medium-sized aircraft will continue to dominate in the Middle East, Embraer sees an increase in light jet sales at some point in the future.

Currently Embraer has 33 ex-ecutive jets operating in the re-gion, comprising three Phenom 300s, 20 Legacy 600/650s and 10 Lineage 1000/E-Jet Shuttle air-craft. The fleet is concentrated

in Saudi Arabia (two Phenoms, four Legacies and three E-Jet Shuttles) and the UAE (12 Lega-cies and five Lineages). Support is provided by authorized ser-vice centers in Abu Dhabi (Fal-con Aviation Services–Legacy/Lineage) and Dubai (ExecuJet Phenom 300/Legacy/Lineage).

On display here at MEBA 2014 are a Lineage 1000E, Legacy 650 and Phenom 300. The Lineage is outfitted with an enhanced interior in a five-zone cabin; and this lat-est version has new avionics, including Cat IIIa autoland capability. Embraer offers the Lineage 1000E as an outfitted or “green” aircraft, allowing customers to install their own bespoke interiors, if desired.

When the Legacy 450 enters service next year Embraer Executive Jets will have rep-resentatives in all business jet categories, barring the ultra long-range segment. The com-pany has no immediate plans to fill that niche, although it is a longer-term goal.

For now Embraer is concen-trating on consolidating its mar-ket position in the small- to medium sector, while continuing to develop its large offerings, the Legacy 650 and Lineage 1000E. Embraer recognizes that a clean-sheet design would be required to meet the ultra-long-range require-ment, and that any aircraft it pro-duces would need some level of differentiation from the competi-tion to warrant the considerable investment in a new aircraft. o


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RED CARPET STANDARDS

The halls of the MEBA show are stocked and crowded with booths offering all the goods and services required for operating a business jet, or a fleet of business jets. Every visitor is treated like a VIP.

Satcom Direct’s router gets upgrade

Working with Paris-based Eclipse, Satcom Di-rect of Satellite Beach, Florida, has enhanced its SDR router to allow bond-ed and aggregated multiple Inmarsat SwiftBroadband streaming connections, in turn providing data flow rates of up to 1.6 Mbit per second. The aggregated ca-pability will be available from early next year. When Inmarsat’s high data rate streaming comes on line, the SDR will be able to sup-port that, too.

As part of its contin-uous process of improv-ing its satellite data service, Satcom Direct has also added two new offerings to its portfolio. The company has entered into a dealer-ship agreement with Emteq

(soon to be B/E Aerospace) that allows Satcom Direct customers to use eConnect. When integrated with the SDR, eConnect provides wireless IFE to both mon-itors and personal devices and controls cabin func-tions wirelessly.

Satcom Direct has also become an authorized reseller of Astronics Aero-Sat FliteStream broadband service, which uses patented lens/horn antenna technol-ogy. Among FliteStreams benefits is that it is not shared with commercial air-lines, thus avoiding poten-tial choke points.

Both Satcom Direct (Stand 765) and Eclipse (Stand 740) are exhibiting at MEBA 2014 this week in Dubai. –D.D.

The Lineage 1000E large-cabin aircraft is one of three models Embraer Executive Jets has on show here at MEBA 2014. Also available for viewing are a Legacy 650 and a Phenom 300.

MEBAA and GAMA focus on common vision

The General Aviation Manu-facturers Association (GAMA) and the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Asso-ciation (MEBAA) formed an alliance last April, and GAMA president Pete Bunce is visit-ing for this week’s MEBA show. MEBAA founding chairman Ali Al Naqbi said, “GAMA is an international organization, and it’s important for them to be here to help establish some of the missing elements of business avi-ation in this part of the world.”

Specifically, Al Naqbi was referring primarily to issues of air-space and regulations. He said that he looks to GAMA and Bunce for guidance in helping convince regulators that a “one size fits all” approach to business aviation and airlines is not practical. Al Naqbi also said it’s important to have government regulators from all the region’s countries to work in concert to establish coor-dinated rules and policies. He even suggested a European-style ATC system. –M.P.


MEBAA founding chairman Ali Al Naqbi, left, met with General Aviation Manufacturers Association president Pete Bunce here at MEBA, further reaffirming the bond between the two organizations.

Lufthansa A340-300 joins Ebola battleby David Donald

Lufthansa recently handed over a specially equipped Air-bus A340-300 to the German government for medical evacu-ation duties, primarily in con-nection with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The aircraft was withdrawn from Lufthan-sa’s passenger fleet and rap-idly modified for its new role by Lufthansa Technik (Stand 500) to become the world’s only air-borne evacuation facility for

highly contagious patients.By removing seats, galleys

and baggage lockers from the center and aft cabins, sufficient room was created for the instal-lation of a sophisticated isola-tion patient transport facility. The principal isolation unit comprises an airtight tent with negative pressure and two air-tight exterior tents to allow med-ical staff to enter and exit the central unit safely. The forward

cabin retains 19 seats for medi-cal staff and technicians, plus a Lufthansa engineer.

Modification of the aircraft began on November 17, and it was handed over just 10 days later. Named “Robert Koch” for the medical institute that devised and operates the installation, the aircraft will serve in its humani-tarian role for at least six months. The aircraft is crewed by volun-teers from the Lufthansa fleet. o

The A340 medical evacuation aircraft is equipped with advanced medical equipment and isolation facilities.

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Seawings launches new luxury tour packagesby Peter Shaw-Smith

Seawings Seaplane Tours, the Dubai-based luxury air-tour excursion company, has launched Seawings Lifestyle, a selection of panoramic expe-riences up and down the UAE coastline offering everything from luxurious yacht charter to historical heritage tours and wildlife desert drives.

