Swiss aviation services group Jet Aviation is embarking on a Middle Eastern expansion plan, adding three additional fixed-base operations (FBO) in the region by the end of next year.
Jet Aviation is to add facilities in Kuwait City and Beirut in Lebanon to two existing FBOs in Saudi Arabia and a planned Dubai, United Arab Emirates operation as part of a focus on the area. The site at Kuwait International airport combines an FBO with a line maintenance facility and will be operated with Kuwaiti joint venture partner United Projects.
The 5,000m2 (53,800ft2) hangar and 90,000m2 of ramp space will open early next year and be fully operational in mid-2006.
Jet Aviation is also in discussions with a Lebanese partner to open an FBO and maintenance centre in Beirut, also planned for the middle of next year.
Heinz Köhli, chief executive of the Jet Aviation group, says the Kuwait facility is "an important strategic move to strengthen our position as a global provider of corporate aviation services".
The company says the region provides a brand-building exercise for aircraft owners who then go on to use Jet Aviation interior completion centres in Basle and Zurich. Jet Aviation has appointed its internal affairs director Kadri Muhiddin as executive president for strategic projects in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Source: Flight International
