JetEx has officially opened its new FBO at Paris Le Bourget Airport. The Dubai-based business aviation services group has big ambitions to expand internationally and sees its new French operator as a key first step.

The company, which is also active in worldwide flight planning and support, is targeting VIP traffic passing through the French capital. A sizable proportion of its client base is from the Middle East, where VIP flying activity is still at a high level, but the FBO also attracts significant traffic from within Europe and from North America.

According to Holger Ostheimer, JetEx’s FBO manager at Le Bourget, the company is aiming to “redefine” standards for ground handling and FBO quality. Ostheimer said that the front desk team has received special training in customer service and will soon have its own dedicated manager.

The new FBO has been developed from the former Flying Group facility, which JetEx acquired at the start of this year. The building is divided into two sections, each of which spans two floors. The main section, called Le Salon, will be used mainly by business passengers, while Le Royal features a somewhat more exclusive finish and generally will be used for VIP groups, including royal flight. The layout of the building gives JetEx scope to accommodate segregation within groups where this is appropriate. It includes an area for prayer and a room where female and male passengers can complete customs and immigration procedures separately.

The FBO also includes crew rest rooms, Internet access, conference rooms, showers and immediate access to a spacious ramp, which has ample parking space for aircraft as large as the Airbus A380. In front of the building are 38 secure spaces for parking cars.

Said JetEx CEO Adel Mardini, “It is our mission to ensure maximum comfort to regional and international corporate and private aircraft travelers. Paris Le Bourget is a marquis location and this VVIP facility will all allow JetEx to offer a higher level of service to our clients.”

According to Mardini, despite the economic slowdown, JetEx has continued to grow, adding new flight-support operations in Europe and various parts of the Commonwealth of Independent States. He said that the company has plans to open five more FBOs.