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CAT AIR SERVICE| ROBERT WHITEHEAD<br />
EVA talks to Cat Air Service general manager,<br />
Robert Whitehead, about the joint venture<br />
between the company and Air Service Basel<br />
Joining<br />
forces<br />
Ground handling specialist Cat<br />
Air Service, based at Zurich Airport,<br />
is a joint venture between<br />
Air Service Basel and Cat Aviation.<br />
The partnership was developed<br />
to provide a niche,<br />
tailor-made service for esteemed private aircraft<br />
operators arriving at the General Aviation Centre<br />
(GAC). With the experience and knowledge of an<br />
elite FBO facility in Basel (Air Service Basel) and<br />
the operational understanding and customer requirements<br />
of a private jet operator (CAT Aviation)<br />
this alliance provides the ultimate in aircraft<br />
and customer service.<br />
“I joined Cat Aviation in May 2014 and they<br />
had six aircraft under management at the time.<br />
We saw a real requirement to introduce ground<br />
handling capabilities to service these aircraft<br />
and began talks with Air Service Basel to form<br />
the joint venture. The company, Cat Air Service,<br />
was founded in June 2014 and after fi ve months<br />
of preparation was launched in November 2014,”<br />
Whitehead recalls.<br />
Cat Aviation provided an immediate customer<br />
base, and in its fi rst full month of operation,<br />
Cat Air Service handled over 40 aircraft movements,<br />
of all the business aviation traffi c passing<br />
through Zurich Airport at the time. Today, a year<br />
after launching, Cat Air Service has increased its<br />
customer base and is handling more and more<br />
business aircraft movements a month.<br />
“We provide a complete, all-round service for<br />
owners and operators - everything from organising<br />
landing permission and aircraft slots to<br />
making arrangements for taxis, limousines and<br />
hotels. We do all this in advance of the aircraft’s<br />
arrival at Zurich. We meet and greet the passengers<br />
on arrival and escort them through the GAC<br />
for clearance. They have the privacy of a private<br />
lounge or the convenience of stepping into their<br />
transport for a smooth onward journey. Our facilities<br />
provide a peaceful setting for the crew to<br />
unwind in our dedicated crew lounge,” he notes.<br />
In September 2015 Zurich Airport won<br />
the coveted European Airport of the Year<br />
from World Travel Awards for the 12th year<br />
52 International | Autumn 2015
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