ON TOUR: Business Aviation Meets at EBACE
Alison Chambers of Emerald Media reports from EBACE, the industry”s
fast growing business aviation show.
http://www.emeraldmedia.co.uk
There was a real buzz in the exhibition halls and in the static park
at the sixth annual European Business Aviation Convention in Geneva
last week. It actually started at the baggage carousels and arrival
hall, where Dubai-based flight support company JETEX had mounted a
large promotional effort, inviting EBACE visitors to its stand.
EBACE has always been a good show for networking, but the record
number of exhibitors and visitors attending this year commented that
deals were actually being struck here. Geneva Airport”s FBO
PrivatPort said it was handling 35 private jet movements daily during
the three-day show, with visitors flying in from all over Europe, the
Middle East, the US and Canada to meet vendors and see the 50-strong
shiny new aircraft on display.
EBACE also drew a sizeable international media presence, including the
BBC”s popular travel show, FastTrack, which is running an EBACE report
throughout this week on BBC World. By Friday noon, EBACE organisers
had welcomed some 9,500 visitors. Some 7,667 attended in 2005.
This buoyant growth and interest in executive jet travel comes as more
and more scheduled airlines in Europe lower their fares and cut their
service levels. And with more people flying as a result of cheap
fares, the terminals of Europe”s hub airports are getting congested;
the time it takes to check in and get processed through security gets
ever longer. No wonder then that net-worth individuals and savvy
business executives are increasingly turning to private charter ” where
they determine the schedules, the airports they fly from and be
guaranteed a stress-free experience.
There is also fresh blood coming into the industry in the shape of the
VLJs (Very Light Jets) ” the new air taxis of the skies, now a near
term reality. ”It is rather like the car manufacturers building a
model for 18 year olds ” in order that they can widen their
marketplace,” says Aviation International News Editor Charles Alcock.
To date, the pioneer of the VLJ, Eclipse Aviation, has sold 2,500
Eclipse 500s, which carry a price tag of just over $1m ” 140 of them
to European customers. Other new VLJ models preparing for take off
include Cessna”s Mustang; Adam Aircraft”s A700, both due to be
certificated by year end, and Embraer”s new Phenom 100 and 300, for
2008 market entry. They have been dubbed VLJs because they weigh less
than 10,000lbs.
One ”new generation” player is UK-based JetSet Air. It plans to
introduce 50 Eclipse 500 VLJs and announced here that Cirrus Aviation
of Germany will be its AOC holder. Managing Director David Bond is
promising low cost, private jet services and his goal is to be the
easyJet of the business aviation market.
http://www.jetsetfly.com
During EBACE, another new start up, Geneva-based JetBird announced an
order for 50 Phenom 100 aircraft from Embraer, plus 50 options (which
could be for the 100 or larger Phenom 300). JetBird”s deliveries will
commence from April 2009. JetBird will initially base the aircraft in
Zurich, where it plans to offer low-cost, on-demand jet services,
thereafter expanding to other cities in Europe. JetBird Chairman is
Domhnal Slattery, former MD of the Royal Bank of Scotland”s structured
asset finance business.
http://www.flyjetbird.com
Showing off the full-scale cabin mock-ups of the six to nine-seat
Phenom family in Geneva, Embraer CEO Mauricio Botelho had another
surprise for EBACE attendees.
Looking to mirror its success in the regional airline market, Embraer
announced a long range VIP version of the Embraer 190, dubbed the
Lineage 1000. Its target market for this $40 million-plus 4,000 plus
nm range jet, which will uniquely have 5.5 degree capability for
runway restricted airports, will be customers who may be shopping for
the Airbus A318 Elite or the Boeing Business Jet.
Embraer has already evolved its 50-seat Embraer 145 regional jet into
the Legacy business jet ” so with its new strategy it is following its
arch rival Bombardier, already one of the top three business jet
players. Bombardier is promoting its new Challenger 800 series as
corporate shuttles (the 870 and 890 are based on its CRJ700 and CRJ900
regional airliners, which compete for the same market as the Embraer
170 and 190.) Embraer does not yet have a launch customer for the
Lineage 1000, but identifies target markets as Eastern Europe and the
Middle East.
Piaggio Aero, which brought its distinctive looking and
avionics-enhanced Avanti II to EBACE, confirmed it was looking to
develop a brand new business jet, with an announcement probably by the
autumn. The company is evaluating two designs ” one, ”which makes a
lot of sense,” the other, ”the beautiful one, giving you a big emotion,
” acknowledged board director Alberto Galassi. The new aircraft will
not be the same size as the Avanti, it will ”definitely be a jet,”
have an attractive, roomy cabin, as this is important and, like the
Avanti, will attract a niche market with Ferrari-inspired style,
Piaggio says. Piaggio chairman Piero Ferrari, introduced the company”s
new 35% shareholder, Abu Dhabi”s Mubadala Development, represented at
EBACE by new board member Waleed Ahmed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi. He
acknowledged the company”s commitment to Piaggio, potential industrial
collaboration and the growing importance of the Middle East market.
Deals announced at the show included a Challenger 605 order from
Comlux Aviation of Zurich. The company will also acquire two larger
Challenger 850 executive shuttles for delivery late this year, early
2007. Bombardier also announced that Global Wings of Osaka (Japan)
will be its Asian launch customer for the 605, taking an aircraft in
the second quarter of 2007. UK executive jet operator Club328 said it
will acquire four more Premier 1As from Raytheon Beechcraft, taking
its fleet to six by the end of this year. The Southampton-based
company was also finalising the addition of a third Dornier 328 at
EBACE with MIKADO Capital, which has just purchased four secondhand
328 Jets. Work is ongoing on the first two at 328 Support Services”
Oberpfaffenhofen facility. Meanwhile, charter operator of Italy,
Eurofly, confirmed the launch of Airbus A319LR all-business flights
between Milan Malpensa and New York, effective 8 May, in collaboration
with Club MilanoManhattan. The aircraft, featuring a luxurious
interior with 48 seats, was in the static park.
EBACE debutantes included the Gulfstream G150 and Raytheon 850XP; the
Global Express XLS, featuring a luxurious cabin designed by Lufthansa
Technik; the Grob SPn utility jet (above), which first made is surprise
appearance at the Paris Show last year; Cessna”s newest CJ and CJ2
jets and the Sino Swearingen SJ30 long range business jet (left). The
SJ30 is designer Ed Swearingen”s 30th aircraft design.
As business aviation continues to grow with some 2,200 private jets
based in Europe, Farnborough International organisers say its business
aircraft park will be the largest ever this year. It has relocated the
site to a more central apron position which will feature at least 24
aircraft parked close to the manufacturers” hospitality chalets.
An ever bigger EBACE will return to Geneva during 22-24 May 2007.
http://www.ebace.aero