A Journey Through 20 Years in Dubai
Jet Aviation established its first facility in Dubai in 2005, offering MRO and FBO services at Dubai International Airport (DXB). This brought the company’s renowned expertise in maintenance and ground handling to the United Arab Emirates, further strengthening its presence in the Middle East.
“There were just a few of us here in the beginning,” says Hardy Bütschi, Vice President Regional Operations Middle East and GM Dubai. “We were supporting our customers with local maintenance, starting off with smaller projects such as maintenance and checks that it was more efficient to do closer to home. Gradually we built our reputation and trust in the region, achieved more and more approvals, and our customers started to come to us for their bigger projects.”
Today the Dubai facilities hold some 29 airframe approvals, with some 15 country approvals, have a team of over 300, and offer base and line maintenance for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, ground handling and FBO from two locations, and aircraft management and charter.
“It has been two decades of incredible growth and evolution,” continues Hardy. “Of course it has had ups and downs, but it has been a fantastic journey. We were committed to supporting our customers, understanding their needs, and establishing ourselves as a strong, local partner of choice for owners and operators.”
Hardy has been in Dubai for almost the entire period, and the local management team has also been a strong unit, working together for some ten years. “We work together well,” says Hardy. “We understand and trust one another, and we have the same priority — to support our team and enable them to deliver an effortless experience for our customers.”
The company’s presence in the region continued to grow, as it expanded its VIP handling services to Dubai World Central (DWC) in Dubai South in 2012. The facility moved to the shared VIP terminal, where it is located today, in 2017. Line maintenance was also introduced to offer customers even more flexibility.
“We had built that trust and those relationships, and new customers also started to come to us. The team eagerly rose to the challenge.”
“We opened our FBO in its current location in the VIP terminal in DWC in 2017, bringing our legacy of seamless, personalized service to customers arriving here,” says Philippe Gerard, Senior Manager FBO. “It has been a great addition to our local and global network, providing more choices for customers traveling to and from Dubai, and also enabling us to provide additional line maintenance to support our customers where and when they need us.”
The following year, in 2018, Jet Aviation acquired Hawker Pacific. The acquisition included a rotary base maintenance facility in Fujairah, and a rotary blade repair business in Dubai, a joint venture with Bell Helicopter (now Bell Textron Inc.). With this acquisition the company was able to complement its existing fixed-wing offering in the region, bringing new expertise to customers in Dubai and beyond.
Now operating five sites and offering three lines of business in the region, while continuing to leverage its global expertise across some 50 sites and four complementary lines of business worldwide, Jet Aviation was able to support customers in the Middle East across a wide range of business aviation needs. This was to increase even further in the years to come.
The period of 2020-2022 saw many operators unable to fly to Europe for their heavy maintenance due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
“We were able to perform this kind of heavy maintenance locally,” says Hardy. “Our team had the experience and was on the ground working with our existing customers. We had built that trust and those relationships, and new customers also started to come to us. The team eagerly rose to the challenge.”
“It is this personalized approach that has driven a lot of our success over the past 20 years, and that continues to enable us to adapt and grow.”
As the company continued to grow its capabilities in Dubai, in 2022 it was appointed as a Service Center for the Pilatus PC-12, followed in 2024 by appointment as an authorized warranty and Crystal Care service provider for the Pilatus PC-24 super-versatile jet. 2024 also saw the facility appointed as an Authorized Service Center for the Gulfstream G700.
“We can provide services for customers across almost the entire lifecycle of their aircraft,” adds Hardy. “In addition to our on-site capabilities, we have a very active AOG team, who travel to our customers across the world, even transporting tools by boat to help aircraft stranded in very remote destinations. We also provide tailored off-base support, establishing dedicated satellite maintenance operations.”
Hardy ascribes this success to the team’s agility. “We were not afraid of change and hard work,” he says. “We have been here for two decades, we understand our customers, and we have strong relationships with the local authorities and certifying bodies.
“We know what our customers need, and we always try to find a tailored solution to support them. It is this personalized approach that has driven a lot of our success over the past 20 years, and that continues to enable us to adapt and grow.”
It has been a rewarding journey — and one that Jet Aviation did not travel alone.
“None of this would have been possible without the support and trust of all of our customers, partners, and employees in the United Arab Emirates,” continues Hardy. “I would like to sincerely thank those who have been on this path with us, and who continue to partner with us now and into the future.”