Lifestyle packages are exclu-sive charter offerings for two, four or six individuals enjoying one-, two-, three- or six-night excursions from Dubai Creek to locations such as Sir Bani-yas, an island off Abu Dhabi, Oman’s Zighy Bay and Maha Resort, an eco-lodge deep in the desert on the road to the UAE’s third city of Al Ain.

The company also recently started including flights to the

UAE’s east coast, a growing tour-ism focus, with special luxury tours to the Omani Six Senses Zighy Bay resort thrown in for good measure.

Founded in 2007, Seawings offers aerial seaplane tours of Dubai on board the Cessna 208 Caravan amphibious aircraft. Seawings operates three sea-planes and each has the capacity to seat nine passengers.

“Our core business involves scenic flights above Dubai and the other emirates in a sea-plane. This is our eighth year of operations. We are experi-encing very good growth,” said Stuart Wheeler, CEO and com-pany founder.

“Every year, we continue to offer more value and pack-ages. We have increased our

operations in terms of scope, and are becoming quite prominent in Abu Dhabi. Dubai operations recently meant the addition of a service from the World Islands, allowing water taxi passengers to arrive on the Palm Island, with another flight from the Palm to the Creek and back.”

Wheeler said the flights threw into relief Dubai’s grow-ing status as a hub for finance, tourism and shipping, as cli-ents were given a detailed com-mentary on how Dubai rose to prominence, with the Creek vital to that experience.

“Passengers experience all the iconic features of Dubai, from the Palm and the World to the Creek, landing near the Park Hyatt, which is on the site where everything started in 1931, with the original flying boats landing from Southampton on the way to Mumbai,” Wheeler said.

“The seaplane adds an air of nostalgia and romance. It’s a great combination and an amaz-ing city to fly over. The vehicle evokes all sorts of emotions.” o

This aerial view of the Burj Al Arab hotel, one of Dubai’s signature landmarks, is available to tourists from the seat of one of Seawings’ Cessna 208 Caravan seaplanes.

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Scheme Designers here with specialized offeringby James Wynbrandt

Scheme Designers, pioneer of the custom aircraft paint scheme, is making its MEBA debut here at the 2014 show and introducing a comprehensive design offering created especially for the Middle East market.

“We’ve worked with a lot of customers from this region, but we’ve never addressed the mar-ket directly,” said Craig Barnett, the U.S. company’s founder and president. “It’s an ideal mar-ket for us because it’s focused

on business jets, and we’ve designed the schemes for a lot of large cabin aircraft and exec-utive airliners.”

In addition to designing the livery for OEMs including Daher-Socata, Piper, Mahindra Aerospace, Viking and Mooney, the company’s artists have cre-ated unique custom paint schemes for some 11,000 air-craft. For its “show special” here at MEBA, Barnett, the compa-ny’s chief artist, will personally design the paint scheme in close collaboration with the aircraft owner or representative, provide engineering drawings along with a complete three-dimensional design package, and supervise the design layout at the selected paint shop. The offering is priced at $5,000.

“Aircraft owners spend mil-lions of dollars on interior design, but the exterior design is just ignored, or done as something thrown in in a casual way,” Barnett said. “We bring a level of expertise unrivaled in that niche.” Scheme Designers is also showcasing here a new masking process that can create

highly complex fades. “It allows far more intricate design work,” Barnett said. The company also helps customers choose the best paint shop for their project, and specifies all instructions for application, whether mask-ing, airbrush or a combination of techniques.

At Scheme Designers’ dis-play (Stand 642B) the com-pany is featuring a multimedia presentation showcasing sev-eral hundred business jets and helicopters painted in the com-pany’s striking designs. Reflect-ing on the regional tastes he’s observed among Middle East

customers since starting his com-pany in 1997, Barnett noted “a desire for elegance in design over complexity.” The company occa-sionally designs paint schemes for yachts, as well, and Bar-nett said he’s already completed one such project that included a matching helicopter. o


HOT WHEELS & HOT WINGS

About the only ground-bound vehicle that can get away with sitting on the same ramp as a business jet is a Ferarri. Scattered throughout the aircraft static display are several examples of the Italian carmaker's art.�

MRO Specialist Marshall makes its MEBA debut by David Donald

Cambridge, UK-based Mar-shall Aviation Services (MAS, Stand 505) is exhibiting at MEBA for the first time, showcasing its wide portfolio of business avia-tion services. These range from extensive engineering and main-tenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities to aircraft management/charter (through the FlairJet brand) and aircraft brokerage (through the JETabil-ity brand).

MAS was established as part of the Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group to offer a full spectrum of business aviation ser-vices, along with management of Cambridge International Airport, a popular destination for many business/VIP travellers, but par-ticularly those with interests in the Newmarket horse-racing scene.

Marshall’s engineering exper-tise has resulted in the company becoming a major MRO orga-nization, notably for the Cessna

Citation and Bombardier Global Express, but also covering other aircraft types. The engineering of bespoke upgrades has been a his-torical strong point of the com-pany for many years.

In September 2013 Marshall acquired Beechcraft’s Brough-ton facility and it is now the main MRO center for Hawker business jets and Beechcraft turboprops. Many Middle Eastern opera-tors use the Broughton facility for servicing their Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft. Marshall is also the sales representative for King Air aircraft in the UK, Ire-land and Scandinavia.

“Our heritage in refurbish-ment, re-finishing, upgrade and support of aircraft of all sizes is excellent,” said MAS v-p busi-ness development James Dil-lon-Godfray. “There is a clear demand in the EMEA region for our services and we are working on some exciting projects.” o

Among Scheme Designers’ Middle East customers is Royal Jet, the aircraft charter division of the UAE Presidential Flight Authority, co-owned by Abu Dhabi Aviation. Scheme Designers is responsible for the paint scheme on the Royal Jet BBJ on display here at MEBA.

