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The full October 2011 edition
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Concierge lays plans forsteady growth
‘Best seller’ XLS+ is the thirdfor Air Hamburg
Air Hamburg ceo Floris Helmers and flight operations manager Capt Jan Strobelwere at Hamburg recently to celebrate the first visit by their latest fleet addition, athird Citation XLS+. As soon as it can be added to the AOC it is expected to be busy,as the XLS+ is the most requested model in Air Hamburg's nine-strong Citation fleet.See full story on page 4.
BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N
ISSUE 219 OCTOBER 2011
Perfect promises transparency indealings with aircraft owners
Aircraft management company ConciergeAviation has been awarded its UK air operatorcertificate and now offers a Kemble/Luton-based Learjet 40XR for charter.
“We are now into our next stage ofdevelopment,” said managing director GlenSmith. “This achievement is a key step towardsour long-term future, as we can now offercommercial charter services on our growingfleet of managed aircraft. The strategy is toenhance our service standard and to ensureour clients experience the highest levels ofprofessionalism.
“Obtaining our AOC will help us to developcredibility. Some financial institutions willonly allow the aircraft they finance to beoperated by AOC-holders.”
Concierge Aviation was launched as aprivate aviation specialist and has developed aportfolio including charter sales, aircraftmanagement, aviation consultancy andaircraft sales and acquisition services. Thecompany is looking to add aircraft to its fleetthrough a comprehensive aircraft manage-ment programme, prioritising the long-terminterests of the aircraft owner while balancingutilisation and hourly rates with considerationfor depreciation and wear and tear.
Concierge says that its consultancy work is
For fuel, ground services and trip arrangements around the globe, contact us at: [email protected] or [email protected]
FBO 2012
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Geneva-based Perfect Aviation hasadded a UK AOC to its Portugueseapproval, and opened a base atBiggin Hill with a pair of Learjet 45s.
The company is listed on theSwiss stock exchange, and claims tobe unique among business aircraftoperators in reporting its results inline with IFRS international financialreporting standards. The groupauditor is PWC and the companyprides itself on its ethics which focuson operating entirely transparently.Using a secure web portal that wasdesigned in-house, Perfect sharesevery supplier invoice and logs allexpenditure with its aircraft owners.The company says that it neveraccepts commissions from suppliersand all leveraged benefits are passedback to the client.
Says ceo Will Curtis: “For too longsome practitioners in the businessaviation industry have hidden theirreal charges and remuneration fromclients and instead exploredconvenient deals with suppliers;typically fuel and handlingcompanies, maintenancecompanies and insurance suppliers.
“This is an unsustainable modelbecause, quite apart from the
contractual implications betweenclient and the aircraft managementcompany, such practices areincreasingly likely to breach criminallaws such as the UK Bribery Act.Within 10 years we believe there willbe no possibility of receivingundeclared kickbacks or supplierrescissions,” he adds.
The new base at Biggin Hill iscomplemented by an operationsbase in Lisbon and sales offices inMonaco, Moscow and Beijing, wherePerfect intends to increase itspresence to take advantage of theemerging opportunities in China.
Perfect has built an experiencedteam at Biggin Hill, including newly-appointed ground operationsmanager Gary Whitecunas, qualitymanager Barry Holloway and directorof maintenance, Nigel Cooper. Thecompany operates six aircraft undermanagement. The UK-registeredLearjet 45s join a Challenger 604,Learjet 60XR and Falcon 2000EX EASy,all under the Portuguese AOC, and aprivately managed Global ExpressXRS, based in Moscow. Further largecabin aircraft are planned to join thefleet before the year end.
Will Curtis was appointed ceo ofPerfect Aviation in early 2010 with amandate to restructure and developthe company for further growth.Marketing efforts have beenbolstered, including the launch of arange of new leisure-driven travelincentives through the Perfect TravelClub. Perfect Ski will see thecompany launch direct flights withits Learjet 45 fleet from London CityAirport to principal ski airportsduring the winter, while PerfectShopping offers exclusive shoppingpackages in Paris and Milan.
See our review of business aviationin Switzerland from page 17.
Perfect Aviation ceo Will Curtis.
Continued on page 4
PERSPECTIVESPages 8-16
Businessaviationthrough theeyes of theair chartersalesperson
Pages 17-18
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Air Greenland has placed its firstorder for Eurocopter’s EC225,acquiring two of the medium twin-engine helicopters for duties that areto include search and rescue and all-weather passenger transport.
“After a long and hard evaluation,Air Greenland decided to purchaseEurocopter’s EC225, and we areconfident this is the right helicopterfor our operations in the harshenvironment in and aroundGreenland,” ceo Michael Binzer says.
The aircraft will be delivered in2014 and will join other Eurocoptersin the Air Greenland fleet comprisingten AS350 B3 and two AS350 B2.
“This order marks a milestone inEurocopter’s long relationship withAir Greenland, and is anotherendorsement for the EC225’s provencapabilities in the most severeoperational conditions,” Eurocopter’sThomas Hein says.
The EC225 also recently won aSpanish national competition toselect a new helicopter for maritimesearch and rescue, and pollutioncontrol operations. This marks one of the first stages in a national rescue plan to be implemented bythe Spanish Maritime Safety Agency (SASEMAR), and is designedto provide large helicopters formissions in the southern part of the Bay of Biscay and in the Canary Islands.
The new EC225 is to replace one ofSASEMAR’s Sikorsky S-61Nhelicopters, and will operatemaritime SAR and surveillanceoperations in all weather conditions.
Offering enhanced capacity, rangeand autonomy, the EC225 isequipped with cutting-edge technicalinnovations for navigation and SAR,says Eurocopter.
The twin-engine EC225 hasalready been deployed worldwide forcivil and military search and rescue,as well as offshore and passengertransport missions. It is the latest
generation of the Super Puma/Cougar family, which has loggedmore than four million flight hours. It is designed to meet the highestsafety standard levels and is backedby system redundancy, a highlycapable automatic flight controlsystem, and the capability for full de-icing which allows flight in all knownicing conditions.
OCTOBER 2011 3EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
Air charter and private aircraftoperators all over Europe whomight find themselves flying to theLondon area during summer nextyear need to be planning carefullyalready. So urged Trevor Jones ofGama Aviation during the recentBGAD show.
The imposition of restrictedareas and temporary flightroutings, the requirement for slotsat normally unregulated airports,and the general level of anticipatedcongestion, will all lead tochallenging conditions. Anyoneapproaching Farnborough from thesouth, says Jones, will need to allowan additional 15 to 20 minutes on
their trip time, as well asaccounting for nearest availablealternates being further afield. Forsome aircraft this might haveimplications for available payloadand range.
Additional slots and extendedairport operational times will bemade available, but those withexperience of previous majorevents, such as Cedric Migeon ofExecuJet, wonder whether theprovision might fall well short ofdemand.
And managing customerexpectations is going to be difficult.Airport slots might well becomevirtually unobtainable as the
Games approach, and those who wish to travel to the sporting
action itself might find littlealternative than to make the finalleg of their journey on publictransport. Helicopter access isgoing to be difficult, given theorganisers’ commitment to hostinga ‘green Games’.
But early planning can help.Migeon says that during the WorldEconomic Forum his Zurich FBOcontracts with hire car companieswell in advance to ensure there willbe available limousine transport,and negotiates monthly rather thanad-hoc billing with key groundsuppliers to save on admin duringbusy periods. Staff levels areincreased, and work respon-
sibilities reallocated to cope withpeaks in demand. After the finalwhistle of the World Cup Final itselfhundreds of passengers werelooking for hundreds of aircraft –and so needed to have been told thetail number to look for, he says.Chaos can easily ensue in theabsence of carefully planned andimplemented systems.
Gama Aviation says it hasinternal teams in place to plan fornext summer's challenges, and Iwould think this is a first step thatall operators ought to considersooner rather than later.
David WrightManaging editor
Why an Olympic summer will certainly not be business as usualEDITORIAL COMMENT
ExecuJet saw 1,400 movements inthree weeks at Lanseria during theWorld Cup.
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The EC225 acquisition agreement was signed in the presence of Thomas Hein,Eurocopter’s vp sales and customer relations for central Europe, Michael Binzer, AirGreenland’s ceo, and Jens Wittrup Willumsen, Air Greenland’s chairman of the board.
BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N
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Air Greenland orders two EC225helicopters for all-weather missions
JetFlite International bases a Challenger 601 in MoscowUS-based JetFlite International has expanded its Moscow presence by adding aChallenger 601 based at Vnukovo airport and expanding its sales and dispatchstaff there.
“From our perspective, Moscow is an emerging market and there is a lot ofopportunity there,” says ceo Bill Cripe. “This summer in Moscow we are flyingone of our aircraft over 80 hours a month in charter. We have been offering aGulfstream G200 out of Moscow and were confident enough that we movedanother aircraft, a Challenger 601 there. There is a good chance we will also beadding a Gulfstream GV there.” The company has also hired two dispatchers towork in its Moscow office as well as two sales people and a mechanic.
JetFlite International has three major hubs; New York, Moscow, and the USwest coast. Carrie Simpson, vp sales and owner relations, says: “Our customersfly out of Moscow to throughout Russia and Europe, the United States, theGalapagos Islands, Seoul, Korea, Asia, even Kabul, Afghanistan.”
The Hessen Police Service inGermany is to add a Vulcanair P68Observer to its fleet after extensiveevaluations as the optimumplatform for supporting longersurveillance missions.
The aircraft will be capable ofmissions of up to nine hours whenfully equipped, at a fraction of thecost of helicopter operations.Hessen State Police air operationswill also no longer be limited byadverse weather conditions as theP68 has full de-icing capability anddigital avionics.
One key benefit is that highvalue surveillance equipment canbe transferred from the helicopterfleet to the Vulcanair P68 aircraftquickly and efficiently. “Wecontracted Airborne Technologiesof Austria to integrate Hessen’spolice thermal camera and otherequipment,” says Remo De Feo,ceo of Vulcanair Aircraft.
“We are committed to assistingour partners to develop moreflexible and cost effective airbornesurveillance solutions,’’ saidAirborne Technologies ceoWolfgang Grumeth. “We supp-orted Vulcanair in Hessen’s policeevaluation process, to make sureall of their equipment couldproperly be installed on the P68aircraft. The result is that thepolice force will be able toincrease its operating capabilitywhile at the same time reducing itscosts, which is good newsconsidering today’s limited andrestricted budgets!”
Observer offersHessen policelower costs
4 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
Air Hamburg has added a third Citation XLS+ to its fleet.
Cessna Citation Authorised Sales Representative
www.timleacockaircraft.com +44 (0)1258 818181
‘Best-seller’ XLS+ is thethird for Air Hamburg
Pilots from Air Hamburg recentlysampled the steaks on the menu atthe Texas Road House branch inWichita, a ritual always observedwhen collecting aircraft from theCessna factory.
They had travelled to takedelivery of a Citation XLS+ on behalfof its owner, and to undertake theferry flight back to Germany. Thenew aircraft became the third of its type operated by Air Hamburgand the ninth Citation in the fast-growing fleet. Half of the fleethas a date of manufacture 2009 or younger.
“We have picked up every singleaircraft with our own crew so far. It istoo much fun to give it away!” saysdirector of marketing and sales MikeUlka. “The routing is always thesame: Wichita, Quebec, Goose Bay,and Reykjavik to Bremen.”
The latest arrival’s systems areidentical to its stablemates withProline 21 cockpit, and the interior issimilar to that of another XLS+operated for the same owner. “Ourcustomers love it because they get ajet with the cabin of a midsize jet forthe price of a super light jet with anattractive range of 1,800nm,” saysUlka. “It is the perfect aircraft with a huge baggage compartmentto travel throughout Europe. It is ourbest-seller.”
