PARIS: JetEx open FBO at Le Bourget for VVIP traffic

The facility is the first fixed-base operation (FBO) from the fast-growing company, which is headquartered near Dubai Airport. "We took a strategic decision to build our first one at Europe's busiest business aviation airport," says JetEx general manager Holger Ostheimer.

The facility was opened by Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports who was representing Dubai's Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

It features a VVIP area - dubbed Le Royale - for senior government officials, royal families and other dignitaries, as well as a VIP area, Le Salon, which has a lounge and meeting rooms. There are also pilot rest and briefing areas.

JetEx provides back-up services to business aviation, freight and passenger airline operators and has the bulk of its market in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. However, many of its customers' clients fly regularly to Europe, and further expansion in the region could be on the cards.

Ostheimer says the Le Bourget facility - which will compete with, among others, Dassault Aviation's FBO - has "prime access to the airport" and he expects it to capture a "substantial part of the business aviation traffic". He adds: "It is perfectly suited for large VVIP and VIP aircraft."