Sharjah Update Sharjah business & Investment News from Invest in Sharjah (Sharjah FDI Office)
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Global business aviation services company Gama Aviation plc has announced that it has cut basic handling rates for its fixed base operation (FBO) at Sharjah International Airport by 20 percent following a global review of its operations. The reduction in handling rates ensures that the company’s Sharjah hub is highly competitive when compared to similar offerings in Dubai and other regional airports, whilst offering a location just 30 minutes drive from Downtown Dubai and 20 minutes from the centre of Sharjah city.
The company has also acquired additional aircraft parking space at Sharjah International Airport to meet the growing demand for business aviation, in particular from Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) customers. Gama has been handling all business aviation services at Sharjah International Airport since early 2012 and opened its own private aviation terminal in 2014, providing a full service private aviation hub serving Sharjah, Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
A number of aircraft owners and operators have made Sharjah airport their principal base of operations since Gama’s terminal opening last year. Expert handling services, competitive parking and hangar fees, combined with the absence of slot restrictions, ample parking space and ease of access, have helped establish the private terminal as a popular destination and service stop. Gama’s Sharjah hub also offers business aviation customers an executive lounge and crew facilities.
Gama Aviation’s future plans for its Sharjah hub include the construction of a new mixed-use hangar for maintenance and aircraft storage. The terminal operator currently has access to four hangars at Sharjah International Airport, allowing it to offer business jet owners short and long term parking, plus dedicated ramp handling and fuel.
Gama Aviation merged with Hangar8 plc in January this year, creating one of the five largest business aviation operators in the world. The company now manages 144 aircraft and operates from 44 different locations in 15 countries across five continents. Investors in Gama Aviation’s private airport facility in Sharjah include Sharjah-headquartered Crescent Enterprises, Growthgate Capital and Sharjah’s Department of Civil Aviation.
Sharjah International Airport handled 9.5 million passengers last year and is a hub for a number of international passenger and cargo airlines including the region’s leading budget carrier Air Arabia. The airport opened a new 4,060 metre runway in 2014, adding capacity for for the airport to accommodate large and new-generation ICAO Code F aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeings B747-8 Intercontinental and B747-8 freighter.
Source: Gama Aviation