Air Hamburg has hired twoadditional captains and two co-pilots and sent pilots from its staff toFlightSafety to add a second typerating on the XLS+. The aircraft waspassed straight into the hands of
Atlas Air Services for work requiredbefore it can join the AOC.
As a relatively young company,founded in 2005, Air Hamburg hasbeen quick to harness social medianetworks as a means to attract newbusiness and keep customersinformed about its activities. “BothTwitter and Facebook are used tokeep all our customers/followersinformed at the same time,” saysUlka. “And we find new clients, wholike our special offers only availablefor our Air Hamburg followers. Fromtime to time we throw empty legs onthe market for €100 a seat!”
When the third XLS+ wasscheduled to arrive in Hamburg forthe first time (see front cover), thecompany offered a free flight for twolucky fans among the 1,000 it has onFacebook. Over 1,200 subscribe tothe company’s Twitter feeds.
Air Hamburg is also listed in theFly Victor web site which is planninga German launch this autumn, andhas already carried out one flightbooked through that system.
Aside from the virtual world, theoperator has plenty of fans in real-world Hamburg too. Directly next tothe general aviation centre at theairport it operates the CaféHimmelsschreiber, which wascreated mainly to offer an exclusivelounge for jet customers beforetakeoff. Located very close to therunway and taxiways, the café canalso be rented for private parties, likeweddings or business events, with high quality catering from itsown kitchens.
Kocoglu Aviation will add an Ankara-based Legacy 600 to its fleet thisNovember after signing an airambulance contract with the Turkishministry of health. Dubbed ‘theFlying Hospital’, it will feature fouradvanced life support systems totransport intensive care patients ornewborns with incubators. Theaircraft will also be able to carry sixpassengers along with four patientsor can be quickly converted to 14passenger configuration.
The company reports that thefour-year-old pre-owned Legacy 600with a flight time of around 2,000hours was chosen for the operationdue to its lower initial andoperational costs and higherreliability than its competitors in the same class.
“Being a proven aircraft and avariant of a highly utilised regionaljet, the Legacy 600 fits perfectly to thisoperation and the requirements ofthe ministry of health,” says EfvaniAybike Koc.
In 2008, Kocoglu Aviation wasawarded a government contract to
provide EMS helicopters. This fleetnow consists of an EC145, ten EC135sand eight A109E Power typehelicopters, each with a crew of twopilots, one doctor and a paramedic,on duty and waiting for missionsduring daytime at their respectivebases. The group also has a Hawker400XP jet.
Sky Line Transportation Trade,which became a subsidiary ofKocoglu Group in 2008, operates andmaintains the 19 air ambulancehelicopters across Turkey and hasflown over 10,000 EMS missionsduring the three years. Sky Line has 16heliports and 18 hangars in 15 citiesand employs almost 300 employees.
Kocoglu Aviation and Sky Linehave also made it their mission toinform public and private sectorrepresentatives on the opportunities,challenges and latest developmentswithin the aviation sector in Turkey.
To this end, the first AirAmbulance Symposium wasorganised in cooperation with theministry of health of Turkey in July 2010 in Bursa. A second summitwill be held from November 26-27,2011, again in Bursa and inassociation with Kocoglu Aviation,Sky Line and AgustaWestland underthe patronage of the ministry oftransport, General Directorate ofState Airports Authority andDirectorate General of Civil Aviationof Turkey.
Turkish air ambulance selects Legacy
Kocoglu Aviation’s current jet airambulance, a Hawker 400XP, with flightcrew Tayfun Eren and Murat Arslan.
Concierge Aviation lays plans forsteady growth
A private departure for one ofDiamond Executive Aviation’s DA42Twin Stars from Blackbushe inSeptember turned into a media circus.
Film star Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox planned to combinesome essential business relatedmatters with a spot of aviation-basedenjoyment, but this was somewhatcompromised by the arrival of several cars full of paparazzi with their cameras. “Ms Jolie’s flight had
been carefully organised in greatsecrecy, or so we thought,” said DEA’sPeter Bondar.
Commanded by Chris Dawes, asenior line training captain with DEA,the flight departed early in theafternoon for an undiscloseddestination and later returned to adifferent undisclosed airfield.
Jolie (pictured aboard the DA42)holds a US FAA private pilot licenceand IR and owns a Cirrus SR22 G3.
Continued from page 1
seeing the current market presentinteresting opportunities. “Thisbespoke analysis of the clients’requirements with the wide variety ofavailable ownership or utilisationoptions ensures well informedaviation decisions, identifyingsavings and improving the return oninvestment,” says Smith.
The company reports that it hasseen momentum in the aircraft salesbusiness as the gap between theexpectations of buyers and sellersslowly closes.
“We maintain a very realisticapproach,” emphasises Smith. “As themarket begins its long, slow climbtowards recovery, we will only expandat a rate where we ensure we are ableto maintain our reputation forquality. We aim to identify the rightopportunities and focus our effortsinto building long-term relationshipsthrough honest, balanced advicebased on several years of businessaviation experience.
“Our business revolves aroundpeople and personal relationshipsand as we expand we will develop adedicated team who share theConcierge culture.”
Acropolis and Triair complete safety auditsUK-based international aircraft charter operators Acropolis Aviation and TriairBermuda have become Wyvern ‘Wingman’ operators, demonstrating theircommitment to the highest standards of aviation safety operations.
The companies, based at Farnborough and operating a UK-registered AirbusA319CJ and a Dassault Falcon 7X, completed their first auditing process in Juneafter which they officially gained their status as approved operators. Each‘Wingman’ operator undergoes strict twice-yearly on-site safety audits and iscontinually monitored to ensure that the highest standards of maintenance,aircraft and aircrew safety practices are maintained.
Press mob Jolie’s Diamond flight
NEXT MONTHEBAN reviews
business aviationin the Gulf States
6 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
This was our first viewing of the Heli Air Design Helineo Mk1, a turbine-poweredthree-bladed ultralight helicopter from France. Test pilot Stéphane Lignier andproject manager Thierry Andre report that the Helineo has been ground running,and will shortly undertake its first hover in ground effect trials. “Three blades isnew for this category of helicopter, and means it is more stable and easy to fly,”says Lignier. The manufacturer plans kit deliveries by the end of 2012 with a pricetag around €250,000 plus taxes.
Sikorsky called on the services of Cardinal to display its S-76, the newest of itstype in the UK with only 200 hours on the clock. Based at Barton, it is “the only S-76 north of the Watford Gap,” says Capt Richard Stubbs, seen here with theaircraft. Recent charter destinations have included Scottish golf courses,Battersea, Silverstone and Ascot.
Steve Borrowdale’s Multiflight took exhibition space, and offered for sale theformer US air ambulance AS365 seen here in the background alongside the thirdAS365 for the Great North Air Ambulance which was due for official handoverduring the show.
Italian firefighters, medevac and underslung load operators Eliwork werecommissioned by AgustaWestland to demonstrate the W-3A Sokól. The companyhas two of the Polish-built workhorses as well as AS350s. Air crew Tedy Foppoliand Diego Casari answered show delegates' questions.
First news from Helitech 2011The Helitech 2011 show at Duxford, UK, is underway as EBAN goes to press.Our full coverage will follow in the November edition, but meanwhile hereare a few snaps taken during the opening morning.
The Packshot Company believes thatthere will be a ready market for filmappearances by the Hughes 369D ithas recently acquired.
“We purchased G-FASH to operatein the film and TV industry to featurein our online fashion channelFashot.tv, as well as to pose for filmwork as an MH6 as used by theAmerican 160th SOAR SpecialOperations Aviation Regiment,” saysmanaging director Lee Friend.
“Although she has been convertedto an ‘E’ she is the right airframepedigree being a ‘D’, the basis for theMH6 airframe. Given the number offeature films sure to be made aboutthe Iraq and Afghanistan wars wherethe 160th operated we expect quite abit of film work for her in her new all-black livery. It looks as though theAmerican armed forces are nowbuying a lot of MD530s and so shewill not get dated for this purpose –and will have the right nose!”
The helicopter is operated and
maintained by Fast Helicopters atShoreham, who are also offering type conversion training. “As she hasbeen in refit for two months there isquite a queue developing now forthis,” says Friend.
Having been fully stripped forairworthiness review certificationand refit by Fast, the helicopter is
being given a Fargo tank, new screenswith a complete bare metal repaintby Edmondson’s at Thruxton. Theengine, an RR250 C20B, has justreturned from a full strip down andrebuild by H&S. “She is an unusuallylow hours model with only 2,500hours and also, rarely, features anAPS 841 autopilot with FITS, VORand GS tracking,” adds Friend.
“She has a colourful history, beingthe former property of the late John Hervey, seventh Marquess ofBristol, who some may remember,apart from being jailed for carryingcocaine in a helicopter into Jersey,was reported to have flown hishelicopter snorting cocaine off thecharts on his lap!”
The helicopter is a ‘D’ model builtby Hughes rather than by MD, whichare reputedly faster than the MD-built ‘E’ model. “Consequently it isan incredibly nippy 500 easilyachieving 135 kts and is a delight to fly,” says Friend.
Packshot’s helicopter will have theright nose to be a movie star
Lee Friend, The Packshot Company md,whose 369D is operated by Fast.
Comlux givespassengers
mobile phonecoverage
Comlux is to provide passengersaboard its Airbus 319CJ, due to comeinto service in January 2012, with fullmobile telephone access. Theoperator has chosen to partner withOnAir once again following thesuccessful installation of its systemon a A320 Prestige which entered intoservice at the beginning of May.
Passengers will be able to makeand receive calls and text messages,do their emailing and use mobile data with OnAir’s inflightconnectivity service.
“Our clients made it very clear theywant to be able to communicateduring flights. Offering Mobile OnAirservice is part of our ongoing drive to improve our clients’ travelexperience,” says Richard Gaona, ceoof Comlux.
“Inflight connectivity is now areality and it should be no surprisethat people want to be able to usetheir phones during flights. After all,we can use them in any other meansof transportation.
“It is particularly true of thepeople who charter Comlux aircraft,for whom the ability to comm-unicate during flights is veryimportant,” says Ian Dawkins, ceo of OnAir.
OnAir’s SwiftBroadband-basedservice Mobile OnAir enablespassengers to use their own mobilephones and Smartphones whereverthey are flying in the world. Usage isbilled by the passengers’ mobileoperator, in the same way asinternational roaming, which thecompany says makes it very simple tomanage for any vip operator andcharter.
UK operator AirMed has launched anew perinatal service, designed tosafely transport pregnant women andpre-term babies, and successfullycompleted the inaugural combinedobstetric and neonatal transfer.
The perinatal service comprisesspecialties that will provide supportnot only for the newborn child, but will also enable clients to haveaccess to highly specialised skillsrequired for the aeromedical transferof mothers-to-be, for exampleobstetrics and fetal medicine. This issomething that AirMed says has onlybeen available to clients in a fairlylimited capacity before and withoutthe direct access to the consultantteams required for this type ofcomplex transfer.
A British tourist travelling inKazakhstan has become the firstmother-to-be helped by theemergency air ambulancerepatriation service after going intolabour prematurely at 29 weeks.
Once notified of the emergency,Mapfre Assistance and AirMedworked together quickly to ensure thecustomer was given the help sheneeded as soon as possible. Afterclose consultation with the treatingphysician, a combined neonatal andobstetric senior specialist-led teamwas dispatched to Almaty on boardone of AirMed’s Learjet 35A aircraft.
After the patient was assessed onarrival in Almaty, it was agreed thatthe best course of action was todeliver the baby on-site prior to theair ambulance flight home due to themother developing acute sepsis. Withclose co-operation from the treatingfacility, baby Max was delivered, thensuccessfully resuscitated and
intubated prior to the flight. Bothmother and son continue to do wellfollowing their return home.
The specially modified Learjet 35Awas equipped with double stretchers,including a BabyPod, which enablecarriage of mother and baby post-delivery if required.
