Comlux Aviation (Static Display), a specialist in aircraft management, charter and completions based in Switzerland, has broken ground on a hangar in Dubai which is expected to open at the end of next year. The company signed an agreement for the land with the government body Dubai South during the Dubai Airshow 2021. The building will have more than 7,000 square meters, including 5,000 square meters of hangar space, 750 square meters of rear shops and 1,500 square meters for offices and showrooms.
“This will give us another location to provide light maintenance services, light cabin works and aircraft management,” said executive chairman Richard Gaona. AIN. “It’s another brick in Comlux’s wall.”
The Middle East has become an important part of Comlux’s development, bringing it closer to many charter clients in the region and Africa. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are considered important countries for business aviation, where Gaona expects new opportunities to emerge.
Comlux operates from multiple locations: Zurich, United States, Dubai, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong. “We have to be flexible. It’s the advantage of being a small company”, said Gaona. “Our vision at Comlux is to exist in two or three different global locations where business is good. If a problem arises in one location, we can still continue to exist and grow elsewhere. This has been the strategy since day one . It’s about the diversification of products and services and geographic locations.”
Dubai Al Maktoum International (OMDW) is more than just an airport, Gaona said. “Today, it is a business center where you can find all kinds of nationalities. Serving our private jet customers based in the region is important.
“We have a business office in the OMDW VIP terminal to receive our customers when they arrive, but we do not do FBO. We mainly offer aircraft sales and charter sales; in the future, once we have the hangar, it is clear that our development and presence in Dubai will increase.”
He believes that attention to OMDW, as Dubai’s main airport, is increasing. “Business leaders in Dubai South are doing their best to set up a maintenance center there,” he said. “I don’t want to promote my competitors, but everyone is trying to open their own facilities. Comlux will be a service provider there.”
But looking at the larger Middle East region, Gaona is unclear about the current state of the Saudi Arabian market. “There are several development initiatives in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I hope that the kingdom will become a place for more business, transactions, maintenance and completions.”
From its commercial office in OMDW’s VIP terminal, Comlux is well positioned to do business in Dubai, but also in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and even Israel, he believes. “Over the past two years, I’ve seen more people from Israel doing business in Dubai. Who would have thought this would have happened? Sometimes a small political decision in a country can open up business.”
ACJ TwoTwenty delivery
Meanwhile, Gaona expects the first ACJ TwoTwenty the company is completing at its facility in Indianapolis, Ind., to be delivered to customer Five Hotels & Resorts next month. With plans to complete up to 16 of the Airbus twinliners, he is optimistic about the prospects for the ACJ TwoTwenty.
“Once the ACJ TwoTwenty enters service and we show it to customers, I’m confident the program will get a lot of momentum,” he said. “It’s much cheaper than the ACJ319 or the BBJ Max, and about the same price as a [Bombardier] Global or Gulfstream. Those who can afford Boeing and Airbus will continue to take the big one [aircraft]but those flying high-end business jet products may decide to take one as it’s the same budget with a wider cabin.”
This could make the ACJ TwoTwenty very successful. “We’re not going to gain market share against high-end products, we’re going to grow it from the bottom up. Every time I hear that a traditional business jet OEM is developing a larger aircraft, I’m very happy because it means that they are starting to compete with us in terms of cabin size. We are a strong and loyal partner of Airbus in the ACJ TwoTwenty and we look forward to continuing our cooperation.”
However, Gaona said that Comlux could not continue to exist with the work of a single OEM. “We work with several to ensure customer satisfaction. In the end, it is the customer who chooses the plane”, he said. “This is why we operate Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer aircraft; We are a completion center and service center for Airbus Corporate Jets and Boeing Business Jets, and we sell a variety of aircraft types on demand.”
This week at MEBAA 2022, Comlux is showing its BBJ767-200ER SkyLady. “We refurbished the cabin during Covid in Indianapolis, but we haven’t had a chance to show it off until now,” he said.