The Gestair Group rounded off a busy year in 2004 with the acquisition of Sky Service on December 22, taking over the management of the company and, coupled with the purchase of Audeli in 2000, increasing the size of its fleet to 30 aircraft.

As a result of the takeover, general manager Jose Espinosa is no longer with the company but Gestair

will maintain the Sky Service brand. The current fleet of the three companies combined includes a number of Citations, Beechcraft, Challengers, Globals, Gulfstreams, Hawkers and Learjets.

Said president Isabel Macarrón: “The acquisition of Sky Service was a quick move. It is not our strategy to buy out all of the competitors in the country but when the chance appears, we take it. As a family business, we continue leading the Spanish market, now more than ever. From my point of view the idea is not to buy out our competitors but to work with them.

“The business aviation market in Spain is not regarded as important as in other European countries and, besides the non-promoting position of the Civil Aviation Authorities towards our industry, I believe the charter operators should work together to educate the target public, not only as far as chartering but also in aircraft ownership. We should not fight to get each others’ piece of cake but to make the cake bigger!”

The group joined the Exxon Mobil network last year, as part of the Avitat network, and currently manages 80 aircraft. The next additions to company’s fleet will be a Falcon

20-5 and a brand-new Gulfstream G200 – the first to be operated in Spain – both of which are expected to arrive in February.

In additional news, Gestair, as a subcontractor of Iberia, has applied for the maintenance tender of

the Department of Defence in order to service its fleet of Falcon 20, Falcon 900, Airbus A310 and Boeing 707 aircraft.

Gestair will be in charge of the maintenance of four Falcon 20s and five Falcon 900s, which are used to transport vips, including government figures and royalty.

Despite the company’s growth last year, Macarrón believes it is high time that business aviation in the region is given the support and recognition it requires to maintain stability. “Business aviation was transferred to Torrejon Air Force base from Barajas on a temporary basis that has lasted more than five years,” she said. “Gestair and the rest of the companies (operators, handling services etc) work from prefabricated sheds and huts, similar to the ones used at construction sites.

“We have been waiting to be relocated back into the new Barajas Airport but that is on standby as of yet. We do not know whether Torrejón will become the executive airport for Madrid or if we will go back to Barajas. What we do know is that we cannot continue as we are.

“Torrejón does not operate 24 hours and the apron to park aircraft is not big enough even for Gestair alone, so if you take off from Torrejón, by the time you come back the lot is sometimes so full that the aircraft is sent to Barajas,” she added.

“With all the inconveniences

that represents, especially for passenger and operators, we are forced to have double staff, facilities and resources.”

According to Macarrón, the company was granted a plot of land at Barajas and has been prepared to invest up to €7 million on a hangar and FBO project for over two years. 

“This is on hold, as well as everything else, due to this issue.

We will not start construction

until we know where we will operate and, even if it is Barajas, it may

be on the opposite point of the airport from our plot.”