Craig Barnett founded Scheme Designers in 1997, and has developed a special aircraft paint design program geared specifically to Middle East customers.

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Air BP expands fuel outlets throughout the Middle Eastby Ian Sheppard

Air BP (Stand 847) is reaping the benefits of an increased focus on serv-ing business aviation customers. The fuel supplier is targeting growth in the Middle East, where it recently appointed a new sales manager and has grown its local team as it continues to increase the number of airports where it provides fuel and other services. Cur-rently this is around five airports/sites in the Middle East, but is set to expand fast–with the latest addition being Dubai Festival City’s new heliport.

Miguel Moreno, Air BP’s general man-ager for general aviation, told AIN that he has a team here at the MEBA show to inform visitors about the company’s full capabilities, which now include con-sultancy on fuel options and its Omega operations manual for general aviation. He also mentioned the oil company’s new partnership with flight planning portal Rocketroute.com as evidence that Air BP is now more than just a fuel supplier.

“We work with our customers, and for example we offer a Sterling Card and Citi Visa reward card,” said Moreno. “We

have 650 sites around the world and if the customer knows their most important airport, we aim to offer security of supply there through a service level agreement. This way they also get a shorter delivery time and avoid queues. At most airports at which we work we have business avia-tion dedicated teams and refuellers.”

FBO ServiceAccording to Moreno, Air BP can deliver

a full service fuel package that can be estab-lished at almost any location. “Another area we are developing is partnering with FBOs,” he said. “For example Gama [Aviation] at Sharjah, and also in Glasgow [in Scotland] too… both facilities are really happy with the results of our collaboration.”

On the consultancy side Moreno said, “We have different tools to give different opportunities to customers. We can look at fixed-price deals, caps, etc. through our trading department.”

While he admitted that the airlines rep-resent “a huge business in volume terms” Moreno was keen to stress that airlines were handled by “a completely different

team” out of the Air BP regional office, which is located here in Dubai. “Busi-ness aviation is another world–and my team only focuses on business aviation in the five continents,” he said. This pres-ence serving business aviation worldwide had been “growing for the past five years, even through the market difficulties.”

“The combination of our idea of being close to the customers and their airports is important, and we are offering to expand. We have 650 airports now and we are expanding our presence for exam-ple in China, in France–it’s a constant effort to get more sites,” said Moreno. He admitted that being part of a global com-pany is “a huge advantage” for BP Avi-ation’s business aviation ambitions. “For example, most of the Middle East cus-tomers flying to Europe are already with us. We also have similar in China, Africa, etc.,” he explained.

In North America, Air BP withdrew from its joint venture with Epic Aviation in February 2012 in order to offer its ser-vices to FBOs and operators direct. “We are getting more and more customers [there],” said Moreno. “We have lots of ideas on how to get a stronger position in the U.S. [market]. It took some time but now we are growing 20 percent year-on-year. More and more customers are going for the Sterling Card, for example.”

Back in the Middle East, Air BP has been eying the lucrative Saudi Arabian

market after making good progress in the Gulf. “We have plans all around the Middle East and we are talking [about new opportunities in Saudi Arabia] but we can’t [give further details] on this at the moment…but the Middle East is one of the busy hubs now and in the future. We have been very focused on Dubai,” Moreno said. o


Miguel Moreno, Air BP’s general manager for general aviation, said the company wants to expand its network in the Middle East, while also offering services other than just fuel supply.

Internationally renowned for excellence in business aviation, AMAC Aerospaceis the largest privately-owned facility in the world offering VIP, private andcorporate aviation services including narrow and wide body completion, main-tenance repair organization, refurbishment, aircraft management and charter.We are also exclusive Middle East sales distributors of the Pilatus PC-12 NG.

At EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse in Switzerland, our generous and modernhangars comfortably accommodate multiple narrow and wide-body aircraftand extend to service an A380. One wide-body hangar is dedicated to mainten

ance, another to completions and refurbishment, and a third, smaller hangaraccommodates a variety of aircraft for simultaneous maintenance work.

At Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey we provide our esteemed Middle Easternclientele with maintenance services for the Pilatus PC-12 NG and Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000 aircraft series. We are proud to be exclusive PilatusMiddle East Sales Distributors. Looking forward to welcoming you in Basel orIstanbul!

AMAC Aerospace Turkey Dünya Ticaret Merkezi,A2 Blok, Kat: 11, No:35234149 Yeşilköy/İstanbul

Mr. Mohamad BadranT +41 79 229 36 [email protected]

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Swiss Excellence in Business AviationOur Services in Europe and the Middle East

Visit us at the MEBA 2014, Chalet A13

10.12.14_AIN_MEBA Convention_254x165_254x165 19.11.14 11:30 Seite 1

Versatile aux fuel tanks add range to 737 seriesby R. Randall Padfield

Operators of Boeing 737s will soon have a new option for boost-ing the range of the iconic air-liner, from the 737-200 to the Max series. Long Range Auxiliary Fuel, based in Hergiswil, Swit-zerland, which is exhibiting here at MEBA 2014 with Gainjet Avi-ation (Stand 700), expects FAA and EASA approval of the sup-plemental type certificate (STC) for system the early next year.

“Our initial idea was to develop a new concept and design of an auxiliary fuel tank systems,” explained Karl Lang, CEO of Long Range, who is also long-time private pilot. “We started with the 737 because of its fleet size in the market. Of the ‘classics’ there are about 2,000. These are the dash 200, 300, 400 and 500.” However, the Long Range tanks will also fit the 737 Max 8 and 9.

