Rizon expands Qatar fleet

The aircraft charter and management group is working toward a February 2010 completion on its new US$16 million 13,000 sq m hangar and FBO-/VIP Terminal facility in London Biggin Hill Airport, newly appointed Group CEO Patrick Enz has confirmed. 

“The change in management and our simultaneous commitment to a parallel hangar and FBO-/VIP Terminal development in Doha, Qatar, due to open in the second quarter of 2010, means that we are a little bit later than originally scheduled, but both projects are advancing well,” he said.
 
In Doha Rizon is gearing up to introduce two new jets – a second Hawker 900XP, due to arrive in November and a Challenger 605 which is due to come on line in December.  Both aircraft will operate on the Qatari Operating Permit. Rizon now has five business jets based in Doha and one aircraft in London.
 
Rizon has been bolstering its management team in the UK and Qatar, ahead of a significant recruitment of staff early in January.  Jackie Nikolajsen is General Manager at the Biggin Hill facility.  He joins from ExecuJet Europe, based in Denmark, where he was technical director.  Jackie worked with ExecuJet since 2000 in the roles of maintenance manager and then head of aircraft completions and acceptance management. In Doha, Faisal Alam, ex Head of Maintenance and Development at Bahrain-based BexAir and former COO of Delmun Aviation Services,  is newly named General Manager.   
 
Andrew Pearce, who joined Rizon UK in May from TAG Aviation as Director Sales and Marketing has been promoted to Head of Aircraft Management and Charter for the Rizon Group.  A head of marketing and communications will be named early next month and Rizon is currently recruiting for a finance director.  Both these positions will be based in Doha.   
 
Two and a half year old Rizon has offices in Qatar, the UK, Bahrain and the UAE and is focused on providing VIP travel solutions and business aircraft support in the Middle East, Europe, India, Russia, the Far East and Africa.  
 
Its mission is to meet increasing demand for corporate aircraft charter in the Gulf Cooperation Council states and expand its services with aircraft maintenance services, an aircraft trading and management arm and aviation training college which will be specifically aimed at growing the skills base of GCC nationals.