Jet Aviation named Fixed Base Operator of the Year at Aviation Business Awards

DUBAI / October 25, 2019 – Jet Aviation received the Fixed Base Operator (FBO) of the Year Award at the 2019 Aviation Business Awards ceremony held earlier this month in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With approximately 220 executives and professionals from every part of the Middle East’s aviation supply chain in attendance, the award event took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
The Aviation Business Awards are held annually to recognize and celebrate aviation and aerospace industry achievements within the Middle East during the past year. This year’s gala event supported 14 award categories in total, including the airline, airport and cargo sectors, as well as the support services industry. In the Fixed Base Operator of the Year category, Jet Aviation’s Dubai FBO was selected by a panel of industry judges for its outstanding ability to support customers through its services, innovation, design, investments and demonstrable customer satisfaction.
Jet Aviation established its award-winning FBO at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in May 2005. To offer greater flexibility to customers in Dubai, it opened a second FBO at Dubai World Central (DWC) in November 2017. The company currently operates the largest FBO network in the Middle East and continues to demonstrate its strong commitment to the region, the industry and its global customers through its unique ability to support comprehensive business aviation services.
In May 2018, Jet Aviation expanded its global network and portfolio with the acquisition of Hawker Pacific, a leading provider of Aircraft Sales, Civil MRO, and aircraft Fleet and FBO Services. The acquisition added seven FBOs and 14 MRO facilities to the Asia Pacific region — including a heavy maintenance facility for Helicopters in Fujairah and a repair shop for rotor blades in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone. A few months later, in September 2018, the company established ground-handling services at Prince Abdul Mohsin Bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport in Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where Jet Aviation also operates FBOs in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Medina. These expansions were followed by acquisition of the KLM Jet Center businesses in Amsterdam and Rotterdam in October 2018, further strengthening Jet Aviation’s position as a leading FBO service provider in Europe.
“I am very proud and honored to accept this award on behalf of Jet Aviation and our teams of dedicated handling professionals,” said Philippe Gerard, senior director of Jet Aviation’s Dubai FBO. “It is through their unwavering commitment to the highest standards that we ensure the safety and well-being of our customers as they travel throughout the region and around the globe.”
Hardy Butschi, Jet Aviation’s VP Regional Operations, Middle East and GM of Dubai, added, “It’s a great honor to have the quality of our global FBO network acknowledged by the industry. Awards such as these play an important role in promoting industry commitment to safety, quality and continuous improvement, which we at Jet Aviation are fully committed to.”
Jet Aviation currently operates 35 FBO locations globally, 20 of which, including both Dubai-based FBO facilities, received IS-BAH Stage Two Registration last year at MEBAA 2018. The company has a number of expansion and refurbishment projects underway globally.
Jet Aviation Management AG
Obstgartenstrasse 27 l CH-8302 Kloten l Switzerland l Mail: P.O. Box 229 l CH-8058 Zurich-Airport l Switzerland
Tel. +41 58 158 8888 l Fax +41 58 158 8889 l www.jetaviation.com
Jet Aviation Dubai’s maintenance and FBO location was established in May 2005 as a joint venture company with the Al Mulla Business Group. The facility has a total of 4,200 square meters (45,192 square feet) of hangar space, a workshop area of 1,000 square meters (10,760 square feet) and a two-story FBO building with an area of 1,050 square meters (11,300 square feet). The facility holds EASA #145.0317 maintenance approval and is an FAA #U8JY426Y repair station. It also holds Bahrain CAA, Bermuda DCA,
Cayman CAA, India DGCA, San Marino CAA, Saudi Arabia GACA, UAE GCAA (NAA), Pakistan CAA and Afghan CAA approvals. Jet Aviation Dubai is an authorized service center for maintenance and warranty support to Boeing BBJ, the Gulfstream G150, G200, GIV and GV, G450, G550 and G650 series, the Dassault Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X series, and full service capability for Hawker Beechcraft 800/900 series, Airbus ACJ family and Embraer Legacy aircraft.
Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was founded in Switzerland in 1967 and is one of the leading business aviation services companies in the world. More than 4,600
employees cater to client needs from 50 facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, North America and the Caribbean. The company provides maintenance, completions and refurbishment,
engineering, FBO and fuel services, along with aircraft management, charter services and personnel services. Jet Aviation’s European and U.S. aircraft management and charter divisions jointly manage a fleet
of some 300 aircraft. Please visit www.jetaviation.com and follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/jetaviation.
More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.
Contact: Mary-Lou Murphy, Communications Manager EMEA, +41 58 158 8891 or jmgt@jetaviation.com

Paul Cremer

My name is Paul Cremer, and this marks my 42nd year working within the business and general aviation industry. Over this time, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing a diverse array of sector activities, ranging from aircraft charter and management to air ambulance services, ground operations, air traffic control, airport management, technology implementation, and the outsourcing services I currently manage.

