Ocean Sky sets up shop in Dubai as base for regional expansion

The new office will serve as a base for Ocean Sky’s expansion in the Middle East over the next several years. Initially, the Dubai operation will focus on providing air charter and aircraft management services, but Ocean Sky anticipates expanding into further areas, such as aircraft acquisition and sales and fixed base operations.
 
Steve Grimes, chief executive of Ocean Sky, says: “The Middle East is a natural fit for Ocean Sky. There is significant and growing demand for private aviation services and our breadth of activities makes us excellently placed to meet a customer’s entire needs. Ocean Sky is an established and trusted international service brand. We start in Dubai with a strong offering in aircraft charter and management, but see exciting opportunities to introduce other elements of our fully-integrated business model.”
 
Ocean Sky’s Dubai office will be led by Neil Backhouse, who joins from ExecuJet Middle East, where he was charter sales manager for the company’s managed aircraft fleet. He originally moved to Dubai in 2001 with Bombardier Skyjet, tasked with introducing the Skyjet brand to the region.
 
“Neil Backhouse is a great addition to the Ocean Sky team,” says Grimes. “He brings almost a decade of experience of the Middle East, coupled with insights developed both as a broker and an operator. He is ideally qualified to spearhead our growth in the region.”