South African FBO Fireblade Aviation selected Amsterdam Software’s FBO One system for management of its FBO and fuel activity. FBO One is an online system that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. This helps FBO personnel work more efficiently, according to Amsterdam, given the large footprint of the FBO, which is the sole such facility at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Fireblade also has an air operator certificate and charters its Bombardier Global 6000, Learjet 45XR, Pilatus PC-12NG and AgustaWestland AW139.

The new FBO opened on Sept. 1, 2014. Fireblade operates its own fuel farm and has two fuel trucks, which can provide fuel 24/7. FBO amenities include flight-planning facility, a large parking apron, ground power units, a VIP lounge, dedicated spa facility, meeting rooms, full crew accommodations, aircraft detailing services and concierge for ground and other travel arrangements. The FBO buildings enclose about 13,800 sq m (148,500 sq ft), including tenant hangars and offices.

“Customs and immigration is a bit cumbersome,” said Fireblade general manager Björn Ischner, so the FBO is in the final stages of ministerial approval to add a customs and immigration facility at the FBO. This would eliminate the need for business aviation traffic to taxi to the airport terminal for clearance.

Fireblade uses the FBO One software to help manage its FBO operations. “It’s a phenomenally robust system,” Ischner told AIN. “Our service offering is expansive, which generates a huge amount of planning, paperwork, communications and logistics across all the departments involved. We need to ensure we can easily follow the requirements of each client. The FBO One software has an intuitive interface and offers us the capability to customize it to our own unique service levels. This was one of the principal reasons we selected the product.”