An Evolution in Aviation Jet Aviation’s Global Legacy Continues

When the closing of a charter company in 1967 made a hangar at Basel EuroAirport available, Carl W. Hirschmann recognized an opportunity. Already a partner in a Swiss charter operation with four retired U.S. Air Force generals, Hirschmann was well aware of the need for reliable aviation maintenance services in Europe. So when he launched Jet Aviation as a new maintenance company from Hangar Three at EuroAirport on November 27, 1967, he didn’t just intend to provide service support to his charter company’s four Learjet 23s, but was determined to develop comprehensive maintenance services for the growing number of business jets across the industry globally.

Jet Aviation began expanding its services and activities in 1969 with a series of acquisitions, starting with the addition of Pilatus’ ground handling and maintenance facilities in Zurich and Geneva. That move propelled Jet Aviation into the FBO business, from where it began to offer handling services to chartered flights, private, corporate and government and military aircraft. Three years later, the company introduced aircraft management and charter services.

In the 1970s, Jet Aviation started opening facilities abroad, beginning with a maintenance facility in Germany and an FBO in Jeddah. In 1977, the company truly rocked business aviation circles when it brought an old Cathay Pacific Convair 880 outfitted with a luxury interior to the 1977 Paris Air Show, ultimately launching its now renowned Completions business. And having established its leading role in the industry, it wasn’t about to stop exerting its influence.

Jet Aviation was the first business aviation services company to set up a Fixed Base Operation (FBO) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it opened a ground handling and maintenance services facility for the private aviation industry in Jeddah in 1979. Two years later, it opened its second FBO in the Middle East in Riyadh, setting itself up to provide ‘round-the-clock’ aircraft and passenger handling services from two dedicated VIP terminals.

Through the 1980s, Jet Aviation became the first global player in the business aviation market by building and acquiring FBOs and management companies in the United States. Consolidation and steady growth then marked the 1990s, while the company turned its focus to the Far East. In 1996, Jet Aviation launched its maintenance and FBO facility at Seletar airport in Singapore at the Singapore Airshow, which was followed by an aircraft management and charter office opening in Hong Kong in 2001, and an MRO and FBO facility at Dubai International Airport in 2005.

With Jet Aviation’s unique corporate profile in a bullish global business aviation market, the company soon caught the interest of private equity firm Permia Funds, which purchased Jet Aviation in October 2005. A year later, the company acquired St. Louis-based Midcoast Aviation, adding another completions and maintenance operation. And on November 5, 2008, Permira sold Jet Aviation to General Dynamics, beginning a new era for the company under American leadership.

Today, Jet Aviation is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading business-aviation services companies, providing maintenance, completions and refurbishment, FBO and fuel services, along with aircraft management, charter and staffing services – from its 30 airport facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North America and the Caribbean.

Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul

Jet Aviation operates four major MRO hubs — located in Basel Switzerland; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Singapore; and St. Louis, MO – which are supported by other global maintenance facilities to meet regional demand. The center in Basel, where Jet Aviation started 50 years ago, is now one of the industry’s de facto capitals for European business aviation. The location employs more than 1,600 professionals delivering the full range of maintenance services for most current models and the majority of out of- production models of Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream aircraft.

To meet growing demand in Asia, particularly for large, longrange business jets, Jet Aviation plans two new hangar projects to go operational in Macau and Singapore in Q4 2017. In August, it will begin constructing a new wide-body hangar in Basel to increase capacity for MRO, Refurbishment and Completions activities.

Completions

The company’s Completions centers in Basel and St. Louis provide deep, first-class experience in completions. Both deliver all of the key functions and trades needed to execute a project from beginning to end with in-house capabilities in design, engineering, cabinetry, upholstery, sheet metal, composite and paint. The teams at each location work together to transform visions from customers or the sites’ designers to final products using the latest technological advances.

In keeping with Jet Aviation’s industry-leading weight management processes, Basel recently redelivered VVIP Airbus ACJ330 and ACJ319 aircraft to a Middle Eastern customer that were significantly lighter than required by the customer, despite the use of a selection of high-end finishes and custom designs.

Fixed Base Operations

Consistently ranked in the top 10 for FBO service in international customer polls, Jet Aviation’s international network of more than 20 FBOs provides passenger handling, aircraft refueling and quick turnaround assistance. Its global team of professionals is trained to the highest service standards in the industry, ensuring excellent care for passengers, flight crews and the aircraft. In December 2016, the company’s entire network of FBO facilities across EMEA and Asia received registration to the IS-BAH™ Standard.

More recently, Jet Aviation has been committed to increasing its presence in locations important to its customers. The company celebrated the opening of a new world-class FBO at Washington Dulles International Airport in April 2017, followed by the opening of a new hangar and Fixed Base Operation (FBO) terminal at Hanscom Field in Boston/Bedford in June. In July, it hosted a grand opening at its newly-branded Jet Aviation San Juan FBO at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico.

Flight Services

As one of the largest aircraft management and charter operations in the world, Jet Aviation’s European and U.S. divisions jointly manage and operate a fleet of more than 300 aircraft. Last year, Jet Aviation logged over 60,000 flight hours worldwide. In the U.S., Jet Aviation holds its own Aircraft Operator Certificate. In Europe and Asia, it holds Aircraft Operator Certificates for Germany, Switzerland and Hong Kong, and recently signed a joint venture agreement to establish an aircraft management and charter operation in Malta.

Jet Aviation has the capability to track your aircraft 24/7, anywhere in the world. Its teams of highly-skilled and experienced professionals can meet your daily aircraft operation needs from the company’s strategically-located operations centers in Teterboro, New Jersey; Burbank, California; Chicago, Illinois; Dubai, United Emirates; and Zurich, Switzerland.

Staffing

Jet Aviation is the only global business-aviation company offering a full range of staffing services, including placement of full-time staff for business jet operators, career transition/outplacement services and payroll solutions. In the U.S., temporary placements are also available.

To commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2017 and demonstrate its readiness to embrace the future, Jet Aviation launched a new company logo and corporate emblem on January 1, 2017.