Abelag Aviation and Sky-Service have united to form what they believe will be "the major Benelux business aircraft operator". The group has fourteen aircraft, ranging from the Embraer Xingu to a Falcon 2000, and a turnover of around 25 million Euros. Daniel Cook talked with Abelag's md Denis Solvay about the merger.

Abelag Aviation began work in 1964, created by André Ganshof van der Meersh. Sky-Service is 15-20 years old, and said to be well known on the market. Its managing directors are Barth Foucart and Nicolas Willemot, who will make up a triumvirate executive within the new company, Westlink. "We used to work together in terms of charter of aircraft and parts supplies," said Solvay. "But also as competitors, that is clear.

"In terms of a fleet of aircraft and of turnover, we have clearly got the biggest volume," he said. "Today, with investment costs in aviation and the running costs of such an operation, it is in our interests to try to increase the size of the company, in order to reach a critical mass. To maintain jets, if you are certified to maintain that type of aircraft, the classification is the same if you maintain five or if you maintain ten."

The decision was taken to include Abelag in "a corporate group, instead of being a company with only physical persons as shareholders," as Solvay puts it. Foucart and Willemot, who owned 100 per cent of Sky-Service, joined with Solvay and a new group of investors on October 26, to buy Abelag.

Said Solvay, "We borrowed money from the bank through Westlink - although the company has a very low level of debt - and with all this money, we bought 100 per cent of Abelag.

West Link operates 14 aircraft, all in commercial operation: Two stumpy Embraer Xingus, a less common competitor to the Beech 90 but better developed, according to Solvay, one Beech 200 (they are awaiting a second), two Bandeirantes, and three Citation IIs make up the former Sky-Service fleet. Abelag brings two Citation Is, two Lear 35s, one Lear 45 and a Falcon 2000.

"At the present time, fractional ownership is in preparation," said Solvay, "and I prefer to keep it confidential. We have no goal to compete with NetJets, we are in a small market, but I think it would be interesting in our future development.

"We are thinking about other FBOs and we have two projects starting. "We are mainly considering the Benelux countries, because although we have a 25 million Euro turnover when you compare us with Tag Aviation or Jet Aviation, we cannot have the pretension to be a worldwide company.

"Having said that, life can reserve surprises. Sometimes opportunities do not come rom the direction expected. We have in Abelag a very good knowledge in running FBOs, so if we get proposals coming from abroad, why would we say no?"Denis Solvay has been managing director at Abelag for some eight years; he is Mr Ganshof's cousin, and he and his brother are shareholders of Abelag, and now part of Westlink. So, we inquired, has the whole operation been difficult to adapt to?

"We are just now in the transition, it is something very new, but when you have procedures with good preparation, and are remaining with the same managing team, it should not be a problem," he said.