Jet Aviation's 600 sqm facility within the shared FBO terminal at Riyadh's King Khalid International airport is being re-designed and enhanced for customer comfort. The company expects the newly refurbished facility to be operational by the end of Q1 2020.

Jet Aviation is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Saudi Arabia this year, and to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to the region, it has decided to invest in a new FBO facility at King Khalid International. The facility is fully equipped to handle all types of aircraft. Amenities include a refreshment pantry and buffet, a large customer lounge, three VIP lounges including a snooze room, a conference room, a duty-free shop, a prayer room and weather and flight planning facilities. It also features an office located airside for handling and line crew. Jet Aviation plans to open the new facility for operation in Q1 2020.

“We look forward to moving to our newly refurbished FBO in the new year,” says general manager Khaled Al-Ghamdi. “The more spacious facility is designed to accommodate future traffic volume increases in Riyadh, while continuing to ensure the highest safety, comfort and design standards.”

Jet Aviation's FBO services in Riyadh include passenger and baggage handling, immigration and customs clearance, transportation, hotel and catering coordination, aircraft refuelling, interior deep cleaning, exterior wash and turnaround assistance. In addition to its network of facilities in Saudi Arabia, Jet Aviation operates FBOs at Dubai International airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) as well as an MRO facility at DXB that supports both FBOs and the wider region.

Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia, celebrating its 40th anniversary in Saudi Arabia in 2019, is a long-standing joint venture company with Saudi Arabian partners and was the first company to set up an FBO in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company has operated an FBO in Jeddah since 1979, in Riyadh since 1981, in Medina since 2012 and in Yanbu since 2018.

In other news, Jet Aviation has received approval from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia for its wheel and battery shops in Jeddah. With these approvals, the company is launching its new wheel and battery shops, effective immediately. The battery shop is also FAA-approved; FAA approval for the wheel shop is expected in Q4 2019.

Jeddah's new wheel shop is authorised for wheel inspections, tire changes and minor repairs on Gulfstream main and nose wheel assemblies. The facility can add other OEM wheels as needed, up to the Boeing 737 and Airbus ACJ320. The battery shop supports non-scheduled inspections and troubleshooting, including battery re-charging, deep cycling, capacity testing and cell replacement for nickel cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries for multiple OEMs.

“We are delighted to extend these maintenance services to our customers in Jeddah and the region,” says Richard Harris, maintenance manager. “Wheels have a hard life at the best of times, but environmental conditions such as the heat in the Middle East can compound that hardship. As the first electrical link for engine starts, battery testing is equally important, and a highly valued service.”

Al-Ghamdi adds: “Our goal is to provide business aviation services as close to demand as possible while upholding the highest standards. We invested in these in-house shops and services to further improve our ability to meet the requirements of our valued customers in the region.”

To ensure off-site customers have access to parts and maintenance when and where required, Jet Aviation operates a spare parts and 24/7 global repair service with dedicated AOG experts at each maintenance location.