“The system has not only been developed by Long Range,

but the STC will be owned by Long Range. The product is pat-ented worldwide and the name is registered worldwide,” he said. Although not a sister company of Gainjet Aviation, the two companies have some common owners, thus their appearance at the same MEBA stand.

The Long Range Auxiliary Fuel system comprises “mas-ter tanks” (449 usable gallons), quick-change “slave tanks” (419 usable gallons), a flush-floor rail system and a control panel in the cockpit. One or two master tanks can be installed, depend-ing on whether one wants to place auxiliary tanks in the for-ward or aft cargo bays (under the passenger cabin) in the 737, or in both bays. (If using only one master tank, it will typically be placed in the forward section of the aft cargo bay.)

The master tank or tanks, which are “hard installations,”

contain all the required plumb-ing, the fuel filling and transfer system and the fuel indicating system. They feed fuel directly to the airplane’s center fuel tank. After installation of the basic provisioning kit (one mas-ter tank, the rail system and a cockpit panel) by an MRO, the system is ready to fly.

Slave tanks, which fit through the 737’s standard forward and aft cargo doors, can be installed or removed at any time by two line-service personnel, using a fork-lift and no special tools, in about two to three hours, Lang said. The tanks slide down the rail system, which is flush with the cargo floor, and then “hook up” with the adjacent master or slave tank with quick-con-nect couplings.

“Think of Legos snap-ping together,” Lang said. “No plumbing, wiring or tooling is required to connect the tanks. They are that simple.” The slave tanks have no moving parts, no pumps and no motors, he said. Cabin-air pressure is used to move the fuel from the slave tanks to the master tanks.

The cost of a seven-tank con-figuration holding 2,700 gallons

of fuel will be about $3 million, Land said. This will add about 2,400 nm of range to the airplane, figuring an average fuel burn of about 500 U.S. gallons/hour. Bearing in mind that numerous configurations of tanks are pos-sible, as a rule of thumb, the cost of an installation comes out to about $1,000 per gallon of fuel added by the tanks.

Long Range is planning to lease slave tanks from numer-ous locations worldwide, so that operators have the flexi-bility of adding tanks for spe-cific missions, and then can return them when no lon-ger needed. The company has developed a website, which it plans to make public after the STC is secured. o


WHAT CAN THESE MACHINES DO FOR YOU?

Business aviation offers a form of travel that cannot be matched for convenience, comfort and making the best use of time. It offers savings which are not measured in financial terms. Time is the one commodity that cannot be bought at any price, and business aviation saves time.�

Karl Lang, Long Range president and CEO, has developed an auxiliary fuel system for Boeing 737s. The “quick change” line-replaceable tank system offers considerable flexibility for operators wanting to increase the range of their legacy 737s to that of a BBJ.

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Iacobucci’s VIP seats make Middle East debutby James Wynbrandt

Iacobucci HF Aerospace (Stand 520) of Ferentino, Italy, is displaying here at MEBA 2014 its high-end aircraft seats and galley accessories designed exclusively for business aircraft. Since introducing its first busi-ness aircraft seat in 2010, the company has become a major player in luxury seating category.

“Our USP [unique selling point] is that we are a boutique seat manufacturer, everything is made in Italy and we are open to collaborate with our customers,” said Ricardo Palmeri, Iocabuc-ci’s director of marketing.

Here at the show, Iacobucci is displaying its Milano sin-gle seat, the first time the seat is being shown in the region, as is the company’s double-mechani-cal seat. In addition, the compa-ny’s newly certified line of shell seats, based on seats designed for the recently delivered Hyundai Motor Company’s BBJ, com-pleted by Comlux, are available in a range of configurations, functions, styles and finishing.

Detailed information about Iacobucci’s latest seats and

divan, developed for the new Piaggio Avanti Evo model, is also available at its display here at Dubai World Central (Stand 520). The company is eager to meet with potential clients who are looking for the seats that are “elegant, refined, and bring that feeling that ‘This has been

designed just for me,’” Palm-eri said. “If you’re looking for something exclusive and pre-mium, made in Italy, with Ital-ian quality and style, come to us and see if we can work together.” The company declined to pro-vide pricing for its seats.

Iacobucci is also display-ing its award-winning range of espresso and coffee mak-ers that are designed specifi-cally for business aircraft. The espresso and cappuccino mak-ers (28V and 115V variable fre-quency) include the Americana line, available with an external tank or connected to the air-craft’s water system.

Also being showcased is the company’s aerospace gusto oven, the first and only certi-fied induction oven series for business aircraft, capable of producing “five-star restau-rant” quality meals, Palmeri said. “If you want to have what we call the academy of taste, or gusto, onboard, there’s no other choice.” Iacobucci will be providing demonstrations of the oven, already installed on about 70 business jets, here at the show. o

Italian interior designer Iacobucci is displaying its custom Milano single business jet seat for the first time in the Middle East region here at MEBA.

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Empty-leg chartering helps to optimize valueby R. Randall Padfield

Private Jet Charter, an air charter broker with offices in the UAE, the U.S., the UK and Italy and a representative in Russia, wants MEBA attend-ees to understand the benefits of “empty legs” when they are con-sidering charter flights.

“Empty legs” may sound strange to people new to pri-vate aviation, but the concept can mean significant savings to charter passengers who have a flexible schedule, such as vaca-tioners. “An empty leg refers to a private jet flying empty after dropping off a passenger or en route to pick up a passenger,” explained Ross Kelly, managing director for PJC Middle East. “As the flight is already paid for, we [as a charter broker] can offer huge discounts.”

Kelly said these discounts can be as much as 50 to 70 per-cent on the empty leg. For exam-ple, he said a typical charge for a round-trip charter from Dubai to Riyadh is about $25,000, and that his company could negotiate the empty leg for less than half of this.

