VistaJet goes for the treble chance VistaJet goes for the treble chance

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS
AIR AMBULANCE NEWS
Operators invest
in new bases,
aircraft and
equipment
European air ambulances are
expanding their services and
modernising equipment. Medic'Air
International has established a
dedicated air ambulance aircraft
based in Paris, available 24-7. “As the
final result of a partnership between
two corporate aircraft companies and
a medical repatriation agency, a Beech
King Air 1900C is registered in France,”
says gm Dr H. Raffin. “It can take off in
two hours with its English and French
speaking medical team, with an
emergency physician and a flying
nurse, and equipped with full
ICU devices.”
The aircraft, based at Paris Le
Bourget, can carry four ICU stretchers
with six sitting passengers that can
include medical crew and relatives and
is focused on Europe and the
Mediterranean region.
Meanwhile the U.K.’s Devon Air
Ambulance Trust expects the delivery
of an EC135 in September. It replaces
the current Bolkow 105DBS.
And the DRF (German Air Rescue)
and its partners in the Team DRF have
ordered 30 new defibrillation and
patient monitoring units for their
air rescue centres. After extensive
tests the air rescuers opted for a
system from the manufacturer
GS Elektromedizinische Geräte G.
Stemple GmbH from Kaufering,
Germany. The modular system
combines several functions and helps
thus to cut costs and weight, according
to Dr. Jörg Braun, director medical
services, DRF.
DRF has acquired new defibrillation and
patient monitoring units.
Dr. Braun says: “In emergency
rescue the crews have to work quite
often under difficult circumstances.
For example: an injured person is
freed from his destroyed car by fire
fighters. There is little space, heavy
equipment is being used. In this
situation the system offers us the
possibility to leave a little measuring
device with the patient and to clip off
the rest of the system.
Data is transferred via radio. The
emergency physician can monitor the
patient continually without any cables
being in the way of the rescue team.”
European Air Ambulance recently
moved out of its Alert Centre in
Stuttgart to newly renovated,
customised Mission Control Centre
(MCC) at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden
airport. The new centre belongs to EAA
member DRF and is now complete
with a hangar able to accommodate
the air ambulance aircraft.
Eight staff have so far been
employed at the MCC, with four
vacancies still open as EAA expands its
operational teams to meet growing
demand. The MCC is being run by
DRF’s fixed wing operations manager
Peter Huber and Sven Mertes, who is in
charge of the fixed wing business at
EAA member Luxembourg Air Rescue.
The latest addition to the FAS fleet was celebrated at EBACE by (left) Francois Taverne, chairman Hermes interior and design; Capt.
Salem Al Kayoumi (centre) and Philippe Harache Senior evp Eurocopter.
FAS adds Hermes luxury to helicopter fleet
Abu Dhabi based Falcon Aviation
Services (FAS), which aims to have at
least six Eurocopters in its fleet by
the end of this year, at EBACE
placed the first order for the EC135
light twin in ‘l’Helicoptere par
Hermes’ luxury style.
FAS chairman Capt. Salem Al
Kayoumi says the attractions include
the luxury finish and the sliding glass
partition between the passenger
VistaJet has a fleet century in its sights after
confirming huge Bombardier order
Despite rapid expansion by a number
of other operators, VistaJet believes
agreed acquisitions will make
it the second largest business
aviation company outside of
North America. The Austrian based
charter operator has ordered 35
Bombardier jets, with an option for 25
more, and is acquiring Bombardier
Skyjet International.
The firm aircraft order is
comprised of 11 Challenger 605s, 13
Learjet 60XRs and 11 of the
newly introduced Learjet 85s. “This
is the second largest order of
Bombardier business jets in history,”
says Pierre Beaudoin, Bombardier
president and ceo.
But VistaJet's coming completion
of formalities to acquire Skyjet
International, Bombardier’s charter
programme which has operations in
Farnborough, Dubai and Hong
Kong, could raise concerns (see
Panel) among brokers according to
Ocean Sky ceo Kurosh Tehranchian.
However, at EBACE VistaJet was
focused on highlighting an order
and acquisition designed to triple its
existing fleet to more than 100
aircraft. “The bulk order and the
private jet management
•Hangarage, crewing, planning, regulatory
•Turbo props, VLJs, Light Jets, Mid Size
•The very best prices in the industry
compartment and the cockpit. “The
new addition will complement our
three EC130s, EC135 and two AS365
Dauphins,” he adds.
The initial FAS target is to expand
its helicopter fleet to 12. But Capt. Al
Kayoumi, says: “We’re growing fast.
