The people behind Rotterdam Jet Center are planning to expand with a second FBO at Schiphol. The Amsterdam Jet Center is scheduled to open on November 1, 2002 and will basically be a copy of the

original FBO.

“There are definitely not enough provisions for business aviation in Amsterdam. I think currently there is only one other FBO. Many of our customers wanted us to start up in Amsterdam and with both FBOs we will be able to offer a better overall service. The FBO will be able to handle anything up to a BBJ,” said Callista van den Doel.

There is still a little uncertainty over which buildings will be available for the FBO. “There is a big space problem at Schiphol, so we are still not sure about whether we will build or rent hangar space.

“There are still a number of negotiations going on, to house the facilities which will include a passenger lounge, crew lounge, a shop, television, computers and mini-bars,” she added.

Van den Doel gave us a little background on the company’s origins: “The owner Mr. Ruijgrok’s hobby is flying and he started Rotterdam Jet Centre in 1997 as an FBO.

“Rotterdam Airport is very nice and it’s been through a number of changes and renovations, so it’s proved very popular. We then started Jet Centre Fuel in December 2001 at Rotterdam and the company has two tankers driving.

“The business aviation market is still very good in Holland and last year we doubled our business. This year the growth has slowed down, and business has been at similar levels to last year.”