The Latvian Ministry of Transport has issued an air transport licence to new aircraft operator Union Aviation. The company operates in the business air transport segment all over the world, but has chosen Latvia as its base location.

The recently awarded operating license allows the air carrier to perform commercial flights all over the world. The company's fleet currently includes the Legacy 650, Gulfstream G150, Nextant 400XTi and Piaggio Avanti EVO. The fleet is to be further expanded to meet increased demand for business flights.

Union Aviation was founded by business aircraft charter, sales and management companies Amber Jet Group and Taurus Jet, which have extensive experience in the aviation and finance segment. Presently the accumulated experience covers areas such as aircraft sales and acquisition, operation and maintenance, and other business aviation related services.

The company intends to expand its activity in these areas and sees its qualified workforce in Riga as a critical contributor to its growth. It uses the operational management solution Centrik.

Based at Riga International airport in Latvia, Union conducts business charter services, alongside all associated aircraft maintenance and management. With agreements in place to operate five aircraft, Centrik has played a role in establishing and demonstrating the operational framework of the business.

Gunārs Ivulāns, compliance monitoring manager at Union Aviation, says: “After conducting detailed research on a number of different systems, Centrik stood out to us for how much it was able to do; from risk and safety management to training, manuals and EFBs, it puts everything we need in one place.

“For a new business like ours, to be able to quickly and easily access all relevant operational information has been vitally important in helping us acquire our AOC. From here, Centrik will be integral to the business, assisting us to operate in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible.”