DC Aviation Al Futtaim (DCAF, Stand 1522) will today open a second hangar at its DWC FBO-MRO facility, with a member of Dubai’s ruling family due to attend to declare the facility officially open.

The new 7,500 sq m hangar more than doubles DCAF hangar capacity, bringing total land-side plot area to 24,000 sq m and apron area to 13,000 sq m.

“We committed to Dubai South at a very early stage, in December 2010, when Mr. Omar Al-Futtaim signed the land lease agreement with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum,” Holger Ostheimer, DCAF managing director, told AIN. DCAF’s DWC facility first opened in late 2013.

“From day one, we were fully aware of the tremendous potential the site offered us and since we commenced operations in November 2013, we have multiplied our levels of activity, and have been able to attract a wide range of clientele,” he said.

Jet Aviation is relocating the FBO it opened in 2013 to the shared terminal at Dubai South and will also open the facility today. The 2013 temporary FBO was located in the main passenger terminal building.

XJet said its new Dubai facility will occupy 8,600 sq ft at DWC’s Executive Terminal and will include four hangars built in two phases. “We will offer full private jet services, including flight support, ground handling and our… flight support concierge,” it said, although timings were not provided.

XJet said it has broken ground on the Executive Terminal that will include “dedicated facilities for customs, immigration and police, duty free shopping as well as walkable, direct access to the apron.”

Jetex Flight Support CEO and president Adel Mardini told AIN will also be present in the shared Executive Terminal.

ExecuJet Dubai has faced delays since concluding a DWC land lease agreement in 2015. “We are pleased to share that the hurdles appear to have been overcome over [recent] months and we remain hopeful that an… announcement [will] be forthcoming…,” Mike Berry, President Aviation Services and Vice President, Middle East, ExecuJet, told AIN.

“The existing FBO facility situated on Dubai South meets all our requirements in terms of the corporate presentation, our standards and levels of service with our customers expect from the ExecuJet brand. However what it lacks is the preferred model of a turnkey solution to our customers cohabitated alongside our MRO service proposition.”

ExecuJet now have a network of 24 FBOs located around the world. “Our newest acquisitions and established FBOs, St. Maarten in Caribbean, Delhi in India, and Sydney in Australia, are performing above expectation and contributing to what is becoming an extremely successful and profitable business unit within the Luxaviation Group.”

Ostheimer believes that the DWC FBO-MRO market is crowded. “If you look at it on an international scale, with large airports showing 20,000-to-40,000 movements a year, those airports have a total number of two-to-four handling agents. Here you have five for about 13,000 movements a year, which will show a steady growth. They are still providing enough share for us. The market is moving in lockstep with our plans.”

DWC Heli Shuttle

Falcon Aviation Services is to launch a VIP heli-service from the shared FBO facility at DWC during Dubai Airshow 2017. The service will use Agusta Westland (Leonardo) AW109s.

“Some VIPs like to connect in a quick manner to destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and perhaps other emirates [as well]. We want to give connectivity to these passengers through a VIP service,” Capt. Raman Oberoi, COO, Falcon Aviation Services, told AIN before the airshow.

He said Falcon Aviation operated four AW109s, and as many of the helicopters would be allocated to the service as were required on an ad hoc basis.

“This fleet already serves the royal families of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We are extending the service to VIP customers in need of it. Normally, customers book services in advance. When we offer the FBO, we will ask our VIP customers if they need this service and, if so, it will be provided."