Jet Aviation plans to expand its Hong Kong operation after securing four new managed aircraft contracts.
The Switzerland-based services provider says its managed fleet in Hong Kong will grow from one to five aircraft later this year following deliveries of two Bombardier Challenger 604s and two Gulfstream G550s. Industry sources say the two 604s have been acquired by a Hong Kong-based company and will be delivered in March. They say the two G550s have been acquired by two separate Hong Kong-based companies and will be delivered in the third and fourth quarter of this year.
The Challenger 604 customer also has acquired a Bombardier Global Express for delivery in 2007.The aircraft were purchased last year and Jet Aviation subsequently beat out Hong Kong-based Metrojet for the management contract
Jet Aviation now only manages one Global Express in Hong Kong using a portion of a hangar owned by the Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (BAC). Jet Aviation says it hopes to lease some space in a second hangar to be built by Hong Kong BAC, but in the meantime will have to make do with the limited space it has.
“We are on the waiting list for the new hangar project and hopefully once that is finished, we will have some more space available,” it says. “Up until then we do not consider this a major issue as many aircraft are parked outside hangars in most parts of the world.”
Jet Aviation is now recruiting more staff for its fast-growing Hong Kong operation and says it will also add more office space. The new management contracts means there will be at least 10 business jets based at the Hong Kong BAC by early 2007, including two Global Expresses, two Challengers, one Boeing BBJ and five Gulfstreams. Metrojet operates all the Gulfstreams and also uses the Hong Kong BAC hangar to provide maintenance services.
Jet Aviation only offers maintenance services in Singapore, where it also provides a management service and runs a fixed-based operation (FBO). It says demand for its Singapore business is also growing with maintenance and FBO activities up 50% in 2005 compared with 2004.
Source: Flight Daily News
