Rizon selects London Biggin Hill as European base Plans high quality service offering for Gulf clients
Rizon, the Bahrain-based executive jet company is bringing its unique product offering to Europe. It has selected London Biggin Hill Airport, UK as its operating base and parent company Rizon Group Holdings has secured an 80 year lease on land at the airport where it is in the process of constructing a new $20 million dollar, 13,000 sq m hangar and ramp area. The build is advancing according to schedule according to Rizon Group Holdings CEO, William (Will) Curtis.
The hangar will house an MRO facility, for which Rizon has already begun an application to obtain EASA 145 approval, and also an AOC charter operation (both fixed and rotary wing) along with a Fixed Base Operation (FBO) geared to meet the high expectations of its discerning Gulf-based clients. Rizon has been encouraged by early demand for its services in London and has already signed its first hangarage and maintenance contract for a UK based client expecting delivery of a Bombardier Challenger 605 late in 2009.
Rizon recently reached a separate agreement with London Biggin Hill Airport management to invest in, subject to gaining planning permission, a $15 million, 75 room hotel directly adjacent to the site of its FBO facility.
“London Biggin Hill has long needed its own hotel in order to cater for visiting aircrew who often have to travel some distance to find suitable accommodation. We see it as an extension of our services to provide visiting aircrew to Biggin Hill a convenient and competently run hotel,” comments Will Curtis.
In addition, Rizon plans to work together with London Biggin Hill Management to create a brasserie style restaurant adjoining the hotel which will provide for hotel guests, as well as ad hoc visitors.
Rizon Jet UK Limited will begin recruiting UK-based staff towards the end of the year, says Curtis. No stranger to London Biggin Hill himself, Will moved to Bahrain in October 2007 having previously served as Managing Director of Air Partner Private Jets, formerly Gold Air International, itself formerly Hawk Air the private jet operator he founded with a colleague in 1995 and twice sold on to equity partners.
Commenting on the rationale to offer executive jet services in both the Middle East and Europe he explains:-
“There is not so much that is new about this concept if one considers it – European companies traditionally have the Middle East in their sights when it comes to expansion. We are simply doing business the other way around. Whilst the main driver for business users in the Gulf Region at present is primarily eastward-facing investment initiatives, we are convinced there will be continuing and sustained demand for business aviation to and from Europe over the longer term due in large part to the leisure market and the increasingly global nature of business. It actually makes a lot of sense for us because the seasonal demand in the GCC inversely mirrors that in Europe with a busy winter and quiet summer. We have devised systems by which we can move staff and resources from one theatre of operation to the other on a seasonal basis, thus largely overcoming the Achilles heel of the majority of charter operators – namely the seasonality of the business.”
With offices in U.A.E., Qatar and Bahrain, Rizon currently runs charter services in the Middle East, a region which saw a 40% growth in private aviation last year. It also runs charter services to Asia, China, India, Russia, Africa and Europe.
At the end of December last year, Rizon ushered in new ownership when the company was acquired by Ghanim Bin Saad Al Saad, a Qatari national who is chairman of the Barwa International property organization and Qatari DIYAR, the property investment arm of the Qatari Investment Group.
Rizon’s mission since its formation 18 months ago has been to meet the increasing demand for corporate aircraft charter in the Gulf Cooperation Council states. In Bahrain, it plans to expand its services to offer aircraft maintenance services, an aircraft trading and management arm and an aviation training college which will be specifically aimed at growing the skills base of GCC nationals. In both Bahrain and London, Rizon has advanced plans to become an authorised service centre for various OEM’s, serving operators in the Gulf, Middle East and Indian Subcontinent markets and is currently in talks with interested parties.
Asked about the demands of such an aggressive expansion policy Curtis remarked, “Rapid expansion in itself is not the difficulty – it simply requires the funding – it is all down to staffing and creating a management team that can handle this kind of expansion is the key to success. I am lucky to have been able to attract some of the best players in the industry, some of whom I have worked with previously and with their support we will hopefully succeed in achieving our goals. Certainly we have found it relatively easy to attract the calibre of staff we require and as we gain in profile we trust that many more will join is in making Rizon a world class operation.”
Rizon has appointed Hampshire, UK-based aviation PR specialist Emerald Media as its external agency and communications conduit for the UK. Principal contacts are Alison Chambers and Helen Stevens.
