Jet Aviation is celebrateing 40 years of operation in Saudi Arabia. The company established its first fixed base operation (FBO) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Airport in 1979 and currently operates four FBO facilities in Saudi Arabia at Jeddah, Riyadh, Medina and Yanbu.

Jet Aviation was the first International company, together with its Saudi Arabian partners, to establish an FBO in Saudi Arabia when it opened its doors at the old Jeddah airport. “By the mid-seventies, Mobil Oil was regularly bringing aircraft from Saudi Arabia to Switzerland for servicing and it was with its help and encouragement that we were able to form our local partnership and open the handling and line maintenance operation in Jeddah,” says VP and GM Middle East Hardy Butschi. “Two years later we opened a similar facility in Riyadh and now, forty years on, we remain fully committed to the region as we strive to reinforce our operations over the coming months and years.”

The company has also received a Part 151 certificate of compliance from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia for its Jeddah facility. GACA implemented the certification requirement and process in March 2016, mandating all ground service providers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to demonstrate operational readiness and compliance. Following a document review and on-site audit of its facility, Jet Aviation has received certification as a fully compliant ground handling service provider. The company has fulfilled the process requirements for its other FBO locations, for which it is awaiting further certifications.

“This certificate demonstrates that we meet all regulatory requirements for ground service providers in the Kingdom, including quality assurance, emergency response and safety management,” says Saudi Arabia general manager Khaled Al- Ghamdi. “Jet Aviation is fully committed to meeting the needs of our customers in the region to the highest standards. We have submitted applications to demonstrate compliance for all of our locations in Saudi Arabia and expect the audits of our facilities in Riyadh and Yanbu to take place this year, with Medina following in 2020.”