Hadid International Services (Stand C246) "can be considered a pioneer in its field. We had no competition for 20 years," Hadid vice CEO Rasoul Taljo, told AIN here at MEBA. The flight-handling company was founded in 1981 by Baha Hadid, who saw an opportunity to develop an aviation services company with a level of customer care that was not available from other providers. Next year, Hadid will celebrate its 30th year in the business.
Hadid opened a Dubai office in 2000 and it is now the company's main aviation headquarters, employing 150 people. Another 100 employees are located in Hadid's other branches around the world, including Moscow, Karachi, Algiers, Hamburg, London, and San Francisco.
After recovering in mid-2009, business aviation in the Middle East region is growing again, Taljo said. This year Hadid's business doubled over 2009. "This is a good indicator that we are past the financial crisis," he claimed.
For its next 30 years, Hadid will continue looking for new locations to serve, and plans call for a push into the Far East market (specifically, Malaysia and China) and eventually South America.
"I think we have a lot of opportunities," Taljo said. "Now we're growing to cover all corners of the world." And while competition in the flight-handling market has grown rapidly during the past 10 years, "Competition gives you the chance to improve yourself," he said.
Although Hadid has its own sales representatives in many countries, it extends its reach with handling agents based all over the world. “We try to find the best solution for the client,” Taljo said. “We give the best service at the best price.” This includes the company’s credit facility, which helps flight crews avoid carrying large amounts of cash to pay for fuel, fees and services where credit cards aren’t accepted. Hadid also keeps costs down by helping operators avoid paying extra or hidden fees.
According to Taljo, Hadid is currently working with local authorities in Islamabad and Karachi to obtain licenses to open operations in those locations.
A new service offered by Hadid is a fight-planning system that consolidates services ranging from planning to obtaining permits and arranging for fueling and ground handling.
