CharterX.com headlines http://www.charterx.com Industry headlines from CharterX. Buy and sell air charter easily. en-US ; <![CDATA[Royal Jet's FBO Facility Receives Hat Trick of Awards ]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4437 Royal Jet's Fixed Base Operations (FBO) facility continues to receive global recognition, with a hat-trick of notable awards coming in recent weeks.

In a survey of its pilot readership, Aviation International News (A.I.N) magazine has once again voted it the Best FBO in the Middle East and also ranked it amongst the world's best, while Professional Pilot magazine’s 36th annual PRASE (Preferences Regarding Aviation Services and Equipment) Survey ranked it Best Middle East and African FBO.

These two accolades follow hot on the heels of another award for the FBO facility of the Abu Dhabi-headquartered, international luxury executive flight service company - with Best Fixed Base Operator (Middle East) in the UK-based, ‘Business Destinations’ Travel Awards 2009.

“What is significant about these awards is that the nominations have been made by the people who most regularly use our facility and compare them to other facilities around the globe,” says Royal Jet's President&CEO, Shane O'Hare. “They are the people – the pilots and passengers - who understand the subtleties of operating in the Middle East and truly appreciate the very highest level of service that we deliver.”

The private charter group, chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, has its own purpose-built VIP Terminal and operational facility, which it has run since 2003, close to Terminal 2 of Abu Dhabi International Airport.

A 24-hour operation that handles up to 300 aircraft movements a month, with year-on-year growth of 20 per cent, Royal Jet’s FBO facilities include passenger handling, catering, hangar parking, an aircraft ramp, maintenance services, refuelling services, ground support and on board cleaning. For Royal Jet’s guests, the VIP terminal offers executive lounges with conferencing rooms, red carpet and limousine service, exclusive hostess, valet and full security services including customs and immigration.

O’Hare adds that the company is currently in discussion with Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) regarding the new Al Bateen Executive Airport.

“Al Bateen Executive Airport is a great initiative of Abu Dhabi Airports, facilitating easier arrivals and departures from the capital’s city centre,” he said. “Full certification of Al Bateen is expected this summer following a US $54.5 million upgrade programme to convert the facility from the current military base to a private jet airport. This will enable us to build on our success, which has come about as a result of our high quality, luxury services which in part comes about as a consequence of our pedigree that reflects our founding by the Abu Dhabi Presidential Flight Authority. This is reflected in every facet of our business right through to our FBO facilities today,” he adds.

Royal Jet has been active in diversifying its business to encompass a range of offerings, including its Fixed Base Operations, Royal Jet Medical Evacuation Services, Royal Jet Charter Brokerage and Aircraft Management services. It is constantly improving its customer experience, and is currently refurbishing all five of its Boeing Business Jets. Royal Jet has also recently launched a ‘world-first’ by becoming the only private jet charter company to offer its guests a personal chef, providing them with bespoke gourmet dining based on their own individual preferences.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

]]> CharterX 2009-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[FAA Begins Reviewing Israel's Progress on Air Safety]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4439
On 20.12.2008 US Federal Aviation Authority FAA downgrades the Safety Category of Israel from 1 to the less safe Category 2, meaning no additional services from Israel to the US.  

The FAA found deficiencies in terms of safety oversight of the governmental institutions providing a less safe environment for civilian air traffic in the country. Following the downgrade, CAA director-general Giora Romm set up an administration to coordinate all activity directed towards restoring Israel to Category 1. 

Last week the CAA staff made their first presentation to the US team of progress in fixing the deficiencies, in accordance with a work program agreed between the CAA and FAA.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com. ]]> CharterX 2009-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[Luxury Jet Operator Admits to $1 Million in Illegal Flights]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4441 A co-founder of a charter company whose jet crashed while taking off from Teterboro Airport admitted late last month that he schemed to defraud charter customers and the FAA, launching roughly 100 illegal flights that netted more than $1 million.

