EBACE Convention 2013
More Stories from EBACE 2013
Marking a year of rapid growth since its launch at EBACE 2012, the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA; Booth 2135) announced here at EBACE 2013 that it would stage a business aviation expo of its own next April in conjunction with the Marrakech Air Show. The expo and air show will be held on April 23 to 26 at Marrakech’s FRA Airport. AfBAA’s expo will cover 50,000 sq m (540,000 sq ft), providing room for booths, static displays and chalets.
With more than 180 Gulfstream operators, Europe is a major region for the Gulfstream Aerospace, and the company has recently expanded its support infrastructure in the continent. At Luton Airport, the company’s support center has added more employees, while the mobile repair team unit, part of the field and airborne support team (Fast) network has also grown in size. Fast engineers are based in Athens, Paris and Switzerland, and one more is to begin operations from Kiev.
Signature Flight Support will open a new facility at Changi International Airport in Singapore this summer, the BBA Aviation subsidiary announced yesterday at EBACE. It will provide “supervisory services” for ground handling and fuel coordination. The Changi location will be Signature’s second facility in Asia and join its investment in the Hong Kong Business Aviation Center at Chek Lap Kok/Hong Kong International Airport.
The global fleet of nearly 1,200 Pilatus PC-12s reached a major milestone this month by accumulating four million flight hours since the first copy of the turboprop single was delivered in October 1994. According to Stans, Switzerland-based Pilatus, the highest time PC-12 has logged more than 24,000 hours in operation as an air ambulance with Air Bravo in Ontario, Canada.
Solid recurrent training is at the core of any safety management system and the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA, Booth 827) and its members know this. The organization has chosen EBACE 2013 as the venue to announce a new member benefit: MEBAA Total Training Service, a package designed specifically for MEBAA by Emirates-CAE (Booth 372).
NetJets Europe plans to operate Embraer Phenom 300s by early 2014, the two companies announced here at EBACE yesterday. Holding a firm order for 50 of the specially outfitted “Signature Series” light jets, NetJets took its first delivery on May 1 for its U.S. operations and expects to accept roughly two airplanes a month.
AgustaWestland (Booth 7070) has received orders from Russia and the British Isles for VIP-configured helicopters.
Exclases Russia inked a contract for five AW139 medium twins–in a mix of VIP and utility layouts. HeliVert, a Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland joint venture located in Tomilino near Moscow, will produce the AW139s. The deal is a follow-on to a previous agreement, which calls for one AW139 to be delivered in June. Exclases also has ordered a GrandNew light twin in VIP transport configuration.
Indian business aviation specialist Aviators announced here at EBACE yesterday that it had ordered three Nextant 400XTis, while also revealing that it has been appointed Nextant Aerospace’s exclusive sales agent for India. The first “I” version of the remodeled Beechjet 400 is due to be delivered to Aviators in the first quarter of next year.
Nextant (here on the static display) has hopes for more sales in the country, as 33 entry-level aircraft were delivered there between 2007 and 2011, the manufacturer said.
VistaJet announced yesterday that it is enrolling 50 Bombardier Global 5000s and 6000s with the Platinum engine and APU hourly-cost maintenance program operated by Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI). Valued at more than $205 million at 2013 list prices, the deal is possibly the largest ever concluded for any hourly-cost maintenance program.
Cessna Aircraft (Booth 7091) has introduced a treatment to protect Citation jets based in Europe from the corrosive effects of potassium formate (CHKO2), the environmentally friendly but aluminum-hostile runway de-icer increasingly used across the region.
“The potassium formate de-icing situation affects all aluminum aircraft,” Joe Hepburn, the Wichita airframer’s senior v-p for customer service, told AIN. “Our customers have been very uncertain how that will affect them. As an OEM, we want to leave them with certainty about the future.”
GE Honda Aero Engines has announced that its 2,095-pound-thrust HF120 turbofan intended initially for the HondaJet is nearing completion of certification tests and is on track for delivery of the first entry into service engines before the end of 2013. “We now have a line-of-sight for certification and we are gaining experience on the fleet,” said Terry Sharp, GE Honda Aero president. “We are gearing up for the production environment, which should come by the end of the year.”
If you see Michal Dvorak here at EBACE wearing a big smile, congratulate him on his new appointment. He was just named chief financial officer of ABS Jets (Booth 2052), with operational bases in Prague and Bratislava. Dvorak has always had a keen interest in both aviation and finance, and his new job will enable him to leverage his expertise in both areas.
German business jet modernization and refurbishment specialist OHS Aviation Services (Booth 2043) has announced two deals in which it will partner with other companies to work on refurbishment programs. In the first deal OHS has agreed to join with DC Aviation to open a cabin interior shop at DC’s Stuttgart base. The company, which was formed in 2007 from DaimlerChrysler Aviation, provides a wide spectrum of services, including aircraft charter and management as well as repair and maintenance.
Signature Flight Support has launched its customer portal–My Signature–to give customers 24-hour access to their personalized service profile.
Eurocopter (Booth 7050) unveiled a mockup of the executive version of its EC175 medium twin helicopter at EBACE and is also offering an even more luxurious VIP version.
Hadid International Services has launched a new partnership with Wallan Aviation to provide ground handling for business aircraft at airports throughout Saudi Arabia. The two companies signed an agreement together here at the EBACE show yesterday.
Dassault Falcon Services has selected the Rockwell Collins Skybox and Venue products for retrofit on a Falcon 2000EX.
Rolls-Royce has launched a new mobile technical publications service for the BR725 engine that powers the Gulfstream G650.
Helicopter broker Heli Asset has sold the first Eurocopter EC155B1 medium twin into Switzerland, according to the Paris-based company. Zurich-based business aviation charter operator Heli-Link, a subsidiary company of DC Aviation of Germany, took delivery of the 2008 EC155, configured with eight VIP seats. Heli Asset says it placed 18 helicopters in 2012.
With the announcement here at EBACE of the opening of a new FBO facility at Sion in Switzerland, TAG Aviation (Booth 344) has added another major base. Located in the Rhône valley to the east of Lake Geneva, the Sion operation provides a range of passenger, FBO/handling and aircraft maintenance services. It boasts a passenger terminal with three VIP salons and a dedicated crew lounge, a 3,200-sq-m hangar and 12,000 sq m of aircraft parking.