Many chartered business air-craft carry passengers to their destination, wait on the ground for the passengers to do what they need to do and then fly them back that same day or maybe the next. Typically, there is an extra charge to keep the aircraft on the ground, waiting for the clients, after certain period of time.

For charter operators, having an aircraft waiting on the ground far from its base can mean lost revenue. So frequently the jet will return to base to be available for another charter. In most cases cus-tomers are charged for cost of the round trip, if they don’t pay for the aircraft to wait for their return trip.

Extra RevenueObviously, finding people who

want to travel back to the charter operator’s base means more reve-nue for the operator. And because the return leg has already been paid for by the first customer, the operator has an incentive to offer the empty leg for less. After all, getting some extra revenue from the empty leg is better than flying the airplane home empty.

Furthermore, there’s some flexibility in the empty-leg desti-nation, too. As long as the flight doesn’t stray too far away from the airport where it is based, the operator can still earn some reve-nue on it. And it may make sense for the operator to leave the flight on the ground for a few days, pay-ing the hotel and per diem for the crew and parking fees at the air-port, to wait to turn the empty leg into an extra-revenue flight.

While filling empty legs of charter flights is popular in the U.S. and Europe, the practice is not as common in the Middle East, Kelly said. “We have intro-duced this service to the region

due to the strong demand from customers for one-way flights,” he added. “Our vast international network can track the availability of ‘empty leg’ trips and place them on our web portal [www.private-jetcharter.com] for people to book in a few basic steps.” He said the company updates the empty-leg list whenever it learns of the avail-ability of a new empty leg.

Private Jet Charter is not exhib-iting at MEBA 2014, but Kelly said that many of the company’s representatives are attending the show and are eager to speak with potential clients. o

Côte d’Azur airport group teaming with Happy Design by David Donald

Bespoke aircraft exterior designer Happy Design Studio has announced a business partnership with France’s Aéro-ports de la Côte d’Azur (ACA) as part of a joint vision to continue the improve-ment of customer service quality at the private/business jet facilities at ACA’s air-ports at Cannes-Mandelieu, Nice-Côte d’Azur and Saint-Tropez.

“With every wish to develop this busi-ness, we want to give our customers the kind of services they expect, and not only air services,” said Dominique Thillaud, chairman of ACA. “The partnership with Happy Design Studio is part of that approach.”

Happy Design Studio will present its work via displays at the three ACA air-ports, allowing potential customers to

experience the artistry of founder Didier Wolff. For Happy Design the tie-up pro-vides the ability to reach aircraft own-ers who may be looking for eye-catching bespoke exterior designs for their aircraft, providing them with what Wolff described as “an opportunity to meet a new world of design.” The airports could also pro-vide ideal locations for the handover of newly decorated aircraft.

Happy Design takes on only a hand-ful of projects annually, with the focus on maintaining high standards of design and quality. “I would rather do a few air-craft a year and do them well,” Wolff told AIN. “It begins on a 3D model and ends with personal supervision of the painting. If that means spending two weeks at the paint shop, then I will do that.” o

Happy Design has applied this bespoke scheme to a Global 5000

POWER TRIP

Snecma’s Silvercrest turbofan was announced at the 2006 NBAA show and first run in September 2012. It is earmarked for service on Cessna’s Citation Longitude and Dassault’s Falcon 5X business jets.

VIRTUAL REALITY SHOW

Here at MEBA 2014, Honeywell (Stand 562)has a “virtual reality seat” where visitors can experience all the tech-nologies the company can supply for aircraft cabins and cockpits.

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Middle East airline traffic challenges bizav accessibilityby Peter Shaw-Smith

The headlong growth of scheduled air transport in the Middle East is intensify-ing the challenges facing the region’s air traffic controllers and the priorities they must set themselves as business aviation goes in search of the recognition it needs to expand and prosper.

Ahmed Al Jallaf, assistant director general of the UAE’s Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre, told the MEBAA con-ference this week that about 49 percent of the UAE’s airspace is set aside for mili-tary operations, leaving only just over half of the airspace for a growing raft of civil operations. The Middle East has various large portions of military airspace and, in his view, there is a strong need to imple-ment the flexible use of airspace concept.

In May 2013, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) submitted its MID (Middle East) ATM Enhance-ment Program (MAEP) proposal to ICAO. This called for a regional airspace collaborative solutions by implementing harmonized and joint projects to over-come the region’s increasing difficulties due to what it referred to as fragmented airspace structures, high-levels of tacti-cal intervention by ATC, choke points, traffic bunching and queuing, and reli-ance on conventional technologies. It cited ICAO statistics showing that Mid-dle East annual traffic growth rates, led by the Gulf, at 5.2 percent, lag only Asia-Pacific (6.3 percent) and Latin America (5.8 percent) in terms of world growth.

“Airspace in the region is extremely busy and congested. Continued invest-ments in the airspace and airports sys-tems and technologies will allow the operators to have much more effective operations,” said Al Jallaf. “We have real-ized that to accommodate the growth and the continued expansion we need to work

together with our partners to ensure safe and efficient air traffic operations.”

In the presentation submitted by GCAA, UAE traffic forecasts showed that in the period 2010-15, daily move-ments will increase 6.8 percent, 4.8 per-cent in 2015-20 and 3.7 percent in the period 2020-30. “The total number of flights within the UAE flight information region will increase from 740,585 flights in year 2012 to approximately 1,859,000 flights in year 2030 based on the UAE studies. The current Middle East airspace structure will be unable to handle the sus-tained forecasted traffic growth within the UAE,” the GCAA presentation to ICAO concluded.

