UAE business aviation services and management company Falcon Aviation is to open a Pilatus PC-12 service center at its Al Bateen Executive Airport Hangar facility in the UAE, expanding its maintenance capability in the growing turboprop market.
Falcon Aviation is partnering with PC-12 charter operator GI Aviation to provide line and base maintenance, plus regional aircraft on the ground (AOG) support. The agreement covers parking, handling and hangarage at Falcon Aviation’s Hangar facilities at Al Bateen Executive Airport and FBO facilities at Dubai South, Al Maktoum International Airport.
GI Aviation pioneered commercial charter services with the PC-12 in January, following the award of GCAA certification in December 2016. It is currently working with Falcon Aviation on the re-registration of its newly accepted second PC-12NG.
“We are very pleased to be supporting the increasingly popular PC-12 which is opening up an exciting new entry level for affordable charter here in the UAE and beyond,” said Falcon Aviation’s director of maintenance, Nicolas Tejera. “We will be supporting these aircraft with significant investment in parts and tooling and dedicated engineering team and technicians.”
“Most of Falcon’s work under our GCAA maintenance certification will be supporting third party customers on a variety of business aviation models,” added Ronnie McCrae, service center manager.
“We are investing in appropriate infrastructure and technical support for the region to help new operators like GI Aviation grow. We can see them providing excellent feeder opportunities, not just to the larger private jet companies but also to the commercial airlines. We are very enthusiastic about the super versatile PC-12 and PC-24. These aircraft are real game-changers in the Middle East,” stated Captain Raman Oberoi, COO, Falcon Aviation.
“Having local support on the ground and in the field from a proficient and long-established business aviation maintenance organization, especially in any AOG situation, is an important component of our overall offering. We are very pleased therefore to team with Falcon Aviation as our ground partner and are looking forward to a long-term relationship with their team,” said Marios Belidis, general manager of GI Aviation.
The agreement between Pilatus and Falcon is expected to include the PC-24 versatile light twin jet in the future for both charter operations and MRO support, following Falcon’s commitment to acquire two aircraft for delivery from Spring 2019.
The agreement with GI Aviation is under the warranty services of Pilatus Aircraft and with the backing of AMAC Aerospace, the OEM’s exclusive sales representative in the Middle East.
