Execair commercial director, David Best, has revealed that he aims to more than double the size of the business (in terms of facilities) over the next two years. This follows a shake-up by David Mackay, chief executive of parent company John Menzies PLC, who has refocussed his operations into a support services group based in two divisions: Wholesale newspaper distribution and aviation services.

The expansion plan will focus primarily upon starting up a number of new FBOs in airports which currently under-provide for corporate aviation. “We will be moving into places where the service isn’t as good as our customers would like, and they have been providing us with a great deal of useful feedback,” said Best. Investment comes entirely from the Menzies group, which freed up substantial capital after selling its John Menzies newsagent and Early Learning Centre chains.

“We do provide some charter sales but the focus is upon executive handling. Execair doesn’t have any great desire to become an engineering business or aircraft sales group,” explained Best. “My brief as commercial director is to grow a European chain over the next two years. Essentially we’re looking for acquisitions and joint venture opportunities for building a chain across Europe,” he added.

Although no precise locations could be divulged as EBAN went to press, Best confirmed: “We’re in the final stages of negotiating to start up at a couple of airports. One of these is seriously imminent and the other is in its final stages. We are also reviewing the standards around our own network as well. We have started a building expansion and refurbishment programme at Glasgow and we will also be refurbishing the business we recently bought in Dublin – Parc Aviation. This has now been re-branded as Execair.”

Execair has been highlighted as a key expansion opportunity, according to Best, and with the backing of a 168-year-old PLC the company hopes to become a major force in the European FBO market. EBAN asked how Execair intends to attract customers with so many well established FBO chains in operation: “As we grow through Europe we will obviously look carefully at where we plan to expand and there are a number of excellent companies out there doing a great job. So we won’t necessarily jump head-to-head in big places where there is a lot of competition, because there’s no point in diluting the market further by entering the same airports,” said Best.

In contrast to charterer reports, Best claimed: “Corporate aviation is the one part of the marketplace that continues to grow at the moment and it seems to be riding out the storm of recession. It is a fairly focussed business whereby you can control the standards easily and ensure you’re providing the best service.”

Execair plans to create its niche by focussing on the individual: “The whole operational standards are based on flexibility of approach and discretion. One of the best stories I heard was that there was a pilot on approach who was radioed to ask what services he required on landing. He replied catering, fuel, transportation and a set of braces. The guy on the ground said: ‘Certainly sir, what colour braces do you require.’ He then went to the terminal and bought them so that they were available to the passenger upon landing. This is the epitome of what Execair should be about for me,” said Best.

Promising further revelations, Best concluded: “We’ve changed the structure of the company with the focus on growing the business and over the next two years there will be a lot of exciting news from Execair.”