The Abu Dhabi-based Falcon Aviation Services will open a “completion centre” for personal aircraft at Dubai’s new Al Maktoum Airport with an investment of nearly Dh100 million.
"Basically when an aircraft comes out of the factory it is called 'green'. It is green in colour because it has no paint. Inside the aircraft there is nothing but an empty shell. We take this aircraft and we put all the goodies inside." said the Falcon chief executive, Mahmoud Ismael, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Air Expo. "We put the bedrooms, we put the entertainment system, we put the lounges, we put the living rooms. We put all the fancy stuff inside."
Mr Ismael said that the centre would be the first in the Middle East.
Falcon, based at the capital’s Al Bateen Executive Airport, operates private jets, VIP flights and helicopters that serve the offshore oil and gas sector. The company also operates aircraft management services along with maintenance, repairs and overhaul.
Falcon also expects an order with Bombardier Aerospace for two Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft to be delivered in November. It made the order in Singapore earlier this month.
“The Middle East is the biggest concentration of business jets right now,” said Mr Ismael.
His remarks came a day before the Abu Dhabi Air Expo, which starts today and ends on Thursday.
The expo is expected to attract 17,000 visitors from 195 companies and 70 countries to display the latest trends in the aviation sector related to non-commercial aircraft, jets, helicopters and equipment. As well as Falcon, companies attending the event include Royal Jet, Rotana Jet, Bombardier and Embraer.
"Given the way that the Dubai Airshow made headlines, so too will the Abu Dhabi Air Expo," said Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.
“The UAE has been leading the way in developing interest and with the proliferation of air services to new markets like Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as North Africa, there is a good chance that [the Air] Expo will strike a chord with the vendors and exhibitors and demonstrate that the region, despite its difficulties, has a fast-maturing general aviation market.”
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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