Universal Weather & Aviation (booth 1020) announced several upgrades and expansions to its services at EBACE today, including the opening of a new facility at Paris Le Bourget.
Its operation in Paris now includes a 50 x 60m (165 x 200ft) hangar, large enough to accommodate two Boeing Business Jets. Other features of the new facility include a new VIP lounge for passengers, crew and drivers’ lounges and a Muslim prayer room, fitted out by the Saudi Arabian embassy.
“We’re delighted to finally get a hangar in Paris – and a large hangar,” says Jonathan Howells, regional director, Europe. “We’ve been at Le Bourget for 20 years and we were starting to feel we were expanding beyond our facilities.”
Universal also said its European Operations Centre, based at London Stansted, is to expand its coverage to include Russia and the CIS, due to demand from customers and the growing traffic to and from that region.
Clients can now schedule and plan their flights, obtain permits and documentation and co-ordinate ground handling arrangements for trips to Russia and the CIS through the centre, rather than having to go through Universal’s Houston, Texas base.
Universal was also recently awarded a full ground-handling contract at Rome Ciampino airport, following market privatisation in 2005. Previously, the company could only adopt a supervisory role, having to subcontract the physical ground handling work to Aeroporti di Roma.
Source: Flight International