“We are all extremely pleased withthe successful outcome of this trip,”says Dr Charlotte Bennett, AirMed’sneonatal medical director. “Howeverit highlighted more than ever thatin this world of ever-changingdemographics and travel, there is anabsolute requirement for theprovision of the most appropriateand specialised medical expertise forall aspects of patient needs,”
The perinatal service continuesAirMed’s close collaboration with theOxford Radcliffe Hospital.
AirMed’s perinatal service seesearly action in Kazakhstan
Mother and baby were able to be quickly repatriated together aboard theLearjet 35A.
Challenger 850s enter service in Middle East and RussiaExecuJet Middle East has taken delivery of a Challenger 850 completed byOntario-based Flying Colours Corp on behalf of a private customer. “We havealready experienced some success with our Execliner CRJ conversion in theMiddle Eastern market, but this is the first time we have delivered a greenChallenger 850 to a customer there,” says Sean Gillespie, director of sales andcompletions for Flying Colours. "We anticipate this will be the first of many aswe understand Middle Eastern clients prefer larger aircraft.”
The recently finished aircraft featured luxurious and elegant interiorfurnishings, including euro-burl veneer, customised gold inlays, and fineleathers and fabrics. A full selection of in-flight connectivity includes theinstallation of True North Simphone broadband Wi-Fi capability and iPadfunctionality.
A second completed Challenger 850 was delivered to Russian aviationbusiness Ak Bars Aero in late July. Both aircraft were certified into the specificcountries in conjunction with the respective operators.
OCTOBER 2011 7EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
Newly appointed: Gama’s director flight operations Ian Cheese with chief pilot Capt.Steve Woodfine and head of training Capt Brian Cozens.
Farnborough-based Gama Aviationhas introduced a Cessna CJ2+ to itsmanaged charter fleet, new onto theUK register. Together with theaddition of a 13-seat Falcon 2000 dueimminently, its European charterfleet now totals 28 aircraft, 11 ofwhich are based in the UK.
The company reports a steadyamount of wide-bodied charter andclients are primarily business clientsflying to destinations in the USA,India and South Africa, but it has alsoseen an upturn in the use of smallerand mid-size jets, by government, vip,celebrities, business executives andleisure customers. Overall, business isup about seven per cent comparedwith this time last year.
In August Gama signed anexclusive partnership with Asia Milesto provide business jet services to its
3.9 million members worldwide. AsiaMiles members can now earn mileswhen using Gama’s business jetservices, which can connect withAsian airlines such as Cathay Pacificand Dragonair.
Gama recently recruited its 100thpilot, and has bolstered its senioroperations team. Capt SteveWoodfine has been promoted to chiefpilot. A five-year employee andformerly fleet manager, he previouslyheld management positions at SouthAfrican Airways, Dan Air, VirginExpress and easyJet.
Ian Cheese has been appointeddirector of flight operations. Mostrecently, Ian was general manager forturboprops at UK low fare regionalairline Flybe.
Capt Brian Cozens is newlyappointed head of training, having
previously held the same position atXL Airways.
“These appointments addsignificant experience and expertiseto our already strong and long-standing management team as we
continue our global expansion plansand shape our business for thefuture,” said Gama Group ceoMarwan Khlalek. He paid particulartribute to Steve Wright who has beenhis right-hand man for 28 years.
Expanding Gama looks fornew opportunities in Asia
Vibro-Air meets demand withSwiss PhenomsVibro-Air is offering two Phenom 100aircraft for the Rhineland chartermarket in collaboration with ArcusExecutive Aviation. “As the demandfor very light jets like the Phenom 100is very high, particularly inDusseldorf and the surroundingareas, we have brought a dependablepartner on board with ArcusExecutive Aviation,” explains AmmrShaladi, director of Vibro-Air.
“It covers this demand with its twonew Phenom 100s. At the same timewe would like to give our customers aforetaste of our Phenom 300, whichwe are expecting in the first quarter of2014. Until that time, we hope tocompensate for the excess demandwith the very fast jets from ArcusExecutive Aviation and expand ourfleet availability in the long term,”continues Shaladi.
The Phenom 100s are based atDusseldorf and Zweibrucken, andcan fly up to four passengers fromDusseldorf to Geneva in one hour.
The next Business & General AviationDay at Cambridge airport is to be heldon Tuesday 18th September 2012, andwill aim to build on this year’s highlysuccessful show.
Around 500 business aviationdelegates converged for what has nowevolved into an annual gathering, andonce again enjoyed an informal butprofessional networking opportunitywith aircraft, exhibits and seminars.
About a hundred delegates tookthe opportunity to listen to anddiscuss all aspects of businessaviation during the forthcomingOlympics with a distinguished panelof experts. Privatefly entertainedvisitors aboard a historic London bus,while inflight cookery service AlisonPrice On Air gave a demonstration. “Ilove the open and laid back atmos-phere,” says Magnus Henriksson ofAvinode, who presented an analysis ofthe current air charter market.
Cambridge airport announced thatit will be one of just five regionalairports in the UK capable ofaccepting business and passengerservices with a 24/7 slot allocationduring the 2012 Olympics period. Itwill be able to accommodate over 200movements a day.
The airport aims to attract charteroperators, government fleets andprivate owners with the opportunityto pre-purchase guaranteed parkingslots with a one-time fee that alsoincludes all landing and take off costs.
Business aviation movements atCambridge have grown year on yearby 15%, and fuel sales are up by 37%.“Currently operators and privateowners are driving the new businessmovements and many charters areoriginating in France and Germany,”says airport director Archie Garden.
Successful BGADshow names the
day for 2012
Marshall Group chairman Sir MichaelMarshall presented a commemorativecrystal to Cessna regional sales managerTom Perry, marking the centenary ofClyde Cessna’s first foray into aircraftbuilding. Marshall is a long-standingauthorised Citation service centre.
8 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
PERSPECTIVES – Business aviation through the eyes ofthe air charter salesperson
Courting brokers, business andthe stars; selling charter hasnever been more challenging
This month we view businessaviation from the perspective of theair charter operator’s sales team –the men and women charged witharguably the most important job of all, making sure there arepassengers in the cabin.
The rise of online bookingsystems has switched the emphasisfrom hard-selling to salesadministration for some, but othersremain in the front line, pitching the benefits of their fleet to brokersand key customers, and trawling for new business.
If our survey (to which we are verygrateful to have received a hugeresponse) is representative of all salespeople, then for the most part theyhave backgrounds in sales rather thanaviation. It is often said that salesmenare born rather than created, and thebest are capable of selling anyproduct or service. Perhaps this iswhy air charter companies tend tolook outside their own industry forsales staff.
However, product knowledge isessential, and so we were surprised to
hear that perhaps a majority ofmembers of sales teams almost neverfly on the aircraft they are tasked with filling. Those that do fly, maybeon empty legs or promotional flights, count themselves lucky andbelieve that it is an experienceessential to understanding theproduct they are selling.
Meet the aircharter salespeople
Air Hamburg has a fleet of nineCessna Citations and with its XLS+proving a bestseller, with a third
joining the fleet shortly (see frontcover story).
A team of five sales agents isheaded up by ceo Floris Helmers,who says they mainly work withregular customers, the majority beingglobal brokers offering one-stopshopping for passengers flyingintercontinentally and regionally.“But we are continuously looking fornew customers,” Helmers says. Salesevents are important as personalcontact with customers enables thecompany to demonstrate thestandard of its jets and its service-minded personnel.
Helmers believes that a love ofnegotiation and a high level ofinterpersonal skills are prerequisitesfor a role in charter sales. “You needto be convinced that your ownproduct is the best on the market.”And a healthy competitive edgedrives members to strive for the bestcharter of the day.”
Skydrift operates an Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante from Norwich, inpassenger or freight configuration,and has operated a Citation V since2007. Commercial manager AndrewLee reports that Skydrift will work with other charter operators,when there is no availability on itsown aircraft, or when a larger aircraftis required.
As commercial manager, Lee’sprimary role is to support the fixedwing business, but whenopportunities arise he is also involvedin promotion of the helicopter fleetwithin the aviation group.
“The majority of my time is spentresearching new businessopportunities here and overseas,” heexplains, “while maintaining regularcontact with our existing clients.”
Lee’s career in aviation started in1987 with Blades Helicopters at
Stansted airport, followed by fouryears at Thurston Aviation. “Havingworked outside of general aviation for17 years, this position has allowed meto continue in the industry for which Ihave a great passion.
“If you believe in, and arepassionate about a product orservice, then the business ofmarketing it is enjoyable andrewarding. I feel very fortunate towork with such a well-establishedand respected aviation company.”
Pedro Caneira of Portugal’s OMNIAviation is director of sales andmarketing, dedicating 95% of his timeto selling charter flights on a fleetconsisting of three Airbus 319CJs, fiveLearjets, a Challenger 300, Falcon900, a Bell 222 and a JetRanger. Ateam of three focus on existingcontacts while keeping up the searchfor new customers.
Caneira’s career path has rarelystrayed from marketing, although notalways in aviation, with detours intooil, music and promoting Lisbon Zoofeaturing on his CV.
With such a variety of experience,it is no wonder that Caneira says hethrives on being told that a flight maybe difficult. “This is a good reason toroll up the sleeves and sort outsolutions to make it happen in aprofessional and safe manner,” heexplains.
“A good example was in 2010. Wehad a tour to southeast Asia and inone particular airport the authoritiesdid not want to allow our operationdue to technical restrictions. It tookus two months to explain that therewas no problem with the actualconditions and we were in fact thefirst operator to land an A319 there.”
For the qualities that make a goodcharter sales person, Caneira listsbeing obsessive with details, beingexperienced as a pilot (even private),treating the company as if it wereyour own, full dedication and beingaware that it is not possible to have a‘normal’ family life. He advises:“Sometimes when we have largeoperations and you think everythingis settled, you have to stop and thinkabout what can still go wrong wheneverything seems sorted.”
Jean-Daniel Berthod is a man withmany hats as flight ops manager,continuous airworthiness manager,head of training, pilot and flightinstructor at Switzerland’s Héli-AlpesSA. Sales for the charter of its eighthelicopters are carried out via anoperations and marketing team ofthree, who are always on the look outfor new customers.
Berthod remembers an unusualcharter request: “A client wanted tofly from Sion in Switzerland to Ibiza tosee a property he was interested inbuying – a return flight of more than10 hours – and he didn’t buy theproperty in the end.”
Natascha Rode joined thesales/operations and marketingdepartment at Germany-based AirAlliance Express earlier this year andis a pilot with a background inaviation and sales. The company’sfleet of eight aircraft includes Learjetsand Piper Cheyennes operated forambulance and passenger charter.“We sell mainly to existing customers,
The businessof marketingis rewarding Andrew Lee,Skydrift Ltd
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A good reason to roll up the sleeves to find a solutionPedro Caneira, OMNI Aviation
The client didn’t buy theproperty in the endJean-Daniel Berthod, Héli-Alpes SA
You must beconvincedyour productis the best Floris Helmers, Air Hamburg
Continued on page 10
You must adapt quickly to changeNatascha Rode, Air Alliance Express
Eva Miñano says thatINAER’s 40 years ofoperation have resultedin a wide customer base.
IDGC Holding, which controls powertransmission lines throughoutRussia, and Russian Helicopters haveagreed to cooperate to produceaircraft ideally suited to power lineinspection and repair missions.
According to Nikolay Shvets, airpatrol operations are becoming amore and more popular techniqueamong electricity distribution gridcompanies: “IDGC Holding controlsover two million kilometres of powertransmission lines, which equals 51times the length of the Equator,mostly located in difficult to accessplaces.
“When technical breakdownsoccur, traditional ground patrollingto find the damage could become aninexcusably long process,” he says.“Improving situational awarenessabout the current state of the powergrid is one of the key points in thepolicy of IDGC Holding.”
