Royal Jet is to double its fleet and achieve a five-fold revenue increase by 2013, according to its President & Chief Executive, Shane O’Hare. He unveiled the major expansion strategy in London where the award-winning luxury flight services provider was marking its fifth anniversary.
        
“This strategy has the solid support of the Royal Jet board under the leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and is seen as a firm commitment to the development of our home base of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, into an international aviation centre of excellence,” said O’Hare.

“We plan to grow our fleet from its current 12 aircraft to more than 20 and achieve turnover of US$500 million (£250 million) by 2013.

“Our expansion will reflect that of the Middle East’s booming business aviation segment. Our research points to a 40% annual increase in the Middle East’s business aviation sector for the coming five years with Saudi Arabia and the UAE driving the momentum. Saudi Arabia is currently leading the surge but the UAE is catching up very fast.”

Royal Jet has a current fleet of five Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) – making it the world’s largest single operator of the aircraft, two mid-range Gulf Stream G300s, a long range Gulf Stream IVSP, two Learjet 35s, a short haul Avro RJ85 and a Medevac Learjet 55. Royal Jet also has its own FBO (fixed base operations) and maintenance facilities at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

O’Hare said Royal Jet’s growth to date, and its planned five-year expansion results from increasing international business community demand for luxury bespoke private air transport.

“Royal Jet has experienced steady growth since the company was created by the Abu Dhabi government as a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Aviation and the Amiri Flight,” he said

“In our current financial year ending December 2008, we are on track to meet a budgeted 25% revenue growth.  Going by our track record we have witnessed over the last four years an average growth year on year of over 40%. We are still in the early stages of fleet evaluation but it is likely that future development will centre on large and medium-size commercial aircraft customised to our specialist market.

“We have a buoyant, traditional market for ‘VIP’ charters, but Royal Jet’s outstanding growth is principally down to increasing, world-wide demand for superior, private air service from business and industry in the UK, mainland Europe and Asia as well as the Middle East. In the last financial year, for instance, we contracted 32 new charter customers.

“We must also recognise the increasing significance of Abu Dhabi as a preferred gateway to the Gulf region. Last year, the number of aircraft handled at Royal Jet’s Abu Dhabi terminal grew by some 90 per cent,” added O’Hare.

Royal Jet’s success as a brand, he said, was a direct result of the carrier’s dedication to “exceptionally high” standards of customer service, aircraft cabin quality and operational integrity.
                                                                                       
“Our reputation has been built on a total commitment to not simply meeting, but consistently exceeding, our clients’ high expectations.” O’Hare commented.