Aviation Week Show News - November 12, 2007 - (Page 13)

BUSINESS AVIATION DU BAI 2007 Dubai’s Eastern SkyJets Is Expanding Its Fleet Is ‘an Emerging Airline’ Regional specialist Eastern SkyJets is expanding its fleet as it transitions from a 100% charter specialist into a full-fledged, albeit a modest carrier. “From a start-up we’re now an emerging airline,” says business development chief Raza Hussain. “By February we hope to have seven aircraft.” Eastern SkyJets has recently bought three DC-9s (from Guatemala). One is in hand, the second is expected in two weeks and the third by year-end, Hussain says. They’re being fitted in-house with 12 business- and 119 Y-class seats. On order are three BAe ATP turboprops. “We see this as an emerging market, with fuel prices being as high as they are, even here,” Hussain says. Eastern SkyJets has United Nations approval as a charter carrier, and is the only company in the Emirates with that status, Hussain told Show News. That means Eastern SkyJets can fly UN personnel for such missions as the World Food Program. Eastern SkyJets also flies regular missions on behalf of the U.S. government, with a specialty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The service, primarily using a 29-passenger Jetstream 41, includes regular, five-times-a-week flights to Kandahar and Bagram. The company is also establishing a line station here in Dubai for aircraft maintenance and modifications, and is fielding inquiries about managing aircraft for other owners. Eastern SkyJets is at Stand C115. —Rich Piellisch Warm Welcome for Cessna’s New Singles Cessna has received an enthusiastic response from customers following the recent launch of two new single engine aircraft, the SkyCatcher light sport aircraft and turbodiesel Skyhawk TD. Just three months after the official launch at AirVenture Oshkosh, almost 900 customers from 37 countries have placed orders for the SkyCatcher. “Cessna’s goal has always been to design products that provide exceptional value and exceed our customers’ expectations,” said John Doman, Cessna vp, worldwide propeller aircraft sales. “The SkyCatcher and Skyhawk TD were developed based on feedback from our customers, resulting in a tremendous number of orders.” as Sovereign Fleet Tops 100,000 Hours The worldwide fleet of Cessna Citation Sovereign business jets has accumulated more than 100,000 hours of flight time since it entered service in September 2004. Cessna has delivered more than 160 Sovereigns to customers in 41 countries. “The Citation Sovereign offers an all-around balanced platform for customers in this region who travel around the Middle East and into Western Europe,” said Trevor Esling, Cessna’s vp International Sales., Cessna Aircraft Company. “The large, climate controlled cabin and superb hot temperature runway performance in combination with excellent range, payload and baggage accommodation offer tremendous capability.” The Sovereign is on show here, along with the Citation X, XLS, CJ2+, CJ1+ and Mustang business jets, Grand Caravan turboprop and piston-powered Skyhawk. A New Business Airport for Abu Dhabi? Amiri Flight Abu Dhabi and Royal Jet are investigating a joint, one-stop, dedicated VIP aviation entity that would open at Abu Dhabi International airport in 2012. The facility would offer a complete range of services for VIP and executive aircraft, including FBO services, fueling, ground handling, line maintenance and interior refurbishment. An MoU to launch the exploration was signed with Lufthansa Technik (Stand C518) at the last Dubai air show, and talks are proceeding, says Lufthansa Technik sales vp Walter Heerdt. “We are looking at a number of options,” Royal Jet president and CEO Shane O’Hare told Show News. Gulfstream G550 Speed Brings Dubai Closer Gulfstream’s ultra-long range G550 business jet set ten new speed records last year. Among them: a city-pair speed record between Dubai and Manchester in the UK, covering the 3,191 nmi in 7 hrs 1 min. The aircraft carried two crew, a flight attendant, and six passengers. Earlier, a G550 set a record from Hong Kong to Dubai, flying 4,082 nmi in 8 hrs 29 min with two crew, a flight attendant and four passengers. Gulfstream is at Chalet A12. as GIV Line Logs 3 Million Hours The Gulfstream IV/IV-SP business jet fleet has passed three million flight hours. In service for 20 years, with 535 aircraft sold, the GIV series remain the best-selling large-cabin, long-range aircraft in their class. The fleet has recorded 99.92 per cent dispatch reliability. “The GIV significantly raised the bar in terms of what customers expected of their business jets,” said Gulfstream president Joe Lombardo. “Today, these jets continue to serve their owners and operators well.” Two of Gulfstream’s current range-G350 and G450-are based on the GIV/GIV-SP. Note G550 behind the GIV pictures here. Gulfstream is at Chalet A12. Dock Your iPod on a Falcon Passengers on the Dassault Falcon 7X, 900 and 2000 will be able to use their iPods and iPhones to access music and video libraries through cabin audio visual systems with new docking stations from Rockwell Collins. Dassault Falcon is the launch customer for the new products, which will be in service by the end of 2008. The new iPod solo station and a quad station (for multiple units) allow passengers to charge their iPod devices as well. Rockwell Collins is at Stand E530. Eastern SkyJets sales and marketing director Tahir Khan & business development chief Raza Hussain. 13 November 12, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

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