Looking at the growth trend in this
sector, we are aiming to have
expanded our fleet to include another
15 helicopters and corporate jets by
purchase of Bombardier Skyjet
International are in line with our
plans to be the leader in this
industry and accelerate our global
expansion,” says Thomas Flohr,
chairman. “With Skyjet and VistaJet
joining forces we aim to become the
foremost business aviation
company in Europe, Middle East
and Asia, coupling pure luxury with
affordability.”
Bing Chen, ceo, says: “We
offer the advantages of fleet
commonality and Bombardier’s
strong commitment to customer
support. The diversified fleet already
meets the full range of customer
needs and will soon be comprised of
more than 30 medium to ultra-long
range, state of the art jets with an
average age of less than two years.”
The current fleet includes Learjet
40XR and 60XR, Challenger 300,
604/605 and 850 and Global Express
XRS aircraft. Flohr says that there
will more than 100 aircraft available
for charter by 2012. “The 30,000
hours of 2008 will increase to
100,000 hours in 2012,” he adds.
Flohr says that VistaJet and
Skyjet have natural synergy and
•Transparent, accountable, dependable
•Sales and brokerage
•Early VLJ positions available
t +44 (0)1202 670419 | nick@grangeaviation.com | www.grangeaviation.com
the end of 2011, an investment of
U.S.$192 million.”
FAS says its overall business
development is benefiting from
an exclusive maintenance deal with
Eurocopter. The agreement included
the launch of a Eurocopter
Maintenance Centre at FAS’s Al
Bateen airbase which will service
Eurocopter helicopters in the Arab
Gulf region.
fit with European and Asian
operational strengths dovetailing
and complementary business
focuses. Chen adds: “Skyjet has
strengths in Dubai and Hong Kong
which VistaJet has not had. The
products and business approaches
also dovetail.”
Beaudoin stresses that
Bombardier’s American operations
are excluded from the Skyjet deal.
Launched in March 2002 as
Flexjet Europe and later rebranded,
Skyjet International promised a
“truly global” business jet charter
service. It said that, by consolidating
some of the world’s leading charter
operators into a single network,
Skyjet International could provide a
variety of innovative private jet
travel options, each offering
“unprecedented access” to more
than 920 high performance aircraft.
Tehranchian says that it makes
sense for European operators to
expand into Asia and other emerging
markets. The combined VistaJet and
Skyjet operations suggests a scale
that would mean competing with
NetJets. “Competition will be
tough,” he adds, “It will be
JUNE 2008 3
Jetalliance
responds to
lifestyle demand
The Jetalliance Group of Vienna
has placed a new order for an ACJ
and two A318 Elites. Jetalliance
Holding ceo Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer
says: “We manage aircraft for many
customers and, for those that want the
best, the Airbus ACJ family is the
natural choice.”
Jetalliance has ordered eight Airbus
jets to date. One ACJ and one Elite
have been delivered to owners and
JetAlliance is looking at meeting
demand for larger aircraft which
might include aircraft in the A330 and
A340 class.
Lichtner-Hoyer says that clients are
looking for turnkey solutions, an
assertion which is borne out by EBAN
research (see page 11). “They don't
want to get involved in all the details,
they just want to enjoy their aircraft
through one contact company that
offers service and economy,” Lichtner-
Hoyer adds. “Clients want their aircraft
to improve their lifestyle and business
efficiency: they do not want to become
bogged down in paperwork.”
Jetalliance Group offers purchase,
finance, operation and maintenance
services. Its subsidiary, Jetalliance
Flugbetrieb, operates dozens of aircraft
with an average age of only three years.
Lichtner-Hoyer predicts that
demand for private aircraft travel
in Russia, the Ukraine, Romania,
Bulgaria and the former CIS countries
will grow in the next ten years.
“One issue will be training
enough pilots and maintenance
technicians which is why we have
expanded our Vienna maintenance
bases in anticipation of demand,”
Lichtner-Hoyer says.
Roger Whyte, Cessna svp sales
and marketing says: “Jetalliance is
opening up markets all over Europe
for Cessna.”
interesting to see how it turns out.”
Big and getting bigger on all
fronts: see EBAN's round-up of some
of Europe’s expanding charter
operators on Page 11.
Exciting for
industry but a
worry for brokers,
says Tehranchian
Ocean Sky ceo Kurosh
Tehranchian says that VistaJet's
news is very exciting for the
industry but the takeover of Skyjet
International may not please the
broker fraternity.
"It will seem to the brokers that
VistaJet is getting into the Jet Card
market and looking to establish a
more direct link with more
customers. The challenge will be
to ensure that brokers are
comfortable with this."
Tehranchian says brokers who
deal with Ocean Sky have
expressed concerns to him.