The world’s biggest Boeing Business Jet operator is about to become bigger. Abu Dhabi-based Royal Jet will next year put into service its seventh and eighth BBJs once they have their interiors installed by Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg.
Royal Jet has already taken delivery of the first of the two aircraft from Boeing and the second one will come off the production line at Seattle before the end of the year.
The charter company is still undecided about whether to keep its fleet of BBJs at eight or divest one or two of its older aircraft. It has had these in operation since the company launched in 2003, although they only fly for an average 1,000h a year with relatively few take-offs and landings.
“I’d like to keep them, but it all depends on what demand is like,” says chief executive Capt Patrick Gordon, speaking at the show yesterday.
future needs
In terms of future fleet needs, Gordon says Royal Jet is still open minded about types. “We bought these BBJs because it was most economically sensible. For our next decision, we will go through the same exercise, and Airbus, Bombardier [CS300] as well as Boeing will be in the mix,” he says.
“People would think that we would lean towards Boeing for commonality, but we are not big enough for that to be significant, as we have quite a diverse fleet,” he adds.
Royal Jet also operates two Bombardier Learjet 60XRs and two Global 5000s, as well as a Gulfstream G300, with the Learjets and G300 – as well as four of its BBJs – configurable as air ambulances.
About a fifth of Royal Jet’s revenues come from medical evacuation, but Gordon sees the medevac market changing as the United Arab Emirates invests in its private healthcare sector. Traditionally high-net-worth Emiratis have gone abroad for medical treatment. Now with establishments such as Cleveland Clinic setting up in Abu Dhabi, traffic flows could be the other way around. “There will be fewer going out and more coming in,” he says.
sports teams
While the Royal Jet brand is strong in the Middle East and Europe, Gordon wants to promote it in the USA. The company is sending representatives to the National Business Aviation Association show in Las Vegas next week, and will “probably” take a stand next year, he says. Royal Jet’s BBJs are fitted with several cabins and range from a 19- to a 52-seater. Gordon, however, sees the possibility of converting one BBJ to an all-business-class shuttle to tap the market for sports teams, particularly in North America. “It’s one option we’re looking at,” he says.
The company has opened its first overseas fixed base operation, in the Seychelles, and had hoped to announce another foreign FBO at the show. “We’ve been working on it for six months, but we’re not quite ready yet,” says Gordon.
Source: Flight Daily News
