New deliveries of long-range business jets into the region during 2004 will drive demand for maintenance services, says Geoffrey Hopkins, senior vice-president and general manager, Jet Aviation Singapore.
While last year's SARS epidemic had a major impact on the amount of business traffic moving in Southeast Asia, current levels of activity are high and set to increase.
Hopkins says his 36-strong team has been busy in the past year. A Global Express managed, maintained and operated by Jet Aviation on behalf of a Singapore-based customer has logged 480h of private flying time since it arrived last April. Certification as an approved service centre for Cessna Caravan aircraft at the tail-end of last year has also given a boost to operations at Seletar.
Growth
Speaking on the eve of Asian Aerospace, Hopkins said: "We see positive signs that business aviation in Asia is picking up again. Apart from major maintenance projects, we received several requests for pre-purchase inspections on a Challenger 604, Citation and Learjet.
"With new deliveries of GIV, Gulfstream 550 and Global Express aircraft to the Asian market in 2004, we expect considerable growth in our maintenance activities for this year." A new deal with Air China, inked just days before the show, underlines his mood of optimism. China's largest commercial carrier has recently acquired a GIV - here at the show as part of the Gulfstream delegation. At the end of the show, it will transfer to Seletar for a five-day block of maintenance work.
Jet Aviation Singapore is also performing maintenance on Rainbow Jet's recently acquired Challenger 604s.
Along with increased maintenance activity, Hopkins also plans to expand Jet Aviation's vendor activities. Already a sales and service agent for Honeywell and Rockwell Collins, the company is set to sign a deal with GPS manufacturer Garmin Avionics.
With 35 Cessna Caravans currently operating in the region, Hopkins sees potential for a spare parts business.
Positive
Out-station support is also proving a growth area. "Our dedicated factory-trained AOG (aircraft-on-ground) team has developed a growing reputation for out-station support throughout Asia on a variety of business aircraft. With a state-of-the-art parts network, we can provide customers with professional on-site technical support - even in the most remote areas.
"Recently, several requests for out-station support in different areas of Asia were handled simultaneously," says Australian-born Hopkins, who joined Jet Aviation Singapore at its inception in 1996 and has been general manager since 2002.
One request required sending an avionics technician to India to perform RVSM checks on a GIV, while in China a request for refurbishment of a Challenger 604 took workers directly to the customer's location.
Other parts of the Jet Aviation group are also buoyant. Its Hong Kong operation has reported a 10% increase in charter activities and its EMEA aircraft management business has added a Boeing 727 and a Falcon 200EX along with the Global Express.
Jurg Reuthinger, general manager of Jet Aviation's EMEA Aircraft Management division, says: "In the Far East we have recently received several requests for quotes to manage aircraft and the outlook for the next few months appears promising. The latest signs of recovery in the worldwide economy have had a very positive effect on business aviation in general but especially in Asia."
MARK HANNANT
Source: Flight Daily News