Expanding helicopter usage willallow Russian power engineers notonly to conduct aerial monitoring butalso immediately send accidentrecovery teams to the points wherepower lines are disrupted. It alsoallows use of state-of-the-arttechnologies such as laser scanningfor technological certification ofpower transmission lines.
Dmitry Petrov, director general ofRussian Helicopters, is delighted:“The cooperation with IDGC is animportant stage for us in fulfilling ourstrategic tasks to provide the Russianeconomy with modern helicopters.I’m sure that using Russian-producedand climate-specific helicopters willhelp IDGC to enhance power linemonitoring effectiveness.”
One candidate helicopter forpower line inspection is the lightmulti-role Turbomeca Arrius 2G2-equipped Ka-226T.
Russian powergiant sets out
helicopterrequirements
An agreement to cooperate onhelicopter development was signed byNikolay Shvets, director general of IDGCHolding, and Dmitry Petrov, directorgeneral of Russian Helicopters.
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worst aspect of this work.”Velasco suggests that honesty,
an ability to make decisions,dynamism and dedication are traitsthat help to meet these demandseffectively. One tricky request neededan aircraft based in Spain to bepositioned on the USA west coast totake passengers to Kazakhstan fortwo days, then back to the USA and afinal flight back to Spain. “Andanother flight with 25 live falconsonboard a G550,” Velasco recalls.
Willers Jessen is the sole salesrepresentative at ABC Nordflug inHamburg, that operates a fleet largelycomprised of Citations. Unusually,Jessen began his career as a highschool teacher, moving into theshipping business before starting a 20
year stint in the aviation business.Of the most enjoyable aspects of
his job, Jessen says: “To meetcustomers who are interestingpeople, with whom you can have awonderful conversation and whotreat you like a human being.” Andthe most interesting mission? “AGerman journalist was captured inIndonesia years ago, and when hewas freed (after paying some goodmoney) we were asked to send anaircraft to a certain location where wefound this journalist and to took himback to safety.”
Personal traits Jessenrecommends for the job are reliabilityand honesty. “You should have‘character‘, you should be friendlyand able to estimate what ‘type’
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but I see an increase in newcustomers, especially thanks toAvinode,” says Rode. “You must havepatience, adapt quickly to change, befriendly and flexible,” says Rode,adding that day-to-day variety is whatmakes the job most enjoyable.
As commercial director forExecutive Airlines SL, Sergio SazVelasco says that he views his work asa salesperson in the charterdepartment as a mix between aconcierge of a five star hotel, a luxurytravel agency and a taxi driver.
He says: “You have to meet therequirements of customers at anytime and not stop until you do,because when a customer requests aflight, you have to give the bestoptions and do it as fast as possible.My motto is: I can never leave apassenger on the ground.”
Executive Airlines operates eightaircraft types and 14 aircraft areavailable for charter flights.
The sales department is made upof commercial director, internationalsales manager, national salesmanager and three charter salespeople, continuously looking for new customers.
Velasco has worked for three of themajor operators in Spain – Gestair,TAG Aviation Spain and ExecutiveAirlines, and has 15 years experiencein the business aviation industry.
The role is obviously not withoutits challenges: “Meeting customerdemand, the difficulties we have withavailability, rules, regulations, crewactivity etc,” he says.
“Sometimes there is no way to getwhat the client wants and that is the
Perspectives: the air charter salesperson
You should be able toestimate what ‘type’ yourcustomer isWillers Jessen, ABC Nordflug
Christian Schmadblauer started hiscareer in 2004 at a small airlinewhere he was thrown in at the deepend and continuously moved on,learning everything from scratch.Now he is sales team leader in adepartment of four at Amira AirGmbH, based at Vienna. “I emergedwith a broad interest in thisbusiness and see my job as a hobby.I think it’s really important to ‘live’this job like that, because otherwiseyou run out of gas quite fast in thisdemanding business,” he says.
“You need to be a calm personwith the ability to troubleshooteverything that could possiblyhappen in a deliberate manner,with a focus on the importantdecisions.”
Amira Air operates nine aircraftin its commercial charter fleet,featuring Citation CJ 2+, Hawker
400XP, Challenger 300 and GlobalExpress types, with a new Global5000 scheduled for delivery inJanuary 2012.
“We have a solid customer basethat we can rely on. Amira Air hasbeen in the business for severalyears now and has its name andreputation in the aviation industry.
We have mostly long-term businessrelationships and less ad-hocflights.”
Schmadblauer’s approachmeans that he doesn’t consider anyrequest unusual. “I think that’s thereason why our clients like to flywith us, because we are different, ina positive way, to the average joesitting in a standard airline aircraft.
“But sometimes I question theseriousness of certain requests fromand to the other side of the worldwith positioning flights thatoutmatch the taxi time by a factor of two or more.”
Sales events present a goodopportunity for Schmadblauer tomeet colleagues with whom he talksover the phone or emails. “It’salways good to be face-to-face withindividuals you’re doing businesswith,” he adds.
The unusual is no problem for Amira Airyour customer is, to find the rightapproach to deal with him,” he adds.To conduct business in a more directmanner Jessen prefers face-to-facemeetings over dinner or going to a concert.
Few of our respondents admittedto having refused to quote a charterbut Jessen has, saying: “I refused toquote due to one client’s absolutelybad behaviour!”
Based in the UAE, Rotana Jet’s currentconcerns are aircraft managementand aircraft charter, operating aluxury Gulfstream G450 with 14 seats and an Airbus 319LR in vipformat, which is due to be in servicemid-2012.
Commercial manager James Coakreveals that there are other aircraft inthe pipeline yet to be confirmed.“These core aircraft are where ourmain focus rests for charteractivities,” he explains. “However,due to some of our clients’ needs, wedo offer a full array of services forcharter covering all aircraft types. Werecently carried out a charter on ourGulfstream G450 into Africa. Whilethe client was in Africa, we sub-chartered an aircraft to fulfill theclient’s local flying requirement.”
Coak’s main focus is anything that helps the companycommercially, the main aspect beingsales and development of current and future business areas. As RotanaJet is a relatively new company, he is currently involved in setting up procedures that will continue to support its growth. “I also focus
Through word-of-mouth and excellent service,our customer database naturally grows
I can never leave apassenger on groundSergio Saz Velasco,Executive Airlines SL I had to
transportsand fromItaly to Egypt James Coak,Rotana Jet
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Continued on next page
on areas of cost-saving across variousdepartments, monitoring ofoperational costs through sensiblebuying and reviewing of suppliers,”he says.
Coak is currently the only hands-on sales person for the company andworks closely with the ceo and seniormanagement who are heavilyinvolved in sales projects for growth.“We intend to increase our sales force over the next few months andyears, as the company’s growthdictates,” he says.
Brokers form the main bulk ofRotana’s charter customers, althoughit does have some direct clients. “We focus our growth viatransparency and support of brokers.We advertise our services andthrough word-of-mouth andexcellent service, our customerdatabase naturally grows,” Coak adds.“We focus on retention of clients byoffering the best in-flight services. Wehave a dedicated and experiencedteam that oversees the set-up of theflight services and their delivery.”
Coak says he loves being inaviation as he deals with all types ofpeople from various cultures, variouseducational levels and various wealthlevels. “One minute you can bedealing with a head of state whowants to fly to important meetings ona global trip, the next minute it’s anoffice clerk who needs to transporta bird of prey for his boss!
“Everyone offers differentchallenges, whether it’s what they are looking for or how they need to be handled. Some are easier than others.”
Marianna Margeti says that Air Business International’s search for new customersincludes participation in trade shows and promotion through the internet.
Coak recalls an unusual job: “I hadto transport sand from Italy to Egypt!Isn’t there enough sand there already?I accompanied the aircraft down toCairo and once aboard, it all madesense. The sand was of very highsilicon content especially for glassmaking – this type of sand does notexist in the desert.”
Charter sales people come inmany different forms, says Coak, butin general they need to know theaircraft they are dealing with, musthave a good understanding ofoperational constraints, be eloquent,have the ability to deal with people atall levels, willing to work long hoursand know their competition.
Rotana has a clear direction onwhere it invests time and money for marketing purposes, appearing in carefully selected business aviation publications andexhibitions, but: “We don’t want toshare our secrets as we believe a lot ofour business is generated from thoseinitiatives,” he says.
German-based Cirrus Airlinesoperates Dornier 328 turboprops andERJ-170 aircraft. The company’s
the perfect tools for networking withbrokers, although direct customersseldom attend sales events. Asked ifhe has ever refused a charter quoterequest, he stresses: “No, never! Allclients are king!”
Dana Hovorková is the charter salesmanager at ABS Jets, Prague-basedaircraft operator and servicesprovider. Since joining ABS Jets in July2009 Hovorková has become a keypart of the charter sales team anddeveloped a keen understanding ofcustomer requirements and thechallenges of the business chartermarket. A firm believer in deliveringoutstanding customer service Danaenjoys the variety her work in a busycharter department brings.
ABS Jets offers three types ofbusiness jet for aircraft charter, incategories to provide capacity forseven to 13 passengers. “In the lightjet category we have a Citation Bravo,the first jet in our fleet,” Hovorkovásays. “We also have a seven-seatLearjet 60XR, a very popular midsizejet due to its speed and comfort.
“The largest aircraft, with thehighest level of comfort, is theEmbraer Legacy 600. The three-zonecabin layout has capacity for 13passengers. ABS Jets has five Legacysin its fleet which is a strong indicatorof the popularity of the aircraft.”
Hovorková spends all her time inthe sales department, but teamworkis required as there are many aspectsto the work. “The sales role meansthat I get involved in other areas of
Sometimes there isno way to get what
the client wants
director of charter sales Frank Steitzfocuses on sales, assisted by a charterflight planner. He says that most ofthe quotes he supplies are forexisting contacts with the search fornew clients carried out by themarketing department.
Steitz started his career in the mid-80s in cargo before moving, in 1995,to Arcus Air in Mannheim. He nowhas more than 25 years experience inaviation, once moving six tons of goldon a cargo charter.
“Every day is a challenge – you justdon’t know how long the day will be,” Steitz says. “Experience in operations, performance,mathematic ability and multi-dimensional thinking are importantpersonal qualities for this job.”
Jetalliance Flugbetriebs GmbH hasits headquarters in Kottingbrunn,close to Vienna, and sells charter on afleet of nine aircraft, from CitationCJ2+ to Gulfstream 550. Director ofsales in the aircraft charter divisionDominik Tyro focuses all his energieson sales, including brokerage, withina team of three.
Tyro’s background is sales andtourism, with four years working inthe hotel industry before moving toaviation in 2007.
He feels that resistance to stress,perfect communication skills, serviceorientation and 24/7 flexibility arevital to meeting the requirements ofthe role. Daily challenges, themulticultural society and working invery high service occupation are allaspects of the positives and negativesof his job and he sees sales events as
Serviceorientationand flexibilityare vital Dominik A Tyro,Jetalliance
There areplans toextend theteamDana Hovorková,ABS Jets
You don’t know how longthe day will beFrank Steitz, Cirrus Airlines
12 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
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work such as travel management –helicopter bookings, shippingreservations, and many other aspectsof the trip to ensure that customersreceive a top-of-the-range conciergeservice,” she says. “Jiri Hrna and Ishare the duties between us toprovide a 24-hour operation. As ABSJets has grown significantly in recenttimes there are plans to extend the team.”
Taking care of existing customersis a key part of ABS Jets but, asHovorková points out, in order togrow there is always a need to securenew business. “We are launching anew marketing campaign thatfocuses on potential corporate clientsin our region. We have identifieda growth trend in travel by midsizecompanies so we are aiming to securebusiness in this sector.
“I love this job because of theconstant change, every day isdifferent. I get great job satisfactionwhen the client is happy and we knowthat we did a great job. The mostunusual request I’ve had was howmuch it would cost to transport 50sheep from South Africa to Prague.