“Business aviation is and will always remain a main component of air traf-fic operations in general. It is up to the business aviation operators how they fit themselves in the system. From an air traffic control point of view, priority is given specifically to certain criteria: air-craft in emergency, aircraft in hijack, etc. as per ICAO standards,” said Al Jallaf.

“With regard to business aviation within normal status operations, the current issue is sometimes the varied performance of the aircraft, and how to create capacity,” he continued. “The performance of super jets like the Airbus A380 varies signifi-cantly with specific light or medium cate-gory [business] aircraft. At the end of the day I see all sorts of operations faring very well not only in the UAE but in the region.”

Today, the UAE sees 2,300 move-ments per day, with 5,400 predicted for 2030. Looking ahead to the implemen-tation of MAEP, Al Jallaf concluded, “The importance is it will encourage harmonization and collaboration to ensure safe and efficient operations and enhance ATM capacity.” o


ELIT’AVIA ADDS SEVEN JETS TO CHARTER FLEET

Slovenia-based Elit’Avia announced on the eve of MEBA 2014 the addition of seven air-craft to its charter fleet: a Bombardier Chal-lenger 300 and 604, a Gulfstream G450, G550 and two G650s and a Ghana-based Hawker 800XP. The new jets bring Elit’Avia’s charter fleet to more than 20 aircraft, and come on the heels of the opening of Elit’Avia’s new offices in Malta in September.

“We are delighted to be here in Dubai to announce this expansion of our fleet and to our services here, which will help us meet strong, growing demand, especially in the Middle East and Africa,” said Michel Coulomb, company CEO. “With the addition of the new Gulfstream G650s to our charter fleet, Elit’Avia is well posi-tioned to meet the demand for super long range activity in this region.” –J.W.

DREAM MACHINES

“Okay, we’ll put the work-out room on the lower level, just aft of the home theater.” Sometimes, it can be inspir-ing to see the possibilities. On the Lufthansa Technik stand here at MEBA, this cutaway model shows what can be done with the avail-able floor space of a VVIP version of Boeing’s 747.

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Dassault showcases Falcon 5X by Thierry Dubois

Dassault Aviation is here exhibiting its Falcon 7X and Falcon 900LX long-range business jets and a full-scale cabin mock-up of the new Falcon 5X, which the man-ufacturer categorizes as “ultra-wide body.”

The Falcon 5X is understood to be in the final stages of assembly at the com-pany’s Bordeaux, France factory, prepar-ing for ground tests. It is scheduled to fly in the second quarter of 2015 and receive certification late in 2016.

One of the first deliveries, in the sec-ond half of 2017, will take place in the Middle East. The region accounts for 20 percent of the twinjet’s sales. The Falcon 5X can fly nonstop from Dubai to Cape Town or from Riyadh to Tokyo.

The Falcon 8X, a 7X derivative, is due to roll out on December 17 at Dassault’s Bordeaux, France, headquarters, and to make a first flight in the first quarter of next year. It can fly from Jeddah to Bos-ton, or New York to Dubai.

Both aircraft are well suited to opera-tors in the Middle East because the latter

place a high premium on spaciousness, range, operating flexibility and econom-ics, Dassault believes. The firm’s best-sell-ing business jet in the Middle East is still the 5,950 nm Falcon 7X, which accounts for half of all Falcon sales in the region over the last five years. The first Falcon 2000S–Dassault’s cheapest aircraft–in the Middle East was delivered to a Saudi Arabian customer in October.

“The early success of our two lat-est model offerings reflects the wide popularity the entire Falcon fleet has long enjoyed in the Middle East,” said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “Operators in the region truly appreciate the operating perfor-mance, flexibility and technological excellence offered by Falcon aircraft.”

In the region, Dassault operates an authorized service center, spares dis-tribution center and regional sales office in Dubai, as well as an autho-rized service center and technical office in Jeddah. o

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The Dassault Falcon 5X features the widest Falcon cabin ever, as can be seen in a cabin mockup here at the MEBA show. Dassault also is exhibiting a Falcon 7X and a 900LX.

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ArincDirect highlights quartet of technologies by Matt Thurber

“Arinc was the largest acqui-sition in Rockwell Collins his-tory,” said Brian Kruger, se-nior director of the company’s ArincDirect unit. Five years ago Rockwell Collins purchased the former Air Routing internation-al trip planning and handling company, creating the Ascend Flight Information Solutions di-vision. After the Arinc purchase in December 2013, Rockwell Collins merged Ascend with Arinc’s services division and created the new ArincDirect business unit, which is part of Rockwell Collins’s Information Management Services division.

ArincDirect is highlighting four key technologies here at MEBA (Stand 625): a new fu-el tankering feature; integrated weight-and-balance/perfor-mance calculations in the Arinc-Direct iPad app; new integration with Rockwell Collins’s Flight Operations System (FOS) soft-ware for scheduling and opera-tions management; and connec-tivity solutions for flight crew and passengers.

“We provide a suite of [solu-tions] that will fit most every segment,” said Kruger. The ser-vices offered by ArincDirect’s Houston facility are focused on international trip support, but these services are combined with ArincDirect flight planning and trip support tools that came as part of the Arinc acquisition.

The FOS product aids in send-ing notifications and push alerts to international trip-handling clients, according to Kruger, as well as tracking flight schedules and compliance with regulatory requirements, such as pilot qual-ifications and record-keeping. “It’s a comprehensive suite of service offerings,” he said.

FOS, designed for both pri-vate (Part 91) and commercial (Part 135) operations, “is scalable to fit the mission,” Kruger said. One of the new features added in the last few months allows flight department schedulers and dis-patchers to make trip requests via FOS to ArincDirect’s Hous-ton operation. “That’s part of the triangle of our software acquisi-tions,” he said. “We’re trying to make [our services] more com-prehensive and seamless.”

