Jet Aviation is expanding its support services network in Saudi Arabia to an additional six airports. With the approval of the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, Jet Aviation handling agents from its Jeddah and Riyadh facilities will now serve as handling agents at Abha Airport AHB/OEAB), Taif Airport (TIF/OETF); Al-Baha Airport (ABT/AEBA), Najran Airport (EAM/OENG), Gizan Airport (GIZ/OEGN) and Rafha Airport (RAF/OERF).

“Our goal is to continue growing our presence and business aviation offerings where they add value to our customers,” said Alain Champonnois, v-p and general manager of Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia. “Many of our international clients traveling within Saudi Arabia needed additional help at the smaller domestic airports where less English is spoken. We can now dispatch a qualified handling professional to an off-site facility to ensure they receive support services that meet their discerning standards.”

The Swiss-based group lays claim to being the first company to establish an FBO in Saudi Arabia, which it did with local partners at Jeddah back in 1979. It has since opened two more full-service FBOs in the capital Riyadh (1983) and Medina (2012).

Managed Fleet Growth

Jet Aviation also announced here at the MEBA show the recent addition of two aircraft to its managed fleet in the Middle East: a Gulfstream G450 and Gulfstream G550. That brings its fleet of managed aircraft in the region to 24.

“This fleet expansion highlights the value our customers place on our capabilities, professionalism and integrity,” said Claudio Peer, v-p of sales for aircraft management and charter services in EMEA & Asia.

Jet Aviation (Stand 610) now manages more than 250 aircraft worldwide from its four flight operations centers in Dubai, Hong Kong, Teterboro (near New York City) and Zurich. The company was recently named winner of the 2014 Baltic Air Charter Association Global Excellence Award in recognition of its outstanding performance and service. In other recent honors, the company’s Basel Design Studio, known for its aircraft interior design solutions, was selected as being in the top 25 of 600 designers and architects featured in Design et. al.’s publication, “The World’s Leading Design Names 2015.”

New Approvals

Jet Aviation’s Basel completions and maintenance facility has also been adding to its already lengthy list of certifications and approvals. The company recently received ISO 14001 certification in recognition of its continuous improvement programs, and OHSAS 18001 certification for the quality of its management systems for tracking health and safety risks. Neil Boyle, the facility’s v-p and general manager, said the certifications “demonstrate Jet Aviation Basel’s commitment to the highest service standards.”

Meanwhile, Indian civil aviation authorities recently granted CAR 145 maintenance approval covering work done by Jet Aviation Basel on Indian-registered Dassault Falcon 7X, 900 and 2000 series aircraft. In addition to supporting Dassault operators, the facility is also a factory-approved service center for Gulfstream, Bombardier, Airbus and Boeing. It holds U.S. and European repair station approvals, as well as certification from 21 other national aviation authorities.