Dubai 2011: New CEO scotches the Rizon rumours

Harold Stoddard, formerly with Istithmar, was appointed CEO of the Doha-based private aviation company in October after the wholesale departure of the company’s senior management team.

That fuelled rumours that the company was in crisis or preparing to merge with other players in the country.

But Stoddard paid tribute to the former management team saying: “They did a fantastic job and developed great facilities. But we are now shifting from a start-up to the next stage. RizonJet’s strategy remains the same – to provide unparalleled world class service in each of the business streams where we operate.”

The company has invested more than $50 million developing its ‘world class’ FBOs at London’s Biggin Hill and at the home base at Doha International Airport.

They are great facilities,” Stoddard said. “Since May we have seen in excess of 450 movements and had more than 2000 passengers pass through. This gives us the confidence and the commitment we need to move forward.”

RizonJet is in what it describes as the “final stages” of negotiation with airport authorities at Le Bourget, just outside Paris, to build its third FBO. While it may not echo the existing two, Stoddard is adamant that the service levels will when the new facility opens its doors in 2014.

That commitment to service goes throughout the RizonJet group.

Stoddard said that that the region sometimes lacked the levels of service excellence that customers expect.

You see owners moving their aircraft from one management company to the next. That suggests the service level doesn’t match what the owners see in other sectors. We believe we will be doing it better and expect to see more owners move to us as we increase visibility.”

During the show this week Stoddard will be trying to do that. The company already offers two Challenger 605s and a Hawker 900XP and operates a private Global XRS. In 2013 it will be adding an ACJ319 and a Bombardier Global 6000 to the fleet.

I see a lot more opportunities for fleet growth, both for our commercially-operated aircraft and those operated privately for owners,” Stoddard said.

With just a few miles from its Biggin Hill base to the site of the London Olympics, Stoddard said he expects the FBO to be busy next summer. “We are making arrangements for helicopter transfers and we are involved in a local community project helping young people understand what VIP service is about.”