Andre Budhan, 42, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty to the lead count of a 23-count Indictment, charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to defraud the United States.

Budhan was a managing member of now-defunct Platinum Jet Management, which operated for a year without a required FAA-issued certificate for on-demand commercial flights.

Yet the company solicited and flew charter flight customers without telling them the truth, Budhan admitted.

Clients included Beyonce, Jay Z and Snoop Dogg, as well as investment bank members -- who were aboard in 2005 when one of Platinum's charter flights blasted through a fence at Teterboro and careened across Route 46, clipping several vehicles along the way, before smashing into a furniture warehouse on the other side.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. could send Budhan to prison for a little over four years and fine him several hundred thousand dollars on Oct. 5. The plea agreement also includes restitution.

Budhan remains free on a $250,000 secured bond.

Five co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges in the case, with a trial scheduled to begin before Greenaway on Jan. 19.

Those charged continually committed "willful violations of regulatory requirements for the operation of commercial charter aircraft," undertaking and conceling dangerous fueling and weight distribution, according to a federal indictment.

By taking an "anything goes" attitude, those charged routinely violated guidelines designed to prevent such crashes.

Because of deliberate "overtankering" of fuel, which unsafely pushed the center of gravity forward, the jet couldn't get off the ground, prosecutors allege in the 23-count indictment.

Grand jurors agreed that the defendants participated in the scheme in order to cut costs and take advantage of less expensive fuel contracts at Teterboro and other locations.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr. credited Special Agents of the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General for their work in obtaining Budhan's guilty plea.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

]]> CharterX 2009-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[Biofuel Could Lighten Jet Fuel's Carbon Footprint Over 80 Percent]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4429 The seeds of a lowly weed could cut jet fuel's cradle-to-grave carbon emissions by 84 percent. David Shonnard, Robbins Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering, analyzed the carbon dioxide emissions of jet fuel made from camelina oil over the course of its life cycle, from planting to tailpipe.

"Camelina jet fuel exhibits one of the largest greenhouse gas emission reductions of any agricultural feedstock-derived biofuel I've ever seen," he said. "This is the result of the unique attributes of the crop--its low fertilizer requirements, high oil yield, and the availability of its coproducts, such as meal and biomass, for other uses."

Camelina sativa originated in Europe and is a member of the mustard family, along with broccoli, cabbage and canola. Sometimes called false flax or gold-of-pleasure, it thrives in the semi-arid conditions of the Northern Plains; the camelina used in the study was grown in Montana.

Oil from camelina can be converted to a hydrocarbon green jet fuel that meets or exceeds all petroleum jet fuel specifications. The fuel is a "drop-in" replacement that is compatible with the existing fuel infrastructure, from storage and transportation to aircraft fleet technology.

"It is almost an exact replacement for fossil fuel," Shonnard explained. "Jets can't use oxygenated fuels like ethanol; they have to use hydrocarbon replacements."

Shonnard conducted the life cycle analysis for UOP LLC, of Des Plaines, Ill., a subsidiary of Honeywell and a provider of oil refining technology. In an April 28 release, it cited Boeing executive Billy Glover, managing director of environmental strategy, who called camelina "one of the most promising sources for renewable fuels that we've seen."

"It performed as well if not better than traditional jet fuel during our test flight with Japan Airlines earlier this year and supports our goal of accelerating the market availability of sustainable, renewable fuel sources that can help aviation reduce emissions," Glover said. "It's clear from the life cycle analysis that camelina is one of the leading near-term options and, even better, it's available today."

Because camelina needs little water or nitrogen to flourish, it can be grown on marginal agricultural lands. "Unlike ethanol made from corn or biodiesel made from soy, it won't compete with food crops," said Shonnard. "And it may be used as a rotation crop for wheat, to increase the health of the soil."

Tom Kalnes is a senior development associate for UOP in its renewable energy and chemicals research group. His team used hydroprocessing, a technology commonly used in the refining of petroleum, to develop a flexible process that converts camelina oil and other biological feedstocks into green jet fuel and renewable diesel fuel.