“In this role we need strongcommunication skills (this includesunderstanding of foreign languages),and to be able to work in anempathetic, positive way.”
On the subject of sales events,Hovorková finds them very useful, asthe opportunity to meet customersand discuss their preferences isrewarding. “I see events as a veryimportant part of building strongcustomer relationships. At ABS Jetswe have held several events over thecourse of the year, allowing us to meetour clients, introduce new aircraft inour fleet, advise them of the latestdevelopments.
“We have great opportunities tocoordinate the charter sales activitiesof ABS Jets with our own aircraft sales events and promotions as ABSJets is an official Embraer ApprovedService Center and authorisedEmbraer Executive Jets salesrepresentative in the Czech Republicand Slovakia. We also get involvedwith local/domestic VIP events, fromconcerts and golf tournaments toluxury brand events.”
Skycam Helicoptere in France sellscharter flights on four aircrafttypes, AS350, EC130, Agusta A109Grand New and the vvip configuredEC155B1. In his role as sales and
industry to her role and findsnegotiating the most interestingaspect of the job. “You must be anexcellent negotiator,” she says.
To market Air Nimbus’s services,Santos finds sales events most usefuland would like to see more of them.Additionally, depending on budgetavailability, the company willadvertise in publications that itscustomers read. “We also advertiseon our website and on Facebook.”
Aerowest offers Europe-wide charterservices from its base near Hanoverwith a fleet featuring seven aircraftincluding two Piper Cheyennes, theCitation V and the Sovereign.
In the sales and marketingdepartment, Axel Klegien works onexpanding the company’s customerbase of brokers and direct clients. To alesser extent, he assists his twocolleagues in operations and someadministration. Klegien enjoys thevariety of his position: “As we doambulance, passenger and cargocharter and our company alsoprovides maintenance and a flightschool, one day is rarely the same asanother.”
Klegien was in sales for around 13years and in aviation for 15, withtraining as a freight forwarder hemoved into cargo sales in 1997 andthen into aviation sales in 1998. Hisexperience has taught him that salespeople need to be patient andaggressive at the same time, whilelistening to customers’ needs. “I find
the most successful attitude is whenyou see customers as businesspartners on eye-level rather than theclassic seller/buyer relationship,” he explains. “I like to make individualface-to-face calls, invite customers to our facilities or meet them atshows.” Aerowest rarely placesadvertising and concentrates moreon appearances in the press.
Hans Arne Jensen is responsible forworking with long-term contracts atNorway-based Lufttransport AS,however, together with thecompany’s 24/7 sales and operationcentre, he also deals with ad-hocenquiries. “We do ad-hoc/chartersales with Agusta A139, A109P andEurocopter AS332N3 helicopters andthe Dornier 228NG.
“Most of our business is based onlong-term contracts with governmentfor air ambulance, hoisting of seapilots to and from oil tankers visitingthe Norwegian oil terminals, marineoperations, a helicopter routebetween the mainland and islands,and surveillance in the Barents Sea,”says Jensen.
Lufttransport also carries outoperations between cities in theSpitsbergen area with the Do228.
Air Business International offerhelicopters, turboprops and longrange jets and is based in Greece.Marianna Margeti is air chartermanager and ground operationsmanager and comes from abackground in marketing and saleswith four years in the businessaviation field.
“I started in charter sales in 1983when the private jet business wasrelatively straightforward; there werevery few brokers. There were noempty leg sales, no jet cards, no jetshares (you either leased orpurchased a jet or remained acharter customer) and of course itwas before the internet so themarket was relatively small, withclientele mostly being westernEuropean with a scattering of USand Middle Eastern clients.
“Advertising was simply abrochure and an entry in YellowPages, marketing was scanning thebusiness section of newspapers forwho was doing well and firing off aletter and brochure. Most businesscame by word of mouth – anastounding claim perhaps, but it didin those days.
“Today, of course, it’s a verydifferent picture, in some ways morecomplex. Clients have more choice;they can still charter ad-hoc, butnow they can buy a jet card and payfor what they actually fly, they canbuy (on paper) a share in an off-the-peg jet and enjoy all the benefits thatgo with it. We have even experiencedin recent years the ‘low cost’ air taximodel, although the financialviability remains to be seen.
“With the advent of the internetit seems anyone with a decentwebsite can become a broker and,speaking from an operator’s point ofview, there have been some
interesting companies entering thescene over the last 10 years; somemaking an impression and otherscoming and going overnight.
“My present role is UK salesdirector for Unijet, a long-established management andcharter company based at LeBourget airport. Unijet is aconservative company by nature,not out to be the cheapest or thebiggest, but certainly one of themost reliable companiesaround. The current charter fleetstands at 11 aircraft with a newFalcon 7X to be added soon.
“I provide quotations andpromote the services of thecompany to UK brokers, operators,travel agents and direct clients. I amsupported by a commercial
department in Le Bourget;important when the service weprovide is 24/7. My job is certainlynot nine-to-five and you have to beprepared to answer that call just asyou are about to have dinner or at3.00am – an understanding wife iscrucial!
“I worked in flight operationsbefore moving into the commercialside; working in ops is a goodschooling for anyone who goes on toselling charter as you canunderstand what can be achievedand what cannot. You learn thatorganising a flight is not asstraightforward as it would seem. Ihave enormous respect for the flightoperations department and whenorganising a charter I liaise closelywith ops to ensure a smooth
operation for the client. I still like tokeep my hand in and often assistwith organising handling, groundtransportation, airport slots, flightcatering, etc.
“In the good times, when thedemand is high, we frequently turnbusiness away due to lack ofavailability or no crew; in the badtimes we suffer the frustration oflosing out to cheaper operators whoin some cases charter their aircraftout at direct operating costs. Thisonly makes a bad situation worse forall (brokers and operators) and oftenprolongs the slump. But ultimately ithastens their demise when they can’tmeet the high costs involved withoperating private jets.
“The job can take you to someinteresting parts of the world and weregularly participate at trade showsthat allow us to meet customersface-to-face. Sometimes you get toride in these luxurious aircraft, amust if you are to sell charter on theaircraft as you cannot beat the flightexperience.
“There is no official course to goon to become a charter salesexecutive, only experience andtuition from those who have comebefore you. I cannot see myselfdoing anything else, once it’s in theblood you never want to let go. Thereis a great deal of satisfaction whenyou see a flight through from thequote to its conclusion.– Andy Lee, Unijet
Nowadays clients have much more choice “
”operations manager, ClémentLacoste’s duties include sales, basemanagement and owner flightmanagement.
Lacoste is always looking for newcustomers and is aware that many ofhis customers do not appreciate allthe services the company canprovide. He began his working life atCannes Quai du Large helistation inground ops, then to Courchevel for alocal helicopter company working inops and sales and for the past twoyears he has been with Skycam.
Of his day-to-day working life,Lacoste says: “Each day is different,you don’t have the same requests andit is not boring as I am not only doingsales. You must be reactive andalways available for your customer.”
To promote its services, Skycamsends out mailshots withappearances at shows like Paris AirShow and EBACE to raise thecompany profile.
“At the moment we have two aircraftin our fleet, a Piper PA-32 and aCitation Mustang,” says Sofia Santos,who works in the exclusive salesdepartment at Air Nimbus ofPortugal. “We use the Mustang to sellcharter flights, for which we arecontinuously searching for newcustomers.”
Santos brings a background insales and marketing in the tourism
I like to make individual face-to-face calls or invite customers to our facilities
You must beavailable foryour customerClément Lacoste,SkycamHelicoptere
You must bean excellentnegotiatorSofia Santos, Air Nimbus
One day israrely thesame asanotherAxel Klegien,Aerowest
Business is based on long-term contractsHans Arne Jensen, Lufttransport AS
We transferred a pethamster from the UK to a Greek islandMarianna Margeti, Air Business International
Perspectives: the air charter salesperson
OCTOBER 2011 13EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
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The Air BusinessInternational sales andcustomer service teamconsists of three people, allinvolved in marketing, salesand customer service, fromthe first request up toinvoicing. “Working out of asmall country with globalactivities, we are incontinuous search of newcustomers by participating intrade shows and through theinternet,” says Margeti.
It is a challenge, she says,working in an area where nota single operator is Argusaudited. “Therefore a deepknowledge of the EASAstandards is required to makesure that you provide thefellow broker or the end usera quality product thatguarantees safety.”
The most out-of-the-ordinary request Margeti hascome up against was totransfer a child’s pet hamsterfrom the UK to a Greek island,since the family’s decision toleave the rodent behindwasn’t popular with thefamily’s youngest member.
Redstar Aviation has aJetstream 32EP aircraft with acapacity of 18+1 passengers.Ozan Alemdaroglu is one of a number of salesrepresentatives sellingcharter flights on theJetstream as well as otheraircraft rented fromcontracted service providers.
Alemdaroglu works 100%on sales, communicatingwith the client before andafterwards. “I am the go-to-guy when there arerequests coming from ourinternational network.Domestically, we receiverequests from travel agenciesand from client themselves.
“Our client list includesbusiness partners we havebeen working with for manyyears, companies that hearabout our reputation in theindustry, as well as newbusiness generated from ourcontinuous search.”
Alemdaroglu started hissales career eight years ago.After working in differentsectors, he joined theRedstar Aviation operationsdepartment. “Having becomefamiliar with the how aviationindustry worked, I startedworking as a charter salesprofessional. I enjoy dealingwith different kinds of people,helping people that are inneed of assistance isimportant to me. Also, at theend of the month, when I lookat my numbers, I feel like I ammaking a solid contributionto my company.”
Sales is all aboutrelationships, Alemdaroglubelieves. “To get positiveresults, you need to beculturally open-minded andflexible, not to mentionpersistent and hardworking.Also, in charter sales,technical know-how isimportant. One has to beaware of the conditions inwhich the aircraft willoperate.” Sometimes Redstarsales reps will fly on an
aircraft to make observationson how to improve the flightexperience.
Like many in his position,Alemdaroglu is on-callaround the clock and findsthe lifestyle active andexciting. After the conflictsbegan in the Middle East andCaspian regions, Redstarreceived more evacuationrequests. “We coordinated aflight to and from Georgiaduring the Russia-Georgiaclash. We built a connectionbetween Tbilisi, Georgia, andour secondary hub inTrabzon, Black Sea, Turkey.There were people in Georgiathat were desperate for helpas a result of the intensity ofwar, and our aircraft broughtthem to Trabzon safely.”
Redstar Aviation networkswith existing and new clientsat fairs, seeking to buildstrong relationships leadingto long-term partnerships. Italso organises open days forpotential clients to see theservices on offer.
Heron Luftfahrt GmbH andCo KG in Germany has twoaircraft, a Learjet 60 andFalcon 900EX. ChristinaFries’s responsibilities aremainly in sales andmarketing, as a member of ateam of three forming part ofground operations.
Fries finished her businessadministration studies inDecember last year and forthe last seven months hasbeen writing her thesiscovering the marketingaspects of a business aviationcompany in the today’scompetitive market.
“I enjoy the newchallenges which we getevery day,” she says. “It is veryinteresting to search out theoptimal solution for ourcustomers.”
Alicante-based INAER offerscharter on a fleet of aircraftincluding the Citation Bravo,King Air 200GT and five types
of helicopters. The companyhas been operating for morethan 40 years and that gives ita wide customer base forflights to sport events,political conventions,cultural performances and soon. Charter manager EvaMiñano says: “We also dealwith all kinds of enquiries foraerial works such as cargo,photo or video shoots and weobviously look out forpotential new customers.Nowadays we can’t reject anyproject, the unimportantcustomer doesn’t exist, but itis true that economic issuesare getting more and moreimportant.” She also feels thatcharter flights are quite anunknown sector and thecompany’s operations withhelicopters have to bepromoted, so publicity eventsare always beneficial.
