PIC FROM TOM
Bahrain-based Grace Jet is making its first appearance at MEBAA two years after the launch of the company.
Despite its name, Grace Jet does not operate or manage aircraft; instead it offers a range of services, including ground transport, handling, hotels and catering, throughout the wider Middle East and Africa.
However, the company is looking seriously at moving into providing aircraft charter, says operations manager Aiman Arnous, who co-founded the company with chief executive Marwan Hijazi.
Initially, Grace Jet hopes to lease an aircraft under a third-party air operator’s certificate with a view to eventually acquiring its own fleet. “We want to test the market first to see if there is a demand among our clients for such a service,” says Arnous.
He says the pair set up the company after identifying poor-performing airports where high-net-worth business jet passengers were not being treated well. “They could be stuck on the aircraft for 30 minutes without anyone coming to greet them,” he says. The company employs local agents at airports to ensure passengers are met off the aircraft and transferred to their destination.
“We knew the market and we knew where there were problems,” says Arnous.
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Source: Flight Daily News