EBACE Show News - May 20, 2008 - (Page 56) EBACE 2008 ExecuJet and Grob Speed Expansions Business aviation is in this man’s blood! He and his team grew a small South African Learjet dealership into a global company in 15 years. The ExecuJet brand, with FBOs, maintenance and charter added to the original Bombardier dealerships, has spread to four continents, sells Bombardier products in 35 countries, operates a fleet of some 110 managed aircraft, and is still expanding into new territories and services. This man is Niall Olver, now CEO of both the ExecuJet Aviation Group and Grob Aerospace AG. When Olver realized the potential of an all carbon fiber rugged, short field performance, eightseater business jet to replace the Beech King Air, he convinced Grob Aerospace of its commercial opportunities over its single turboprop G160 Ranger business aircraft. Then in 2006 he and a group of investors (Executive Jet Investments) bought the majority share in Grob. The crash of the second prototype Grob SPn later that same year, in which the company’s chief Niall Olver, who heads both ExecuJet and Grob, with the new Grob SPn carbon composite business jet. Learjet 85. Olver is full of praise for his team of specialists who have made it all possible. Over 50% of the 100 SPn orders have come from the U.S. A 25-ship order from the world’s fifth largest fractional operator, PlaneSense, is the most substantial and could double, according to PlaneSense’s president and CEO George Anto- Just over a year ago Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond sold London City Airport and bought a welcomed majority shareholding in ExecuJet, becoming its chairman. Desmond’s influence is starting to surface as the company completes the build of its own two-storey add-on exclusive passenger terminal at London City, to become operational this summer. “[The Grob SPn is] 95% of the cabin size of a Citation Excel for just 65% of the price, and it’s a 25%-38% greener aircraft to produce than its metal-constructed counterparts.” —Niall Olver, CEO of ExecuJet Aviation Group and Grob Aerospace AG test pilot died, seems only to have increased the company’s resolve to produce a world-beater business aircraft. The third and first prototype SPns continue to move the flight test phase forward, with EASA certification now set for late 2008. Pre-production airframe P004 is due to join the test program in around three months’ time and then be followed by S001 (‘S’ for Series production aircraft) and S002. But Grob’s greatest accolade to date occurred earlier this year when Bombardier announced that it had asked the German airframer to build the first three prototypes of its first ever all-composite aircraft, the 56 niadis. His is the first frax order for the $7.5 million SPn and will feature the Porsche Design interior with a six-seat executive cabin. So what makes the SPn so different from other light business jets? Niall Olver says, “It’s 95% of the cabin size of a Citation Excel for just 65% of the price, and it’s a 25%-38% greener aircraft to produce than its metal-constructed counterparts.” ExecuJet is headquartered in Zurich, with the brand visible in Scandinavia, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, Singapore and Europe, and COO Gerrit Basson is continuing to grow the business exponentially. This is ExecuJet’s first UK base and it will have its own exclusive passenger lounge and airside access. Desmond’s Falcon 900EX was the first aircraft operating under the company’s brand-new UK Air Operator’s Certificate, and the second aircraft, a Falcon 900EX Easy, was added just before EBACE. Other management contracts are close to signing. Under the leadership of Andrew Hoy, ExecuJet’s executive director group sales, the company has opened a new aircraft management and sales office in adjacent Canary Wharf to handle this new business. Another less obvious Dermot Desmond ‘added value’ influence is ExecuJet’s newest offering called ‘SimplyFly’. It offers a leaseback program over a typical five-year period. In most jurisdictions this is a tax deductable item, and important for some in the current financial climate to get the company aircraft off the books. ExecuJet will acquire the aircraft, insure it, provide crew, manage and operate it, arrange maintenance and technical support, and provide FBO and ground handling services—all for a set monthly fee. At the end of the term, the client will ‘hand the keys’ back to ExecuJet, or if so contracted, take over ownership in return for a balloon payment. The finance for the service will be supplied by new sister company Q.E.D., a Dublin-based financial solutions company. ‘SimplyFly’ is being rolled out to new ExecuJet offices opening in Moscow, Mumbai and Beijing, with the aim of adding on all the other company specialties later. ExecuJet is now (since November 2007) the exclusive representative for the $80 million Aerion supersonic business jet outside the U.S. and has already taken 25 refundable deposits of $250,000. The Aerion Corporation is still yet to name the OEM which will build the Mach 1.6, 8/12 passenger aircraft. —Mike Vines May 20, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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