“Sales in a company likeINAER requires a custom-made service and dealingdirectly with our customer,”Miñano explains. “I’mresponsible also for thecoordination of flights for the national transplantorganisation, covering thewhole country.”
As the charter manager,she reports directly to thecommercial manager and hasa team of eight collaboratingwith her in the differentoperational bases of INAER.
Miñano reports that thecompany has carried outseveral honeymoon trips, andbeen witness to marriageproposals and farewells toloved ones. “Every service isan adventure that usually has a happy ending, but themost satisfactory operationsare the ones for thetransplantations, as we knowwe could be saving one ormore lives at the end of eachflight, responding to demand365 days, 24 hours a day.”
INAER is well-known foralways being at thecustomer’s disposal, saysMiñano, and it is important to be proactive in order to anticipate customerdemands and possible issuesduring a flight.
ProAir sells charter flights onits six-seat Learjet 31A andplans to add a Citation III.
GlobeAir’s board of directors are cmo Mauro De Rosa, ceo BernhardFragner and coo Claudio Bruno.
The unimportantcustomer doesn’texistEva Miñano, INAER
There are alwayscrazy requestsKerstin Mindermann, ProAir
Searchingout anoptimalsolutionChristinaFries, HeronLuftfahrt
I am makinga solidcontributionOzanAlemdaroglu,RedstarAviation
Continued on next page
14 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
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Kerstin Mindermann spends hertime on sales and marketing, andflight supervision after a sale hasbeen made. A team of six sales peoplehandle passenger flights, while aseparate sales team focuses on cargo flights.
Mindermann has a background insales and tourism, with eight yearsspecialising in aviation and says: “Tobe honest there are always crazyrequests. The latest one was a flight for 40 passengers for a 40thbirthday celebration for a passengerflying to Venice to stay there for 40 hours.”
Mindermann achieves greatsatisfaction from short noticebooking, obviously resulting in ahectic schedule, but in the endhaving a very satisfied andsometimes surprised client. It is thisability to organise several differenttopics, to be patient and to be able to work under pressure that are thekey requirements Mindermannneeds for her role.
Starting his aviation career in Syria inground operations, Shafiq Derkeshlymoved to Dubai several years agoand has been with Empire AviationGroup since its inception in 2007.The company has Hawker 850s, 900and 4000, Legacy 600s and aChallenger 604 available for charter,although Derkeshly reports that hedoes sometimes get spuriousenquiries for cargo movements,including one regarding several tonsof bananas!
Derkeshly is part of a charter salesteam responsible for handling allincoming charter enquiries,conducting new sales calls andmanaging relationships with existingcustomers. “Our team is veryproactive in searching the market
for new business. It is also veryimportant to maintain relations withour existing customers. We
understand the nature of our businessand how competitive it can be, so we have to be alert in identifying
new business opportunities in theregion and beyond.”
Positive feedback from clientsgives the Empire Aviation teamimmense satisfaction and, althoughhours of work can be challenging,Derkeshly believes this is the natureof the business: “You really have to bepassionate about it to be in it.Product knowledge, keeping a trackof the charter market trends,maintaining good relations with yourexisting customers, monitoringcompetitors and continuallypromoting your USP to new and oldclients are all vital to the role.”
A centralised database is managedby the marketing department thatalso has responsibility for advertisingplacements, exhibitions and sendingout mailers. “We generallyparticipate in aviation related events.From time-to-time we get involvedwith our business partners wherebywe have the opportunity to showcaseour services.”
Harbourair Seaplanes has one DeHavilland Single Otter with a seatingcapacity of 14 passengers on offer to its charter clients. Lara Vassallocounts sales among her variousresponsibilities and cites positivefeedback from client, for examplethat the trip was the highlight of their holiday, as the positive aspect ofher role. She feels that drive,ambition, personality and excellentproduct knowledge are all vitalpersonal characteristics to succeedin the business.
Commercial director Nacho Isla atVia Tauro SL sells flights on cargoaircraft such as the Metro and Saab340, plus a 30-seat EMB120 forpassengers. Agreements with othercompanies mean that bigger aircraftare available for cargo or passengers.
Isla works predominantly on sales,although he points that he is quitehappy performing other tasks to helpthe company if needed. “There aretwo of us in sales because it isimpossible to provide 24/365 coveralone – I have had to do this in thepast and it was crazy. I am the one incharge but I need help with customerrequests and holidays. We arecontinuously trying to find newcustomers although, naturally, welike to devote most of our energies toexisting customers. And we prefersatisfied customers spreading theword to advertising.”
Isla started in aviation in 1995 as adispatcher, working for severalairlines at London Heathrow. Aftersome time, he returned to Spain todevelop his career in aviation, thistime as a commercial director. “I got ajob with Metro Airlines which startedwith two aircraft and grew to sixaircraft. However, when the companyhad not grown its fleet for a couple ofyears, I decided to take a newchallenge with a different, smallcompany and try to make it grow. Ilike challenges.”
Kerstin Mindermann is pictured, fourth from left, with ProAir staff during a charterflight project for Audi AG that involved arranging flight logistics and luggage handlingfor 4,000 attendees to a meeting at Nice earlier this year.
We prefer satisfiedcustomers spreading the wordNacho Isla, Via Tauro SL
Usually I go to sleepwhen the last flighthas landed and I
know the customerwas satisfied
Perspectives: the air charter salesperson
Excellentproductknowledge is vitalLara Vassallo,HarbourairSeaplanes
We know howcompetitive itcan beShafiq Derkeshly,Empire AviationGroup
OCTOBER 2011 15EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
Citation XLS+
See you at NBAA.
ATRONCessna Citation Authorised Sales Representative Dublin, Ireland, +353 1 [email protected], www.atron.ie
On the downside, Isla has hadsome negative experiences: “I don’tthink a salesperson should quotesomebody who doesn’t pay theirbills. They are a cancer for ourbusiness and unfortunately theyexist in Spain.”
Isla may have the most forthrightexample of a strange customerrequest – a flight booked specificallyso that the customer could havesexual intercourse while flying.
GlobeAir is an executive airline usingits own fleet of nine Mustangs, withone Mustang in AOC management,and conducts an average of 13 flightsa day. Mauro De Rosa, chiefmarketing officer, says: “We have thelargest Citation Mustang fleet in theworld and we are the market leader inEurope with 40% of market share.”
De Rosa’s responsibilities involvesales, marketing and management.“Since our customers book flightswith us directly, we are responsiblefor them. Our passengers fly all overEurope so we must ensure thateverything works perfectly.
“Usually I go to sleep when the lastflight has landed and the commandercalls to say the customer was 100%satisfied. My position involvesworking closely with the whole team.”
GlobeAir is constantly looking fornew clients. A customer care team ofsix is headed up by George Wilfingwho takes care of partner and clientneeds 24/7. Says De Rosa: “Due tocontinual growth, our client basegrows as a result, but we are alwayseager to create a wider network. Newclients are contacted and met by thesales department and once we get toknow clients they are handed over toour customer care team.”
At GlobeAir, employees come fromall over Europe and some fromoutside the EU, which can makecommunication and culturaldifferences during daily operationschallenging at times. “Therefore thecommon denominator must be thepassion that we all have for thisindustry and the professionalism thatevery single person puts in,” stressesDe Rosa. “You can learn how to sellbut you cannot learn how to love yourcorporate mission, it’s about emotionand mind status.”
De Rosa studied law andinternational business with amarketing specialisation, laterworking in a non-aviation industry asmarketing and sales manager.
Watson’s background lies inaviation, starting with a diploma inaircraft engineering and a period atLondon City Airport before joiningLEA seven years ago to train in opsand commercial. “I became deputyoperations manager and then tookthe post of commercial manager twoyears ago. I still enjoy getting involvedin operational matters, especiallylong haul flight planning.”
A charter sales person must beenthusiastic, polite, professional andable to adapt to different clientpersonalities and needs, he says.“This is a service industry, wherepersonal relationships go a long way. Ienjoy networking and meeting ourclients and potential ones. I find Ihave a better relationship that can bemore relaxed once I have met a client.
We also hold various events for ourclients – a day at the theatre, learningto play polo, day at the races, and soon. It is important to give somethingback and spend some time away fromthe aircraft with them.”
Watson says that he has neverrefused to quote a job, but if he doesnot like the sound of the task, willalways make the appropriateenquiries with government agents.“These days, security and safety isparamount, so we need to be careful.”
Stuttgarter Flugdienst operates 11aircraft, including the newest entry toits fleet, a Citation XLS.
However, he says: “At one point mypassion for aviation was so strongthat on instinct I decided to get intoaviation management, marketingand sales. I always encourage peoplecoming from different backgroundsto join this industry; they can providenew ideas and unclouded ways ofthinking.”
Working closely with people, andbeing in touch with differentcultures, is what De Rosa likes themost. “This business is so interesting,emotional and foolish that I enjoyevery single day and every singleflight sold. We flew more than 6,000passengers between January andAugust and each flight always had a nice story behind it. We had aserious request to provide a flightfrom Rome to Dubai. It wasValentine’s Day and a man asked usto fly his cat … it was a present for hiswife who lives in Dubai.”
In the internet era, GlobeAirbelieves that the most powerful tool isto meet the customer, listen and try tosatisfy their expectations. “In thisbusiness I’m still convinced that 90%of customers in Europe flyingprivately jump from one operator toanother until they find the right one for them. So the best way toacquire customers is when they flywith us, just for one flight, we mustprovide them with the mostprofessional care and this willguarantee a rebooking.”
GlobeAir’s communicationactivities are built around its partnernetworks established on co-marketing agreements. For example,for partner Maserati the companyexhibits during the Frankfurt andGeneva motor show, or with theFerretti Group appearances at theFestival de la Plaisance in Cannes andat Monte Carlo Boat Show are in order.
Commercial manager at LondonExecutive Aviation Chris Watsonreports that being from an opsbackground, and maintaining someof those responsibilities, works wellwith the commercial side.
He sells charter flights on 24aircraft of seven types, including theLegacy 600/650, Challenger 300 andCitation Mustang. A commercialexecutive helps to turn around mostof the quotes each day, although all
LEA staff are trained in quoting.Sixty per cent of LEA’s business
comes from major brokers and otheroperators in Europe, rather than fromdirect bookings. “We are constantlylooking to expand our client base andbuilding new relationships withothers,” says Watson.
“We have carried anything fromcoffins to small car parts and humantransplants around Europe and
further afield. One charter that sticksin mind was to take eight ladies to anAfrican country with some boxes ofspecial Cognac. We were told thatnone of the ladies knew each other.On the day, none of the passengersturned up, so we just flew the boxes ofCognac to the destination – aftergetting them thoroughly checked, ofcourse! We don't ask questions, wejust get on with the job!”
As head of sales and marketing at Arab Wings, ManalObeid sells charter services for around 13 aircraft,including the G450, Legacy 650, Challenger 605 andKing Air B200, strategically based across the MiddleEast region. Obeid views her workload as 90% sales,5% marketing and 5% aircraft management. The aimis for each of the company’s four sales people to focuson a particular type of client such as oil and gascompanies, medical flights or managed aircraft.
Obeid used to work for a non-profit organisationbefore entering the aviation field with Arab Wingsseven years ago. She says: “The aviation business is aseparate and huge world – every day you learnsomething new and I always try to have goodrelationship with brokers, operators andmanufacturers. I think if you don’t go into this worldyou can’t understand how it is.” To get on in chartersales Obeid says it helps to be patient andpresentable, respect all requests from the client, solveany problem and be able to work 24/7.
She finds that medical evacuations are always themost memorable tasks and of the job in general shesays: “It’s something like an addiction you can’t get ridof – I think I enjoy my job!”
Deputy sales manager Dima Elayyan expands on
the services offered by the Arab Wings salesdepartment: “We sell block hours, work on leaseagreements and invoicing, manage regular and newclients and aircraft owners’ accounts, coordinate andfollow-up medical or VIP flights with other relateddepartments.
