ABU DHABI, 9 January 2008 — Abu Dhabi-based Prestige Jet, the fast-growing, private aviation company, was inaugurated yesterday by Gen. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, at a ceremony at Bateen Air Base.
In his address, Ghaith Ben Hamil Al-Ghaith, chairman of Prestige Jet thanked Sheikh Mohammed and the government for their support of a national company, which is well placed to compete with world’s best private air charter services in a fast-growing and highly competitive market.
Ghaith also outlined the company’s five-year plan, which includes a commitment to provide unparalleled service and an ambitious fleet expansion program.
“We are investing heavily in upgrading the interior of our aircrafts to make it exotic and luxurious, such as the challenger 604 Versace style which will put them apart from the rest of our competitors. We also aim to expand our fleet and operate nine aircraft by 2009,” he said. “At the Dubai Air Show 2007, where we made our first ever appearance, generated several new long-term customer contracts, vindicating the decision to make this investment.
“A new Sovereign Citation was added to the fleet during the show, bringing to five the number of aircrafts we are operating out of Abu Dhabi International Airport,” he added. “Earlier this year we purchased two new Grob Sp aircraft, which will be delivered to us at the end of 2008 and early 2009, we are also in negotiation for acquiring two more aircrafts.
“We see strong interest in charter services across different customer segments from high net worth individuals to corporates,” he added. Ghaith also said that medical evacuation was another key area for the company and that its air ambulance service had been upgraded through an agreement with Flight Ambulance International (FAI), a world leader in medical evacuation.