Jet Aviation is seeking to double its US management fleet over the next three years and expand its network in a bid to become one of the leading providers of business aviation service in the country.
Jet Aviation's plans moved a step closer late in 2009 with the acquisition by the General Dynamics-owned company of US charter operator and aircraft operator's certificate holder K Services, which has five fixed base operations in the USA as well as a completions and an engineering facility.
Before its acquisition by General Dynamics from European private equity company Permira in November 2008, Jet Aviation was ineligible for an AOC as it was "viewed as a foreign carrier", says Jet Aviation Flight Services senior vice-president and general manager Robert Seidel. "We therefore provided aircraft charter brokerage - through New World Jet for 10 years and through Priester Aviation since November 2008."
Jet Aviation Flight Services is in the process of transferring the remaining 21 managed aircraft from Priester's AOC. Jet Aviation has a managed fleet of around 70 business aircraft and will add 12 new aircraft to its managed line-up over the course of the year, half of which could be added to the new AOC. "We have added two Gulfstream G1Vs and one G200 this month already," says Seidel.
"We plan to double our managed fleet over the next three years and will expand the business within the USA to areas where we are currently not represented, including the upper Midwest and mid-Atlantic states," he adds.
The company - which has seven facilities in the USA - will grow organically as well as through acquisitions. "We want to become an integral part of the business aviation infrastructure in the USA. We have 42 years of experience in this business and we plan to unleash the power of the Jet Aviation brand across the USA," Seidel says.
Jet Aviation will grow steadily, but cautiously, he adds. "If we expand too quickly, we could crash like some of our competitors. We are profitable and that is how we plan to remain."
Source: Flight International