“We have our regular clients and we continuouslyseek new sales opportunities.”
Elayyan graduated with a degree in businessadministration and joined Arab Wings in 2008, freshfrom college. “Arab Wings has taken the time toeducate me about the industry and now I have beenin the industry for almost four years I am veryambitious, so I am looking forward to what’s going tohappen in my career in future.” The qualities Elayyanconsiders important for the role are patience,flexibility and the persistence to pursue follow-upswith clients.
Chartering a plane to transport birds of prey maynot be as unusual as expected. Elayyan says: “Weactually received a call today from a client requestinga mid-size jet for himself and four trained falcons,asking to keep the birds inside the cabin without theircages. We had to go and check our manuals beforeaccepting or declining his request.”
Medical evacuations are always memorable
I work closely with thewhole teamMauro De Rosa, GlobeAir
Every day has its newchallengesAndreas Mundsinger, Stuttgarter Flugdienst
We just geton with thejobChris Watson,London ExecutiveAviation
Continued on next page
Manal Obeid
Dima Elayyan
16 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
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Baron and Bonanza gainfresh interiorsHawker Beechcraft has unveilednew interiors for its Baron andBonanza piston engine aircraft. Thecompany says they will offerimproved cabin comfort andfunctionality with enhanced stylinginspired by interiors found in theworld’s finest motor cars. Theupgrade also includes an automaticclimate control system and an LEDexternal lighting package, and willbe phased into production in thesecond quarter of 2012.
Says Jim Holcombe, vicepresident Beechcraft marketing:“We are adding contemporarydesign elements, cleaner lines andimproved ergonomics to theinterior for a more blended, form-fitting look.” The climate controlsystem allows individual aft-cabinpassengers to set their owntemperature and features anengine-driven compressor withcondenser and evaporator unitsinstalled in the tail cone.
All external lights on both theBaron and the Bonanza will utiliseLED bulbs.
Travolta spreads theBombardier wordHaving recently attained a typerating for the Challenger aircraft,film actor and producer JohnTravolta has agreed to become abrand ambassador forBombardier’s Learjet, Challengerand Global jets. Travolta is a keenadvocate of corporate aviation,flying to fulfil a busy schedule offilming, publicity and charity work.
Vulcanair updates P68cockpitsVulcanair has achieved EASAvalidation of the Garmin G950 glasscockpit on its piston aircraftmodels. Available immediately onall new aircraft, the G950 has twoscreens and is available both for theP68C and P68R (retractable)aircraft, which have a conventionalnose configuration. It is alsoavailable on the P68 Observerseries. “The installation of thesystem on to our plexiglass nosehelicopter-like aircraft is a first inthe industry,” the company says.
In addition to the avionicsimprovements, Vulcanair hasintroduced redesigned cockpits forthe P68C, P68R and the P68Observer.
London caterer expandscoverageAlison Price On Air, the London-based in-flight catering firm, hasextended its opening hours toseven days a week, all year roundand added four team members.
The company reports that it hasbeen given security clearance bythe Department for Transport atFarnborough, Stansted, Luton andBiggin Hill.
Embraer boosts Legacysupport in RussiaEmbraer has partnered with JetAviation Moscow Vnukovo toestablish an enhancedmaintenance service for the Legacy.
Jet Aviation will hold acomprehensive stock of parts forthe Legacy 600 and 650 executivejets by December this year.
I NDUSTRY NEWS . . .
Eurojet joins Avfuel networkBelfast City airport and Eurojet Aviation, the based FBO, are to partnerwith US-based Avfuel Corporation for fuel, fuel purchasing solutions,credit processing equipment, marketing support and a loyaltyprogramme for pilots.
“We are proud to say that Eurojet Aviation will be the first FBO inIreland to join the Avfuel branded network,” said Eurojet md GraemeCampbell (left), pictured with Avfuel president Craig Sincock and Belfastairport’s Mark Beattie.
After 55 years in business, SFD hasa solid base of regular customers butis always seeking new contacts.
Managing director AndreasMundsinger explains that salesactivities fall within the samedepartment as operations anddispatch, with a staff that has gainedmany years of experience in business aviation.
Mundsinger initially studiedbusiness administration and joinedSFD in 1997 as manager of chartersales/operations before becomingmanaging director in 2001. Of hisrole, he says: “Every day has its newchallenges, because this is aviationand every day is different. You mustbe service oriented, friendly, flexible,professional and have an excellentbackground in aviation.”
The most unusual charter requestMundsinger recalls was to fly 10 catsfrom Athens to Stuttgart.
Masterjet’s charter operations areheadquartered at Le Bourget, with afleet of eight aircraft that has recentlybeen joined by a head of state Airbus A320 with 26 seats.
With prime responsibility forsupervising charter sales, Jean-François Lecoanet works on saleswhile also making sure thateverything goes smoothly for allflights. In the charter desk team, fivepeople focus on the needs of existingcustomers with another staff memberseeking and meeting new customers.
Lecoanet has always been inprivate aviation, but he started in amore operational role before takingcommercial responsibilities. And nowhe feels that time and experience hasshown that no charter request isunusual. “I like the fact that this job isdifferent every day, it is clearly not aboring task! I believe to make a goodcharter sales person you need to beflexible, good at multitasking, developan exceptional customer-care attitude… and have a good resistance topressure.” There has been occasion,
due to the inappropriate attitude of acustomer toward the cabin crew orthe aircraft, when Masterjet has had torefuse to quote.
When it comes to sales strategy,Lecoanet believes that the only way tosucceed with customers is toexceed expectations with every flight,saying that sales events andhospitality are not so helpful.
“We sell charter flights on primarilyour own aircraft – King Airs andDornier 228 – but secondarily on anytype, the best aircraft for the job tosuit the customer,” says Nicolas DWebèr, managing director and pilotwith Backbone Aviation A/S.
As director, Webèr’s respon-sibilities are wide-ranging: “I havemore than sales on my mind, I workwith the whole organisation asaccountable manager. So hiring andfiring, possible future customers, newaircraft types, new focus areas are allmy business. I find the whole scope ofbeing accountable manager with acommercial pilots licence to be thebest combination and I enjoy everyaspect of my job.”
He shares sales duties with hisflight operations manager and, asBackbone is a newcomer to thebusiness, they are on the look-out fornew customers.
With a background in the militaryand then aviation, Webèr says thatthe company has “a thing” forpioneering jobs in remoteenvironments. “We believe we havethe stamina to provide for ourcustomers, wherever they want anoperation to take place.”
He was in the army for 16 years,from conscript to sergeant to officerand has been on national andinternational deployments, fromSerbia to Iraq through many Africancountries, and Afghanistan. “Goingfrom the military to aviation has beenone of my toughest decisions, butalso one of the best.
“We have not had any request that goes into the ‘unusual’ category.But then again, BackBone Aviationhandles unusual requests on a daily basis.”
The most important characteristicfor a charter sales person is the abilityto think on their feet, believes Webèr,offering suitable alternatives to getthe job done to provide customerswith what they need. “I have yet todecline a customer. Not that it has notbeen close, but we always find asolution. We always says yes, then wefind the best way around the‘mountain’, present that to thecustomer, and get the job done.”
Zurich-based Cat Aviation operatesFalcon 7X, 900EX, 2000EX, Sovereignand Hawker 800 aircraft and otheraircraft if there is a need. RolfRingwald is managing director formarketing and customer relations.
The company’s sales teammultitask by working in the flightdispatch and sales departments, 24/7365 days. Ringwald says this is veryimportant as staff must understandboth sides, sales and operations. Heexplains: “They can give professionalanswers to our customers and do notpromise things that we cannot fulfill –credibility is one of our companyphilosophies. We have a very goodcustomer portfolio but we searchcontinuously for new customers.”
Ringwald has spent 25 years in theaviation industry with positionsincluding flight dispatcher and headof ops centres at Crossair AG andSwiss International. He has also beenan executive member at Hello AGcharter airline in Switzerland andlead sales at Lufthansa Private Jet andSwiss Private Jet.
He has been with Cat Aviation for a few months and has beeninvolved in the organisation ofcharters for deportation of refugees,flights into Iraq shortly after the warand gold shipments. Occasionally,requests to fly into war areas havehad to be refused.
“Cat Aviation has a high classproduct, new aircraft and well trainedand friendly people in the company,”says Ringwald. “I enjoy meeting newpeople and working with our highlyprofessional staff, but sometimes it istiresome to talk about prices.”
Sales events and hospitality are, hesays, absolutely necessary to extendthe network and talk with peopleface-to-face. And a perk of the jobwould be the opportunity to travel onthe jets himself. “We have very highclass catering on board which Ienjoyed, I tested the onboardentertainment system – and thecomfortable beds!” ■
Calling all FBOmanagersIn our November edition our reportwill focus on the FBO manager. If youwould like to offer your thoughts andopinions, please [email protected].
We do not promise thingsthat we cannot fulfillRolf Ringwald, Cat Aviation
Nacho Isla moved to Via Tauro SL seeking the challenge of encouraging growth.
Andreas Mundsinger is proud ofStuttgarter Flugdienst’s ISBAO certificate.
We believe wehave the staminato provide for our
customers
I have yet todecline acustomerNicolas D Webèr,BackboneAviation A/S
You need to be good atmultitaskingJean-François Lecoanet, Masterjet
OCTOBER 2011 17EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
Major business aviation airports*
1. Zurich LSZH ZRH2. Geneva LSGG GVA3. Bern Belp LSZB BRN4. Lugano LSZA LUG5. St Gallen-Altenrhein LSZR ACH
* ranked by the number of handler, charter,
maintenance, sales and training organisations
based at each.
Leading fixed-wing charter operators**
1. TAG Aviation2. Global Jet Concept3. Jet Aviation Business Jets4. ExecuJet Europe5. Fly Comlux
Leading helicopter charter operators**
1. Air Glaciers2. Lions Air3. Fuchs Helikopter4. Swift Copters5. Heli-Alpes
** ranked by number of aircraft for charter
Leading maintenance centres***
1. Jet Aviation Basel2. Air Service Basel3. Jet Aviation Geneva4. Jet Aviation Zurich5. TAG Aviation
Leading TRTO training companies***
1. Air Espace2. Swift Copters3. BB Heli4. Jet Aviation5. Sky Unlimited
*** ranked by number of aircraft types covered
Data extracted from the Handbook
of Business Aviation in Europe,
and the EBAN reader roster.
Business aviationin Switzerland by
the numbers18 business aviation airports
89 business charter operators
53 business aircraftmaintenance organisations
HB567 business aircraft onthe Swiss register
Continued on next page
SWITZERLANDREGIONALREVIEW
Members of the Nomad management team: Rainer Schnurr, coo, Nicolo Crimi, aircraft relations and sales director, and ClaudeNeumeyer, ceo.
Swiss business climbs despite increasedcompetition and exchange rate challenges
Business aviation in Switzerlandwas less affected by world eventsthan many other Europeancountries, but nonetheless suffereda dip in traffic movements in 2009.That effect seems to have mostlypassed by now and the leadingairports are busy again.
According to Eurocontrol, Genevasaw over 50 business departures per day in 2010 and Zurich 31.4,followed in order of activity byAltenrhein, Bern, Sion, Lugano,Samedan, Grenchen, Buochs andLausanne.
But one of the things that haschanged hugely is the value of thecountry’s currency.
Back in 2007 one Euro boughtaround 1.65 Swiss Francs. By Augustthis year that had fallen to 1.12. Soassuming that most air charteroperators will be quoting theircustomers in Euros (or dollars), butspending a good proportion of theirrevenue in local currency – forsalaries, rents and businessexpenses – the strong Franc will havecaused a significant narrowing ofmargins, or caused charter prices to rise.
