Belgium’s Abelag Aviation is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the addition of a brand-new Learjet 45 to its fleet, in addition to rebranding the Westlink Group and completing a full refurbishment of its FBO at Brussels Airport.

The aircraft joined the fleet, which consists of a Falcon 2000, Citation Excel, Citation 500, two LR45s and two LR35s, in September. The fleet consists of a mixture of owned and managed aircraft, and Abelag has access to the aircraft of sister company Sky Service, which operates a Citation SII, Citation V, three Beech 200s and a Beech 90.

Deputy general manager Hervé Laitat spoke to EBAN about the purchase of the aircraft and the future plans of the company. “We like the speed and range of the aircraft, which are very impressive for an aeroplane of this size, and it features the new XR interior — the double club seating is really appreciated by our clients,”

he commented.

The aircraft will be used solely for charter flights. “This segment is really a blockbuster in Belgium,” said Laitat. “There is a fine balance between price, cabin size and performance. Belgium is not really a Falcon 900 market, for example, but Excels and Learjet 45s are really well suited to the market.”

The group clocked up 4,500 charter hours last year and expects this figure to increase over the coming years. “We have seen stable growth in a positive trend; it’s not exploding but we are expecting an annual increase in flight hours of about four or five per cent.

“In the future we aim to renew our entry level jets and are considering acquiring a Citation V or Ultra, for example, to fill the niche between entry level and mid size jets,” commented Laitat.

Abelag owns 60 per cent of the LR45 and the rest is owned by a private client. The company expects the aircraft to make 300 flight hours per year, with an additional 200 expected by the private owner. In order to ensure pilot availability, the company sent two additional pilots to complete training for the aircraft at CAE Simuflite in Dallas, Texas.

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Abelag also made the decision to rebrand its group of companies, formerly known as Westlink Group. “We have felt for a long time that Abelag needed an image upgrade,” Laitat explained. “In 2000, Abelag and Sky Service joined forces and created a holding company, named Westlink. We found that it was a bit confusing for clients and partners to have a group with some 80 staff members with so many company names. Four years on, we have decided to create a coherent and uniform denomination for the entire group, so Westlink has become Abelag Group.”

The company has also designed a new logo, which visitors to the Abelag facilities will notice on the buildings and staff uniforms. “We think our partners and clients will appreciate the simplicity,” said Laitat.

In line with the decision to rebrand, the company has updated its FBO facility at Brussels Airport. “It’s brand-new,” he said. “In the past we were in the top rankings of the most appreciated FBOs in Europe and we really want to win this title back! We have already had pilots sitting in the refurbished facility and the feedback has been very good.”

Following the refurbishment, Abelag has stepped up its security measures in accordance with increasing regulations. “Over the last few months we have felt a lot of pressure about safety and security,

so we are in the process of securing all access between land and air side with badges at the FBO,” commented Laitat.

“As an FBO, we feel it’s very important to ensure the highest safety standards are employed. We are a Wyvern approved company – we have noticed that, for American clients especially, this is a must.” Wyvern Consulting performs safety evaluations of charter operators and awards approval following successful audits. “It takes a lot of time, as there are many audits, but we feel that it is necessary and very useful to us,” concluded Laitat.