Editor

Ian Sheppard

Luxaviation Group (Booth N116) has now added three aircraft to the San Marino Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), which was finalized in January. These comprise a new Bombardier Challenger 350 and a Global 5000, as well as a Dassault Falcon 900EX EASy II, “with several more in the signing process,” according to Luxaviation San Marino managing director Robert Fisch.

 


“We are expecting to receive our EASA Third Country [TCO] approval soon and, with that, an influx of new aircraft and customers,” he added. The company reports particularly strong interest from the Middle East and Africa.

 


Meanwhile, more aircraft have also been added in the wider Luxaviation Group, which includes&nbsp;ExecuJet and 15 AOCs in total. These include an Embraer Legacy 600, Falcon 900EX, and Cessna Citation XLS+ and XLS. This brings the total Luxaviation managed fleet to some 270 airplanes and 50 helicopters, the company said.

 


The Legacy 600 will be privately managed and based at ExecuJet’s Zürich facility in Switzerland; the Falcon 900EX and Citation XLS will both be based at Luxaviation Paris Le Bourget facility; and the Citation XLS will be based at ExecuJet’s Brussels, Belgium facility.

 


“At Luxaviation, we are always looking to make additions to our fleet," said Christopher Watson, head of Luxaviation’s group broker desk.&nbsp;The latest fleet additions are available for full charter services, except the Zürich-based Legacy 600, which will be privately managed on behalf of its owner.

 


The company noted the weekend before EBACE had been “one of the busiest of the year,” mainly due to high-profile sporting events such as the UEFA Champions League Final in Kiev, between Liverpool and Real Madrid, and F1’s Monaco Grand Prix.

 


George Galanopoulos, managing director of Luxaviation UK, said, “Big events in the sporting calendar…make up a large part of our business year-on-year. Whether this is flying groups of fans to cheer on their team or flying a star player’s agent and management staff, there is always high demand. Around 70 percent of Luxaviation UK’s fleet was in the air as a direct result of the demand for travel to Kiev and Monaco.”

 


Luxaviation Group has also opened its first crew resort at Luxembourg airport. Patrick Hansen, Luxaviation Group CEO, said, “The Luxaviation Crew Resort is the first of a series of resorts we plan to open globally.”

 


In collaboration with Paragon Aviation Group, Luxaviation has a network of 53 FBOs globally, 26 being managed by ExecuJet, and 15 maintenance/service centers.

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