JEDDAH — In just over a year since it became fully operational at its Dubai World Central (DWC) base, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF) has seen a dramatic increase in the movement of business aircraft taking off or landing at its state-of-the-art facility where it provides aircraft management, VIP aircraft and passenger handling, maintenance as well as business jet charter. The privately-owned facility, which includes a 5,700sqm hangar, a 1,300sqm of exclusive lounge area and a dedicated ramp parking area spanning over 7,700sqm saw aircraft movements increase three-fold in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2014.
The GCC region, India and major European cities were the top destinations for the majority of the aircraft movements handled by DCAF's hub at DWC during this period.
“We've seen an overwhelming interest from aircraft owners and operators in our aircraft and passenger handling services resulting in a significant increase month-on-month in 2014. This trend has continued in the first quarter of this year,” said Holger Ostheimer, General Manager, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim. “This is a great momentum on which we intend to build upon by furthering our investment in infrastructure and human resources to ensure we maintain the highest possible quality standards for safety while exceeding excellence in customer service,” he added.
According to DCAF, business aviation in the Middle East is a cyclical sector and therefore performance levels fluctuate over a 12-month calendar year with noticeable dips during low-season and spikes during high season. “We are confident that the rest of the year will witness a steady growth in the number of private and business aircraft movements at DWC perhaps slowing down a bit during Ramadan and the summer months before picking up during September onwards according to the trends we witnessed last year as the first integrated business aviation operation to be based at Al Maktoum International Airport,” said Ostheimer.
In anticipation of the increased activity at its facility at DWC, DCAF has already put in place the necessary tools and resources to expand its line maintenance capabilities to include the Challenger 604/605 series aircraft. It currently supports the Airbus 320 series and the Bombardier Global Express type of aircraft amongst others.
The DCAF hangar has enough space to accommodate four ACJ or BBJ type aircraft of the heavy business jet category as well as two ultra-long range business jets such as the Falcon 7X, Bombardier Global Express or Gulfstream G550.
The facility's exclusive lounge area caters to the needs of VVIP customers offering the highest levels of comfort, luxury and privacy exemplified through shower areas, a conference room, covered parking and an exclusive contemporary finish. Customers benefit from a dedicated ramp parking area spanning over 7,700square meters, on-site security processing facilities, the shortest distance between limousine drop-off and the aircraft steps as well as the recently attained visa waiver program status for those travelling to United States.
The company was recently issued its Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC) through which it can now operate and manage third-party business aircraft commercially which includes aircraft charter under the UAE's A6 registration. DCAF will initially begin its commercial operations with a Bombardier Global XRS aircraft.
DCAF is a joint venture between Dubai-headquartered Al-Futtaim and Germany's DC Aviation, one of the leading European business jet operators. — SG