For FOS users that pre-fer working with third-party software developers, Rockwell Collins makes this possi-ble through the FOS Alli-ance Network. For example, a charter operator might want to promote the availability of empty legs and can use FOS to notify charter brokers and fill seats that otherwise might gen-erate zero revenue on a repo-sitioning flight. Maintenance tracking company Camp Sys-tems works with FOS to keep aircraft maintenance informa-tion current. Another useful

capability is real-time updat-ing of on-off times via data-link. “FOS is well connected to many providers in this industry,” Kruger said.

FOS also allows users to link directly to the ArincDirect website for filing flight plans or importing flight plans back to FOS; access flight tracking information, the Arinc Direct message center and text and graphical weather; request U.S. and Canada slots; overlay trips on ArincDirect’s mapping tool; and view trip reports on the ArincDirect iPad app.

The new fuel planning service is not only helpful for tankering planning (determining the opti-mal fuel load), but also allows ArincDirect users to analyze how ramp fees and performance limitations affect the entire flight. Trips of up to 15 legs can be analyzed. o


SOVEREIGN ARRIVAL

Cessna’s Citation Sovereign+ makes its debut in the Middle East here at MEBA. It has a maximum range of 3,188 nautical miles and can carry as many as 12 passengers. Top cruise speed is 460 knots.

FIA deals with increases in private business flightsby Peter Shaw-Smith

Fujairah International Air-port (FIA) has seen 176 private flights in the two years since November 2012. Of those, 66 were in 2014, represent-ing a steady increase over ear-lier periods. The airport signed a seven-year agreement with Switzerland’s Aurora Aviation in 2012 to provide FBO ser-vices at FIA.

Charles Hajdu, acting gen-eral manager at FIA, told AIN: “Aurora Aviation has developed its general aviation business to include an FBO. It is the exclu-sive provider for FBO services here at Fujairah International Airport. I am pleased with their performance as we have seen the number of movements related to business and private flights increase by 39 percent [since 2012].” According to Aurora, it has attracted 26 percent more new operators to the airport since it took over.

Thanks to its rising sta-tus as a ship-bunkering port, Fujairah is the UAE’s new-est boomtown, with fuel tank farms mushrooming to supply storage for oil products. “Bun-kering is a major driver [of the airport. Oil and gas exec-utives do use scheduled air-lines, but they have their own airplanes as well,” said Hajdu. “Some of the travel involves technical stops; and those are the ones we really want to get. We are not a destination in the sense that Dubai is, but that’s beginning to change because of the oil and development of the Port of Fujairah. We are

beginning to see more traffic related to them.”

Today, FIA’s main business streams are cargo, flight training and MRO services for the Rus-sian fleets, although Hajdu is looking to increase activity on the passenger side, as several luxury hotels are situated to the north of Fujairah. “The airport is not just going to be for tourist traffic. It has to be for business and that means we have to provide addi-tional services. That’s key for us, to be able to handle that.”

Abu Dhabi Airports Com-pany and Fujairah’s Directorate of Civil Aviation signed an agree-ment in July 2014 for a major infrastructure development of the airport, including a runway extension, parallel taxiway/emer-gency runway and a new control tower. Groundbreaking on the airport developments is set for the third quarter of 2015.

“The alignment of the run-way towards the mountains has always been a concern and the combination of a 900-meter (2,953 feet) runway extension to the existing runway length of 3,750 meters (12,303 feet) will provide a performance advan-tage for departures towards the mountains,” Hajdu said.

“Combined with improved RNAV [area navigation] approach and departure procedures and the implementation of multi-latera-tion radar, we are fully equipped for all weather situations. A pos-sible ground based augmenta-tion system would also provide enhanced runway approach pro-cedures for our customers.” o

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ArincDirect is the name of the Rockwell Collins business unit resulting from the commingling of various flight-support companies.

London’s Jet Business, the place for expertiseby Charles Alcock

There is a plentiful selec-tion of private aircraft on dis-play here in Dubai this week at MEBA, but year-round, dis-cerning Middle Eastern private travelers flock to another place where they can get expert guid-ance: The Jet Business store in London’s most exclusive Knightsbridge district.

“We’re now getting a lot of repeat business and a good flow of deals,” founder Steve Varsano. “A lot of peo-ple from the Middle East come to London in the sum-mer and many of them come in to see us. We’re seeing a big increase in [client] traffic from the region but I’m not sure if this is true of the mar-ket as a whole because there are some quiet pockets and that may be due to political upheaval causing people to stay on the sidelines [of air-craft trading].”

In addition to the fall-ing price of crude oil, another economic driver has been the strengthening of the U.S. dol-lar. “This could help the market because most people with non-U.S. currency have been able to buy [dollar-priced] airplanes cheaply,” Varsano explained. “Now sellers are able to sell air-craft at a lower dollar price but end up with a higher amount of their local currency. The Rus-sian ruble has fallen a lot and we’ve done quite a few deals in CIS countries where sellers can ask less for and aircraft and still get more money back.”

The Jet Business feels very at home closing transactions across borders. A week before heading to Dubai for the MEBA show, Varsano’s team sold an airplane from Ukraine into Pak-istan. “When you are in this business you can’t depend on CNN’s definition of a country,”

he said. “We are more tolerant of people’s personalities and the way they do business in different parts of the world.”

In the first three years of The Jet Business’s existence much of the foot-traffic in the exclu-sive store was accounted for by high-net worth individuals and entrepreneurs. Increasingly, it is now getting visits from aviation department managers and chief pilots. “These are the serious decision makers at corporations and they are more involved in the selection of aircraft,” com-mented Varsano. “Some people trade their planes as frequently as they change their cars but others are now tending to keep them longer.”