As to whether we will all be flying in plant-powered aircraft, his answer is, "It depends."

"There are a few critical issues," Kalnes said. "The most critical is the price and availability of commercial-scale quantities of second generation feedstocks." Additionally, more farmers need to be convinced to grow a new crop, and refiners must want to process it.

"But if it can create jobs and income opportunities in rural areas, that would be wonderful," he said.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

]]> CharterX 2009-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[New FAA Procedures to Boost Denver's Capacity]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4433 The FAA has developed new procedures to reduce delays at Denver International Airport during major runway construction work.

The airport pulled Runway 17L/35R out of service June 1 so it could replace deteriorated concrete panels. That left the airport without one of its four north-south runways, and limited it to only two runways during marginal visibility, cutting the arrival rate to 64 planes an hour. With the new procedures in place, the arrival rate will return to 96 planes an hour. 

But according to the FAA, their personnel quickly figured out a way to mitigate the construction’s impact and boost the arrival rate by 33 percent. They designed a runway configuration in which planes can land on two of Denver’s north-south runways, 34R and 35L, and one of its east-west runways, 26.

Using those three runways, the airport can now land 96 planes an hour, reducing the potential for passenger delays.

The rehabilitation of Runway 17L/35R is expected to take about three months.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

]]> CharterX 2009-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[Signature Adds VP of Marketing to Senior Management Team]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4435
Sniffen, previously VP marketing and communications for a prominent international flight services company, will focus on enhancing the Signature brand, marketing and communications as well as media relations. He is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic College and Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned his MBA and BS degrees respectively.

David Best, Chief Commercial Officer states, “Patrick will bring his extensive experience to bear on the Signature brand, focusing on our interaction with our clients and promoting our services to the global business aviation marketplace.” Best continues, “I am extremely pleased to add him to our senior management team and look forward to his insights and fresh perspective.”

Sniffen states, “I couldn’t be more pleased to join Signature and the greater BBA Aviation family. With its global FBO network, Signature offers a unique solution for business aviation, a message that I will work diligently to promote.”

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.]]> CharterX 2009-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[Actuator Forces WhiteKnight Two Diversion from Spaceport Ceremony]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4445 An actuator alarm led Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnight Two mothership prototype Eve's pilots to land at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport today, diverting the aircraft from its intended destination of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The mothership was to overfly the ground breaking ceremony for Spaceport America, which is to be located 72km (45 miles) from Las Cruces city, and will be the world headquarters for the spaceline Virgin Galactic when it is operating commercially by 2012.

The prototype aircraft departed Mojave air and spaceport at 0804h Pacific Daylight Time and was to overfly the ceremony, taking place at the site of the proposed spaceport, at about 1130h local time but instead it landed at 1018h Mountain Standard Time, the local time zone, for Phoenix-Mesa Gateway at the regional airport.

Phoenix-Mesa Gatewey said, "It is sitting on our cargo ramp. They [the pilots] don't want any pictures taken of it."

Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn explained by email what happened: "WhiteKnight Two left California on Flt10 cruising at 47,000ft, an actuator warning light came on so they made a tech stop in Pheonix Arizona so now [they are] doing the flight later as there are two days of events here."

The flight from Mojave to Las Cruces follows a successful ninth test flight on 15 June at Mojave air and spaceport that saw the mothership reach 52,400ft (15,980m), close to SpaceShip Two's air launch altitude.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

]]> CharterX 2009-07-01T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[OneSky Jets Acquires the Business Interests of Jets.com]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4484 Included in the sale are the Jets.com technology platform including its servers and all the data contained therein; explicit rights to the Jets.com customer list; and Jets.com's rights, title, and interest in all non-disclosure, non-compete and/or non-solicitation agreements.

