After almost 50 years of quiet growth, Belgium-based charter operator Abelag is ready to speak up. “Abelag is a discreet company,” CEO Herve Laitat said at EBACE. “Maybe it’s the philosophy of the company to be low profile, like our clients.” Even Abelag’s compact stand (Booth 1157) is low-key, belying the scale of its operations. The privately owned company operates a fleet of 25 aircraft ranging from a Beechcraft King Air 200 to a pair of Falcon 7Xs, based at five airports. Abelag also operates an FBO and a Part 145 repair station at its home base at Brussels International Airport.
The FBO recently underwent total refurbishment and its hangar space was doubled with the opening of a new 4,000-sq-m (43,000-sq-ft) hangar that can house aircraft up to a Gulfstream G650. Abelag provides line and base maintenance on most of the aircraft types it operates, and also has a shared ownership program with a Citation CJ2 in which the company itself is a share owner, not simply manager. Additionally, Abelag serves as an aircraft broker when owners of its managed aircraft look to upgrade or downgrade.