In my role focused on delivering advisory, technology, and outsourcing services to aviation customers, I handle a wide spectrum of responsibilities. This includes overseeing International Trip Support, Operations Control Centre Services (OCC), Continuing Airworthiness Management Service (CAMO), Airworthiness Reviews, ARC Services, Aircraft Delivery and Re-delivery Support Services, Maintenance Coordination Services including AOG, Tech Ops (Maintenance Control Centre), and managing myairops software products. As the Head of Aviation Delivery, I lead the customer-facing delivery of Technology & Outsourcing products and services for the market, drawing upon a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and industry connections within Gama Aviation’s Technology and Outsourcing Strategic Business Unit.

My journey into Business and General Aviation began during my teenage years while still in school. I was fortunate enough to be welcomed into the industry, starting at a flying club, and later working at the Air Traffic Services Unit at Blackbushe Airport. There, I maintained the ATC Movement Logs in the Control Tower during weekends, solidifying my passion for aviation. Upon completing my schooling, I seized opportunities at Fairoaks Airport, where I began as Ground Crew while pursuing my Aerodrome Flight Information Service Officer’s license. Advancements in my career led me to the role of Air Traffic Services Manager.

Since joining Gama Aviation in 1996, I’ve held various positions, including Operations Manager (Post Holder), Operations & Commercial Manager, Commercial Manager, Operations Delivery Manager, Head of Business Aviation Delivery, and currently, Head of Aviation Delivery. This role encompasses Gama Aviation Group’s Gama Aviation, myairops, and FlyerTech companies.

In 2023, I was honoured to be invited to serve as the Chair of the Operations Working Group for the British Business & General Aviation Association. This opportunity allows me to contribute to industry initiatives within BBGA’s membership of nearly 200 industry companies, focusing on challenges such as regulatory compliance, Air Services Agreements, technological advancements, workforce development, operational matters, and sustainability.

Marc Bailey

Marc Bailey has spent his entire career in aviation and has worked in most areas of Aviation Services with scheduled airlines, MRO’s, military contract support and latterly with associations, government, and its agencies.

Marc represents your position in Europe (even post Brexit) – as President of ECOGAS (European Council of General Aviation Support) which maintains a voice with EASA. All the major member states are represented on the ECOGAS board. With EASA restructuring its meetings with industry, ECOGAS is now well positioned to represent our position in all areas following industry partnerships with the European Independent Maintenance Group and with ARPAS the new drone and autonomous association.

Marc is chair of the UKASF (United Kingdom Airworthiness Strategic Forum) as part of an initiative to develop Aviation Services across all aviation activities. The UKASF pulls together airlines, MROs, Rotary, Drones, and commercial GA bodies to work with CAA and DfT. The objective is for industry to take the lead to drive strategic issues to benefit all parties. We are well positioned after four years to continue our good work and with the re-established role of Chief Surveyor in the CAA we have a good focal point to do this.

Marc chairs the CAA Finance and Services Forum which allows industry in the UK to discuss in the financial plans for the CAA and the value for money delivered by those funds paid by industry. This is a new and valuable new platform for all parties.

Under recent developments Marc has formed an alliance with, ARPAS, AOPA, BHA and BBGA so that we can strengthen our voice under a joint ‘GA 4 Biz’ banner. This alliance is working to do everything possible to represent the industry’s business interests with UK government and to help realise the Government’s desire to make UK General Aviation a Global Leader in a post Brexit environment. GA4Biz – GA4Biz

The next Generation initiatives with industry and government have continued to develop with the retention platform now evolving into the “Aviation Skills Recruitment Platform”. The platform now not only offers a vehicle for those offering and seeking posts in aviation, it also provides pathways with its TalentView portion seeking to provide pathways for new entrants into our sector. The recruitment platform is being further developed to include training opportunities across a wide range of providers, from government agencies through academic bodies. Getting our next generation activities right in the UK over the next couple of years is our single most important issue which we in aviation must grab with both hands. Marc is playing a central role to help develop many of these channels.

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