Greg Johnson, President&CEO, commented: "The Jets.com business model is sound and is synergistic with the service portfolio at OneSky Jets. This is a classic counter-cycle opportunity to gain scale and increase efficiency through consolidation. Our outreach to former Jets.com clients has been met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction to this transaction."

The Jets.com Titanium membership program will be incorporated into OneSky Jets' Latitude Membership program. Both programs place member deposits into interest bearing FDIC insured escrow accounts as a standard feature. A commitment to safety due-diligence is a shared cornerstone within the two organizations. OneSky Jets is a founding member of the Air Charter Safety Foundation and was instrumental in the Wyvern PASS program and served as its launch customer.

]]> CharterX 2009-06-29T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[NBAA: DHS Inspector Report Concludes GA Security Threat is Limited]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4425 The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) recently welcomed a conclusion in a recent report conducted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS-0IG) that “general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security.”

“This report validates what we in the general aviation community have said before: General aviation does not represent a significant security threat,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “The industry has always emphasized security, and in the years since the 9/11 attacks, we have remained diligent and adopted numerous measures to ensure that our aircraft, crews and passengers are safe and secure.” 

Following are the key findings included in the 30-page study by the DHS-OIG: 

  • “We determined that general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security. We also determined that the steps general aviation airport owners and managers have taken to enhance security are positive and effective.”
  • “The current status of [general aviation] operations does not present a serious homeland security vulnerability requiring TSA to increase regulatory oversight of the industry.”
  • “Although [TSA's Office of Intelligence] has identified potential threats, it has concluded that most [general aviation] aircraft are too light to inflict significant damage, and has not identified specific imminent threats from [general aviation] aircraft.”

“We recognize that this report doesn’t mean our industry can take its eye off the ball on security,” Bolen continued. “We will continue working with policymakers to promote effective proposals for enhancing security while recognizing the business aviation community’s need for mobility and flexibility. At the same time, we welcome this recognition of our industry’s long-standing commitment to security, and the effective measures we’ve taken to minimize security threats.”

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

]]> CharterX 2009-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 ; <![CDATA[NetJets Knocks on Europe's Door]]> http://www.charterx.com/resources/article.aspx?id=4419 It's easy to miss the NetJets hospitality chalet at the Paris Air Show. Cutting a very discreet profile next to the far flashier signs and logos of companies like Dassault or Safran, one almost expects the chalet's flags to be flying at half-mast. It wouldn't be a surprise: The business jet market has slumped over the past year, with a reported 3,000 corporate jets--or 17% of the global market--put up for sale, and it has affected big names across the industry, from Bombardier and Honeywell to Rolls-Royce.

But Marine Eugene, who heads up NetJets' French operations, says that now is a good time for the company--which is owned by billionaire Warren Buffett--to take more market share in Europe. She won't divulge what share the company currently has, nor what state of health the division is in, but claims that NetJets earlier this year almost doubled its sales and marketing capacity in Europe in anticipation of expansion.

"Now is the right time for us to attack," says Eugene. She thinks that NetJets' business model, which allows customers to buy an equity stake and flying hours rather than the whole jet, is more suited to the current economic and political climate than a private jet festooned with a company logo.

Eugene would not say how the European division had performed, but said that the client base had remained broadly stable at around 1,600. NetJets Europe has not canceled any plane orders yet, choosing to delay deliveries instead; this year it plans to take "around 10," but it would not specify how many orders would be delayed.

So how is Europe behaving in this time of cost-cutting and humility for the former Masters of the Universe in the financial sector? Eugene says that Britain has suffered the most, an obvious result of London's dependence on financial services, while France has resisted well. Eugene says she has around 150 French clients, but won't divulge any of the names.

As for a recovery in the corporate jet market, Buffett may have to wait a while longer. Eugene thinks it won't come before 2012, so perhaps at the 2013 Paris Air Show there'll be something to celebrate.

E-mail your press releases, news tips and feedback to the CharterX News Editor at News@CharterX.com.

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