B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 1 - (Page 35) d1p34&35 JM 9/23/07 2:42 PM Page 2 N B A A 2 0 07 TAG Parent Mulls Sale of U.S. Assets Despite another banner year, officials of TAG chief Chuck McLaren holding the majority stake. As previously reported, AMIJC offices have Aviation Holding in Switzerland are considering selling some of the firm’s U.S. assets in the been subjected to surprise inspections since wake of aggressive FAA inspections related to spring, well before FAA flight standards service FAR Part 135 OpSpec A008 issues at TAG Avi- director James Ballough publicly ordered a yearlong series of A008 Special Emphasis Inspections ation USA affiliate AMI Jet Charter. A sale makes sense, because Swiss ownership last month. The company had been considering expandof TAG Aviation USA means it can own no more than 49% of the charter operation, complicat- ing via acquisition prior to the FAA pressure. Business, despite the regulatory pressure, is ing overall management. TAG enjoys one of the best reputations in good. “We’re doing better than last year, and last business aviation. The FAA has taken no enforce- year was a record year,” says Connecticutbased TAG Aviation USA vp ment action, and sources say Gil Wolin, who points to “a inspectors have not raised any steady increase in business.” safety-related issues. But “strucSales of jet cards are running tural issues” related to A008 about triple the number sold last have induced TAG manageyear, and the used aircraft sales ment in Geneva to consider a business is strong. “The market spin-off instead of a possibly disis definitely hot for big lateruptive restructuring of the two model airplanes,” Wolin says. U.S. entities. AMIJC is housed Jake Cartwright is president with TAG Aviation USA in San and CEO of TAG Aviation Francisco. TAG Aviation USA USA, and Jeff Weber is aircraft owns the allowed 49% of the charter operator with AMIJC TAG Aviation Holding’s Rob Wells. sales vp. TAG Farnborough terminal building. TAG Farnborough Flourishes TAG Farnborough is setting a new record for movements this year, claims a 31% business aviation market share in Britain and is planning further expansion, including another distinctive, new three-bay hangar, complementing the existing one, to be finished by the end of 2009. “The marketplace has found out about Farnborough and is embracing it,” says Farnborough Airport CEP Brandon O’Reilly. Movements for the first seven months of 2007 are 26% ahead of the January-July period of 2006, he says, reporting the total for 2006 as 21,365. TAG provides all of their fuel, “one of the biggest pieces of business,” he says. TAG also hosts hotels, including the new 165-room Avista, and FlightSafety International, which has some 15 simulators in place at the field. TAG Farnborough Engineering is an EASA and FAR Part 145-approved repair station for Bombardier, Dassault Falcon and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft. TAG Farnborough Engineering also does Gulfstream line maintenance. Some 40 aircraft are based there, O’Reilly says, ranging from a Premier I to a Boeing Business Jet. Management continues an aggressive noisereduction program with heavy involvement by local communities. TAG went so far as to take representatives of local communities aloft in its own Falcon 2000 earlier this year to show them what was possible in the way of avoiding such populated areas as the city of Farnborough itself and the town of Church Crookham. “As far as we know, that’s never been done before,” says TAG Aviation Holding president and CEO Rob Wells. “We’re aiming to set the world standard in airport community relations.” TAG took full control of the historic Farnborough property, via a 99-year lease, in 2003. Berlin GM Buys FBO from TAG TAG Aviation Europe this month reported the sale of its FBO at Berlin Tempelhof to Sebastian Pingel, who has been GM at the facility for more than 20 years. The newly named VIP Aviation GmbH at THF “will remain TAG Aviation Europe’s preferred FBO in Berlin,” TAG said. “The sale of TAG Aviation Berlin reflects a strategic decision to concentrate the development of TAG Aviation Europe in three strategic locations: Geneva, London–Farnborough and Madrid,” said TAG Aviation Europe CEO Franck Madignier. Earlier this year, parent TAG Aviation Holding launched TAG Aviation Australia as “an aircraft management and charter company designed to serve the rapidly expanding Australian business aircraft market.” The new entity is headquartered in Mascot adjacent to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD). Neil Gibson, who spent six years as managing director of TAG Aviation UK, is CEO. TAG Aviation Manages VLJs Too The VLJ Flying Club managed by TAG Aviation USA has taken delivery of its first of 10 Eclipse 500 jets. “The delivery was on June 6, and we’re excited see the arrival of this first aircraft, which is owned by the founder of the VLJ Flying Club and fully managed by TAG,” said program manager Matthew Sheble. “This proof-of-concept demonstrator gives us the opportunity to show the market not only what Eclipse does to enhance business productivity and personal travel options, but also show the advantages of the TAG-managed VLJ Flying Club concept.” The VLJ Flying Club was created by California entrepreneur Rolf Illsley. TAG will support the VLJ Flying Club as a sales agent for Eclipse aircraft shares and as the aircraft management company providing assistance with its FAR Part 91 operations, including aircraft scheduling, maintenance management, accounting, reporting and standards oversight. The second aircraft is expected later this year. www.aviationweek.com/shownews September 25, 2007 35 http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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