Aviation Week Show News - November 12, 2007 - (Page 3)

BUSINESS AVIATION DU BAI 2007 Arab Wings Can Fly You or Teach You Arab Wings, based in Amman, Jordan, is an executive jet charter company with a difference: it is run alongside a flight training business, and that has created some interesting synergies. “We have ordered an Embraer Phenom 100 for executive charter, and it will also be used for flight training by the Royal Jordan Aviation Academy,” chairman Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh told Show News. “Because it is certified for single pilot operation, we can also offer graduate students the right seat to build hours in a glass cockpit while on charter,” he explained. The captain will likely Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh. be a senior instructor at the academy, the passengers get two pilots, and the student—who would be a commercial pilot—gets turbine time in his logbook. This is just one way that Abu Ghazaleh says the companies can work together. The Air Academy will graduate 180 commercial pilots this year, and is growing by leaps and bounds as the demand for aviation personnel mushrooms in the Middle East (the Academy now has 24 aircraft and three simulators). The Academy recently acquired the Queen Noor Technical College, which teaches all aspects of aerospace services from airport management and security to ticketing. “We will have fully integrated our services by the end of the year,” said Abu Ghazaleh. “Nobody has done this before, offering a full range from airport management to charter.” The combined academy and college last year registered 1,700 students from 36 countries, including Europe. Against this background Arab Wings continues to grow. It has also ordered a Phenom 300, will receive a G450 under management in December, and regularly flies two Hawker 800Xps, a Challenger 604 and a Beech 200 King Air. —John Morris Wallan Places $110 Million Cessna Order Wallan Aviation has placed an order for 11 Citation business jets and 14 piston singles valued at more than $110 million. The order comprises four SkyCatchers, ten Skyhawk TDs, four Mustangs (shown), one CJ2+, one CJ3, one XLS+, three Sovereigns and one Citation X. The aircraft will be delivered during 2008, 2009 and 2010. Riyadh-based Wallan (Chalet A10) is Cessna’s authorized sales representative for the Middle East. “We are seeing considerable interest from a new generation of entrepreneurial owners who are attracted to Cessna’s combination of performance and value,” said Wallan Aviation chairman Saad Wallan. “Today’s order from Wallan Aviation demonstrates that business aviation in the Middle East is entering a new era,” said Cessna International sales vp Trevor Esling. “Cessna is well placed to meet this rising tide of demand.” as Cessna Reports Newest Citations on Track Development of Cessna’s largest Citation CJ business jet—the CJ4—continues on target, while the upgraded XLS+ progresses toward certification, the company says. The CJ4 team has finished more than 95% of the detail design stage, and the airplane is on schedule to start structural testing in early 2008, followed by the first flight of the prototype by mid-year. Entry into service is planned for the first half of 2010. In the coming weeks, Cessna will start line flow for the first production XLS+. Two test articles have accumulated nearly 300 flight hours and continue to work toward achieving FAA certification. First delivery is expected before the end of 2008. Saraya Orders Three Gulfstream G450s Saraya Aviation, which is based in Abu Dhabi with branches in Dubai, Amman, and Riyadh, has ordered three Gulfstream G450 business jets for delivery in early 2010. The long-range aircraft will help Saraya extend its services beyond the Middle East region, said vice chairman and COO Ali Kolaghassi. Saraya Aviation is a unit of Saraya Holdings. Hong Kong’s C Jet Orders an ACJ Airbus reports an order by C Jet Limited, the aviation company of a private individual based in Hong Kong, a new ACJ customer. “C Jet Ltd’s Airbus ACJ will feature a luxurious interior based on the Prestige cabin-concept, which features a lounge, dining area, private office, bedroom and ensuite bathroom with shower.” The aircraft will be powered by CFM International CFM56-5B7/P engines. The choice of cabin-outfitter has yet to be made. Hong Kong’s BAA Jet Management, which has already placed orders for an Airbus ACJ and an A318 Elite, will manage and operate the aircraft on behalf of C Jet Limited. PrivatAir Orders First VIP B767-300ER Winglets Geneva-based PrivatAir (Stand E411) has become the first VIP customer for Aviation Partners’ Blended Winglets on the Boeing 767-300ER. In airline applications the winglets save up to 500,000 gallons of fuel a year on 767-300ERs, and reduce engine emissions by some 5% to 7%— an important environmental consideration, particularly for European operators. “As one of only a few operators with 180-minute ETOPS certification, our aircraft are often flown super longrange,” noted PrivatAir COO Dave Kinson. Dassault to Deliver 400th Falcon 900 Dassault is set to deliver its 400th Falcon 900, “marking a significant milestone with one of the world’s most popular families of business jets.” The prototype Falcon 900 was launched in March 1981 and the program was officially announced at the Paris Air Show in 1983, the manufacturer says, noting that the first flight followed in September 1984. The 400th of the line, a $35.3 million Falcon 900DX, will be delivered to Chinese largest state-owned financial services holding company CITIC, and be based in Beijing. Dassault Falcon is at Stand W406. 3 November 12, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

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