Swiss business aviation services company TAG Aviation has launched an operation in Asia, with an office in Hong Kong and a managed Dassault Falcon 2000 based in Macau.
TAG Aviation opened its first office in Asia in December and is now managing one aircraft, a French-registered Falcon 2000 for a Chinese company. TAG Aviation says its customer acquired the secondhand Falcon 2000 and hired it to operate the aircraft within China and internationally. The aircraft is being based at the Macau Business Aviation Centre (BAC) in part because there is no available space at the Hong Kong BAC.
TAG Aviation’s new Hong Kong office is now pursuing other potential managed aircraft customers throughout Asia and is also interested in later offering charters. TAG Aviation is not offering charters with the Falcon 2000, but future Asia-based aircraft may be available for charter when the owners are not flying. It is considering applying for an air operator’s certificate in Hong Kong to facilitate the launch of charters.
Geneva-based TAG Aviation now manages over 150 aircraft in Europe and North America. The Hong Kong office reports to its US subsidiary, San Francisco-based TAG Aviation USA. It believes it can be more competitive than Asian-based management companies because its costs are spread over a large fleet.
TAG Aviation also runs fixed-based operation (FBO) facilities at several European airports and will look at FBO opportunities in Asia if demand warrants.
Source: Flight International
