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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1791.PDF
Switzerland: business aviation Switzerland's longstanding neu trality has given it political stabil ity, helping it become one of the world's wealthiest countries. This, in turn, has spawned the world's fourth-largest business aircraft mar ket in Europe with an installed base of 127 business jets and 47 turboprops, according to UK data research and Flight Inter national's sister company Avsoft. The recognition of business aircraft as a desirable mode of transport by Swiss com panies and wealthy individuals has led to the creation of a plethora of diverse busi ness aviation operations, ranging from ad- hoc charter to fractional ownership. Switzerland's high-profile banking sec tor, coupled with the presence of large international corporations and non-gov ernmental agencies such as the World Health Organisation and the United Nations, is critical to the thriving Swiss business-aviation sector, where some of the best known and respected operators and service providers have their roots. Jet Aviation was formed in Basle in 1967 as a base for business aircraft maintenance. Now, 37 years on, the privately owned company is a full provider of business avia tion services with more than 3,500 employees across 60 locations in Europe, the USA, the Middle East, Far East and South America. Substantial growth The company has more than 150 aircraft either managed or owned, only seven of them under its Swiss aircraft operator's cer tificate (AOC), runs fixed-base operators on four continents and performs completions of aircraft ranging from Bombardier Learjets to Boeing Business Jets (BBJs). Throughout all the years of global expan sion, Jet Aviation's Swiss facilities in Basle, Zurich and Geneva have grown substan tially and remain essential to the group's prosperity. Martin Bernegger, Jet Aviation's senior vice-president and general manager aircraft charter, says Switzerland's strength lies in its reputation for quality products and services, and this extends to business aviation. "The Swiss brand gives us a stamp of excellence, and this is a tremendous advantage for us." Jet Aviation's charter and aircraft man agement business, based in Zurich and Geneva, has a thriving Swiss and interna tional customer base that is bolstered by the country's location within mainland Europe, says Bernegger, and is within easy range of the Baltic states and the thriving markets of the Russian Federation. The lure of Switzerland's quality hall mark, portfolio of wealthy individuals and businesses and low corporation taxes has drawn a number of high-profile operators to set up bases in the country. Business avi ation services provider TAG Aviation estab lished its Swiss headquarters in Geneva in 1999 following the acquisition of Geneva- based Aero Leasing. The company now has a fleet of 13 owned and managed business aircraft - Europe's largest privately owned fleet of charter aircraft, it says. TAG Aviation chief executive Roger McMullin says the company - which also has bases in the USA and the UK - plans to sell most of its owned aircraft and replace the fleet with leased or managed aircraft to reduce operating risk and overheads. "Our company-owned fleet has shrunk from 15 to seven aircraft, but we will continue to build the managed and leased fleet to meet demand." The focus for much of Jet Aviation's and TAG'S activity is on international opera tions because domestic transportation by business jet is minimal due to Switzerland's small land mass and high standard of ground transportation. 40 21-27 SEPTEMBER 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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