EMMA KELLY / PERTH
Corporate aviation upsurge in Australia prompts partnership talks with Jeppesen
Hawker Pacific is upgrading its fixed base operation (FBO) at Sydney airport thanks to a corporate aviation resurgence in the country.
The Australian sales and product support company has had an FBO at Sydney for a number of years, but following the drop in corporate aircraft activity in the country in the 1990s it remained dormant for some time.
Business jet ownership in Australia dropped in the late 1980s/early 1990s amid negative publicity about corporate excesses coupled with the crash of the stock market. In response to shareholder criticism, large corporations, including mining and resource giant BHP Billiton, sold their corporate aircraft.
The country's business jet fleet dropped from around 98 in 1990 to 42 a year later, but has been gradually growing since. About 65 business jets now fly in a corporate role.
Qantas closed its Sydney FBO at the end of last year to focus on core activities, resulting in Hawker Pacific reopening its facility. The company declines to comment on customer numbers, but says that since March it has experienced a 700% increase in activity.
Hawker Pacific is also believed to be in discussions with Boeing-owned Jeppesen on a possible partnership at the FBO.
ExecuJet Australia has a joint venture with Universal Weather and Aviation - Universal Aviation Australia - which operates an FBO at the airport, while Melbourne-based aircraft management and charter operator Executive Airlines has been considering an FBO at Sydney to add to its Melbourne operation.
"The exit of Qantas removed a significant player from the sector and, not unnaturally, we received approaches from a range of customers asking whether we would be prepared to re-enter the market," says Alan Smith, chief executive of Hawker Pacific.
Smith says the FBO represents a natural extension of Hawker Pacific's aircraft sales, maintenance and spares business, which includes being the sales representative for business jet manufacturer Raytheon in Australia, the Pacific and South-East Asia.
The company has embarked on a major refurbishment of the facility, which will include a VIP lounge and dedicated crew area providing access to computers, flight planning tools, meteorological services and the internet.
Hawker Pacific says there are 16 Raytheon business aircraft operating in Australia, and the company believes there is a potential for 25 to 30 business aircraft sales in the country over the next five years.
Source: Flight International