In recent weeks the exchange ratehas moderated slightly, but lookslikely to remain high while thecurrent Euro/banking crisiscontinues. Companies we surveyedseemed to be coping well, however.According to Premium Jet: “Thestrong Swiss Franc is a hugechallenge, because profit marginswere/are significantly squeezed.However, Premium Jet is well-placedand able to cope with such a strongcurrency.” Nomad confirms that “tostay competitive, we have to adjustthe prices in the Euro while somecosts remain in CHF.”
Many of the biggest names inbusiness aviation are Swiss-based,and here we have our round-up of thelatest news from a few of them.
Cat AviationCat Aviation is confident enoughabout future business to haveopened a new sales office at Geneva airport in September,complementing its headquarters inZurich. “Our aim is to strengthen ourpositioning in the Geneva area whichis one of the biggest Europeanmarkets in the field of commercialaviation,” says managing director,marketing and customer relationsRolf Ringwald.
“With our new sales office we areable to offer our modern fleet ofseven aircraft, three Falcon 7X, one900EX, one 2000EX, one Sovereign,and one Hawker 800A, to our top
customers through a local contactperson,” he adds.
Jacques Clémence, sales managerof many years, is responsible for thenew sales office where he is the directcontact person for customers inGeneva. “Furthermore Cat Aviation isworking on a more competitivepricing structure that will bebeneficial to all our customers,” saysRingwald, who has been with thecompany since May this year.
Cat Aviation offers a range ofservices starting from aircraftmanagement, exclusive charterflights to consultation regardingevaluation, acquisition and sale of aircraft.
Arcus Executive AviationSwiss-based Arcus Executive operates Embraer Phenoms fromZweibruecken in Germany (see newsitem on page 7) and has noted anincrease in flight hours recently.
Part of the company’s increasingworkload has involved flying demomissions for Embraer’s Europeanpotential customers, but it isconfident that regular business willremain strong. “Time is money. Ourservice is time-saving,” says executiveassistant Esther Bommer. “That’s oneof the reasons why business peoplebook private charter.
“Exclusiveness, for fair prices, isthe key,” she adds, singling out thecompany’s salesperson Kerstin Gloorfor special praise.
Nomad AviationThe European emissions tradingscheme, increasing prices in Russia,and the strong Swiss Franc have all been obstacles for NomadAviation to overcome in the past year,but ceo Claude Neumeyer reportsthat flight hours have slightlyincreased nonetheless.
The most recent aircraft addition,a Challenger 604, is reported to be anexcellent performer.
“The market has slightlyrecovered,” he says. “However, we donot think that the financial crisis is over yet. Look at the markets and the indebtedness of the US andEU countries.”
Neumeyer declines to pick a starfrom among his staff: “There is notone person who is more importantthan the other in our team; the teamonly works if the team plays together.If a part of the team fails, the wholeteam would suffer.”
Premium JetPremium Jet has raised prices perflight hour during recent months, but can still report that business has increased.
“Beyond the legal, operational andtechnical requirements that need tobe fulfilled, the highest obstacles toour business are the VAT and taxregimes that are becoming more andmore complicated all over Europe –and the diversity in interpretationbetween Switzerland and itsneighbouring countries,” says MarcelWepfer, director sales.
The latest addition to the charterfleet is a Challenger 300, based inBasel. “This aircraft is performing
very well,” says Wepfer, “not leastbecause its owner is very charter-minded. Within the next one to twomonths we will add a Citation Ultra,based in Torino, and a Phenom 100,based in Zurich, to our charter fleet.More additions are just around the corner.”
“The economic downturn broughtturbulent times to the world. Thesmaller and weaker market causedfighting with all available means for the remaining customers, which,in turn, hurt the whole industry.Recovery is slow – but present!”
Wepfer reports that every singlemember of his team works with thegreatest possible dedication andpassion for details on every project.“We treat every single flight assomething unusual – but extrachallenging have been flights to Iran,central Africa and especially the onearound the world in 10 days,” he adds.
PrivatAirPrivatAir also reports increasingbusiness despite facing competitionfrom “desperate operators with crazypricing.”
Most recently the company addeda Legacy 600 to its fleet.
ExecuJet“The level of demand is actually fairlyhigh for charter at the moment,” saysChristophe Gibert, director chartersales ExecuJet Europe.
“The demand is increasingespecially for a varied mix of aircraft.People are enquiring about smalleraircraft as well now, not just about thelong range types as they did a fewmonths ago. PrivatAir reports increased business despite operators offering ‘crazy’ deals.
ExecuJet’s Christophe Gibert saysdiversity is key.
“Our increase in charter hours isalso due to the fact that we arecurrently adding about an aircraft permonth to our managed fleet andmany of these are available for charteras well. So there is a lot of movementin the business at the moment, adevelopment that we see positively.”
Gibert continues: “The pricingsituation in Europe is still one of themain fights we encounter every day.Pricing is very competitive but if youwant to keep your standards when itcomes to service and safety, there isjust a level which you cannot gounder. We discuss this with our clientsand usually come to a good basis onwhich we can do both – charter a
Rolf Ringwald of Cat Aviation is planningmore competitive pricing.
Premium Jets finds tax regimes a burden.
client’s aircraft out and also offercompetitive rates.
“One of our strong points is thatwe offer a diversity of aircraft typesand sizes across basically all OEMs.Thus we are able to serve the specificneeds of a client. I think this isbecoming increasingly important ifyou want to keep a client as a regularcustomer over a longer period of timewhich is clearly our aim.
“I think the market has not reallyrecovered. But we are on a good wayas the charter hours are increasingalso with other operators. In contrastto the time before the crisis, a lot ofaircraft are available for charter thesedays. This has led to fierce comp-etition as the demand has yet to getback to the level where it was. A fewyears ago it was the other way around.
Gibert believes that, for clients, thesituation today is good as not onlycan they compare prices, it has madethe direct user more sensitive to softfactors like the quality of service.“Today, clients can not only decidewhich aircraft to fly with but alsowhich specific company they want tocharter this aircraft from. For us thisdevelopment is often beneficialbecause if it is not only the pricingthat matters, but the overallexperience of chartering an aircraft,then we are often in a position toconvince clients of our service. I alsothink that this development has
made operators more sensitive tothese additional levels of customerservice as well. Business aviation isnot just a fight about pricing but canactually offer much more.”
ExecuJet has recently added aFalcon 900EX which is based inGeneva, and reports that this aircrafthas flown more than 80 hours oncharter in its first month of beingunder management.
In all, the company has added sixnew aircraft to the managed fleetsince April this year. New additionsinclude a Danish-registered Falcon
18 OCTOBER 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
Macdonald warns ofOlympic ‘feeding frenzy’The forthcoming Olympic Gamesin London may become a ‘feedingfrenzy’ for unscrupulous charteroperators, warns DavidMacdonald, director of sales at AirPartner Private Jets.
“This major event is anopportunity to showcase privateaviation,” he said during an openforum at the BGAD show atCambridge. “The risk is that manycustomers will be new users, andthe truth over slot [availability] will be massaged in order to taketheir cash.
“People will be promisedaircraft and slots which are notavailable so I would advisecustomers to ask for documentaryevidence of slots, aircraft tailnumber and traffic rights.”
Many charter customers will beobliged to secure flights by payingfor bookings much further inadvance than is normally the case,and should take care in makingcommitments, added Macdonald.“The Olympics will bring out thebest and the worst in our industry.”
Operators such as GamaAviation are already planning forthe games. Trevor Jones, recentlyappointed as director of clientrelations, reported that hiscompany has an internal workinggroup to ensure the Olympicperiod runs smoothly. “AtFarnborough, Olympic slotapplications involve a non-refundable deposit designed toprevent block bookings,” he toldBGAD delegates.
Privatefly.com pamperspersonal assistantsPrivatefly.com, the online tripbooking service, has launched a PAPrivilege Programme, to providededicated support service forexecutive PAs. The programmegives executive assistants a rangeof user-friendly online tools for
private jet hire including instantcost estimates for budget planning,a tool to pinpoint closest airfields,images and advice on aircraftchoices and dedicated 24-hour vip support.
RUBAA gives brokerRussian accreditationAvolus has become the firstinternational broker accredited bythe Russian United BusinessAviation Association. “Russia andthe CIS has continuously been animportant territory for Avolus andthis will strengthen our presence inthe region,” says ceo Alexis Grabar.
Avolus has also launched its JetCard Europe in the US with privatejet broker Jets.com, offering 25 ormore hours of flight time for asingle, up-front payment. Avoluswill extend availability of the cardto Russia and Europe by 2012.
Air Partner opens officein MonacoAir Partner has opened an office inits 21st location, Monaco. Thecompany reports that requests forits pre-paid JetCard programme inthe south of France increased by 10per cent in the first half of thecurrent financial year.
The company was involved withSAS Prince Albert of Monaco’srecent wedding within theprincipality, and organised charterflights for The Eagles, who played aconcert in Monaco as part of thewedding celebrations.
Insaf Abdellaziz, developmentand marketing manager of AirPartner France, commented: “The increased demand from theProvence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur(PACA) region and Monacorequires a greater presence on the ground.”
Air Partner has also introducedwhat it believes is the first multi-lingual real-time iPhone app forprivate jet availability, in English,French, Russian, German, Spanish,Italian and Portuguese.
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Trevor Jones of Gama Aviation (left) and David Macdonald of Air Partner, sharedthe stage at BGAD’s Olympic discussions with Archie Garden of CambridgeAirport, chairman Charles Alcock, Jonathon Nicholson of the CAA, Cedric Migeonof ExecuJet and ACL’s head of slot coordination David Hill.
SWITZERLANDREGIONALREVIEW
Nomad team members Andrea Wyss,accounting, Florian Weger, aircraftrelations and sales manager, and GlennAbelon, chief cabin crew member.
7X, G-registered Falcon 900 EASy and2000, both positioned at Genevaairport, an Embraer Legacy 600 and aHawker 800B, also on the UK register,based in Marseilles and Palma,respectively.
Operated for private use andbased at London City Airport, is anew Isle of Man M-registered Falcon7X. The new arrivals boost ExecuJet’sEuropean-based managed fleet to50-plus aircraft, one third of which are available for charter. Fourof the six new aircraft (the Falcon 900EASy and 2000, Hawker 800B andLegacy 600) are available for thirdparty charter.
ExecuJet has also added two new offices for charter sales atGeneva and Palma, the latter beingone of Europe’s busiest privateterminals during the summermonths. The new charter salesoffices complement establishedbases in London, Zurich, Moscowand Berlin (Schönefeld). ■
Continued from previous page
The 2011/12 EBAN Handbook ofBusiness Aviation in Europe is out now, and gives details of manymore Swiss charter operators.
It also lists business aviationfacilities and services includingairports, FBOs and maintenancecentres.
The details can be accessedonline through a search of aircraftoperated or the airport bases. Formore information please visitwww.handbook.aero
Comprehensive Swiss data online free-of-charge
Belgian offshore operator NoordzeeHelikopters Vlaanderen (NHV) is tomake its UK base, with several offices, workshops, hangar space andassociated passenger handlingservices, at the SaxonAir facility in Norwich.
NHV specialises in all kinds ofhelicopter operations in Belgium, the UK, France, the Netherlands and Ghana. It provides offshorehoisting and deck landings, transportof passengers and freight, medicaltransport, pollution control, slingoperations and search and rescueservices. The fleet consists of EC155,AS365N2/N3, EC145, EC120 and MDExplorer helicopters.
NHV are the third tenant to take upresidence in the Klyne BusinessAviation Centre alongside Glennair, aPart 147 training centre, and aviationmedical company, Examinair. NHVhelicopter flights will start operatingfrom the new base in October.
Nick Hallett, md of Klyne Aviation,says: “Norwich Airport is an idealcentral location for offshoreoperations and logistic support vital toour local economy.”
NHV Helicoptersselects Norwich
as UK base
Arcus Executive operates Phenoms fromZweibruecken, Germany.
OCTOBER 2011 19EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
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