According to Varsano, mar-ket conditions are improving for both buyers and sellers on the back of a 30 percent increase in preowned transactions since 2008. “There are now around 20,000 business aircraft in the world and so there are more choices than ever,” he concluded.

Now Varsano wants to rep-licate The Jet Business in his hometown: New York City. He’s looking for a partner to help him with this project. o


NEWS CLIPS

z Three U.S. Caterers Join Forces for MEBAThree of the U.S.’s most respected inflight caterers have

joined forces to jointly promote their services here at MEBA 2014 (Stand 642c). The three companies are all owner-operated and offer similar standards of high-quality services.

With Air Gourmet covering the Los Angeles/Las Vegas region, Rudy’s Inflight Catering operating in the New York/New Jersey/Baltimore/Washington area and SilverLining Inflight Catering operating in Florida, the companies cover the principal high-traffic regions in the U.S., making them a natural fit for a joint-marketing effort.

All three companies share the same values: providing exceptional catering services. This includes washing/sanitization and the high-loader capability that is required when catering for large aircraft operators.

z Mixed Year for Bizav Across Middle EastResearch carried out by WingX and commissioned by the Middle

East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) has found that the combined regions enjoyed a mixed year for bizav in 2014.

While flight activity was up 6.6 percent in North Africa year to date, WingX found that movements had fallen 1.9 per cent in the Middle East region during 2014.

“Regional instability, in the second half of 2014, has undermined business aviation activity in the Middle East this year,” the WingX report said.

The WingX study found that airports in the UAE are the busiest in the region, with a total of 41,000 business aviation movements this year. Saudi Arabia is the largest bizav market in the region, with a 35 percent share of the fleet. The average age of the Saudi fleet is 14.9 years, in comparison with 10 years for the UAE fleet, which enjoys a 26 percent share.

Top five business aviation airports in the region were Dubai Al Maktoum International, Dubai International, Beirut, Jeddah and Riyadh, WingX said.

z New Hangar Heralds Paris-Le Bourget Expansion Advanced Air Support (Stand 735), part of the Jet Services

Group, plans to open a new hangar at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport next March. Construction is well advanced on the 71,040-sq-ft building, which will offer accommodation for up to five aircraft of BBJ size. A new 133,470-sq-ft apron is also being installed in front of the hangar.

Currently, Advanced Air Support has one of Le Bourget’s five historic hangars on the eastern side of the airport available, but the height of its hangar restricts its use to smaller aircraft as the door is not tall enough to admit large aircraft, such as the BBJ or Bombardier Globals.

As part of a long-term plan to develop Le Bourget, the Jet Services Group has built a hotel at the new entrance to the business aviation area. In the third quarter of next year Advanced Air Support is scheduled to begin the building of a new VIP terminal next to the hotel. Construction and completion is expected to take around two years.

z Space Filling Fast for Farnborough 2016On the opening day of MEBA 2014, Farnborough International

Ltd. (FIL) announced some encouraging news about its own show. The chalet doors were barely shuttered after this summer’s event before exhibitors started booking space for the 2016 running of the iconic UK air fair. As of today, 64 percent of exhibition space is spoken for.

FIL commercial director Amanda Stainer said, “We’re making some quite radical changes at the show to support the changing demands of our exhibitors and visitors.” These include “a larger civil delegation program, improved participation initiatives from MRO rotary and machine tooling customers and enhanced exhibiting options for international and SME companies,” said a statement from FIL.

Stainer added: “2016 is also the centenary anniversary for Boeing and we are in discussions with them regarding their presence at the show during this special time.”

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FOKKER LANDS 737 VIP COMPLETION

Fokker Services concluded a contract with Boeing to provide a 737-800 head-of-state VIP completion for an undisclosed Asian customer. The aircraft is due for delivery to the company’s facil-ity in the Netherlands, and it is due for redelivery in August 2016.

“We are proud that our VIP completions, design concepts and craftsmanship are acknowledged and highly appreciated by one of the most impor-tant leaders in the aviation industry,” commented Johan van Dorst, sales director for Fokker’s com-pletion and conversion business (pictured, right). “This VIP completion award, together with the development of the SkyView panoramic window for BBJs being on track, will bring our relationship with Boeing to new levels.”

Here at MEBA Fokker is showcasing the SkyView (Stand 600), which was first revealed at EBACE in May as an option for the BBJ. Spanning three stan-dard window frames, the SkyView offers a 54.5-inch wide window that is also deeper than standard win-dows, with a height of 19.5 inches. –D.D.

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With all the aircraft on display here at MEBA, it still takes a high level of experience to find the right fit.

PAID FOR BY THE NATIONAL BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION

“Our company's accomplishments, and my usefulness, would be far

less were it not for our business airplanes.”

less were it not for our business airplanes.”

HERB KOHLERChairman and CEO

Kohler Company

WWW.DASSAULTFALCON.COM I FRANCE: +33 1 47 11 88 68 I USA: +1 201 541 4600

Now you have two choices for superior, ultra-long-range capability. The 5,950 nm Falcon 7X—the fastest selling Falcon ever (and with good reason). Or the new, 6,450 nm Falcon 8X, destined to become a favorite of world travelers. Both have the awe-inspiring ability to fl y long distances from short and challenging runways such as Aspen and London City. The 8X is more than three feet longer, with over 30 cabin layouts. Fly far. Fly in comfort. Achieve more.

TWO WAYS TO CONQUER THE WORLD.

8X _275x352.indd 1 17/11/14 10:23

meba convention news 12-10-14

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