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U are not wrong A Sad moment becuse they have so many good pilots working for them
I Think the problem is
1/ People who charter Jets at the moment either go for the small VLJ A/c or the Large Ones I dont think the Middle range i e Learjet 45 Etc are in the running for the Market
A Sad time for all after years of working your Boxxlocks off it comes to this.
Simply because its not good PR to advertise the fact that they, like everyone else in the industry, are finding things tough at the moment.
All websites will have a positive 'spin' on them, simply because every recession is basically a lack of consumer confidence......everyone has to display a positive outlook on the situation!
I wonder if Ocean's plans at Luton will be affected? I hope not.......Signature and Harrods will be better places for us with more competition!
Last edited by Arkwright : 10th March 2009 at 18:50.
I was just wondering if anyone knows who Ocean Sky are handling at LTN?
Are LTN regulars jumping ship from Harrods and Signature or have they brought in some new business? Rumor mill suggests that they are very pricey............
flyingmasai which aircraft did you bring in to Ocean Sky at Luton? As far as I am aware, the only aircraft to visit since they opened was the owners own aircraft.
They have newly painted ground equipment including a massive aircraft tug, so must be expecting some big stuff, and the staff are in place, but not many planes as yet... Maybe the calm before the storm? Or maybe like the song ' All dressed up with no place to go??
Good luck to them, most of them are from Harrods, CEO, General Manager, Base Manager , Ramp Manager and quite a few ops's and ramp staff, so they should get it right.
Yes, opened from the 1st April, and no planes except for their own, G-TSJF, G-EGNS, G-RWGW. All the staff which left secure jobs at the other handling companies at the airport to join OS must be getting a bit worried, especially with having 'Temp 6 month contracts'
Me thinks be a struggle against the more established Signature and Harrods. One problem to overcome is that operators do not tend to like having their aircraft handled by an agency who is also an aircraft operator and then pay them to do it.
However, I wish them well, hopefully will resolve the issue of aircraft being turned away from Luton in the summer months when the other two claim too busy.
I've only spoken to one operator that has used them, a very positive response, we will certainly be giving them a try. It's not exactly stiff competition at LTN is it!
Ocean Sky is seeking to add "between ten and 12 fixed-based operations" to its European jet centre portfolio within three years and gain a foothold in the Middle East within five years.
The move comes as the business aviation services provider opens its third UK FBO at London Luton Airport and steps up its marketing activity for the facility, where it competes alongside two long-standing business aviation service companies Harrods Aviation and Signature Flight Support at one of the UK's busiest airports.
"We have huge ambitions for Ocean Sky," says Stephen Grimes, chief executive of Ocean Sky Jet Centre, sister company to Ocean Sky's business aircraft brokerage, charter and management arm.
"Paris Le Bourget and Nice in France, Shannon and Dublin in Ireland, Milan in Italy, Munich in Germany, Olbia in Sardinia and Zurich in Switzerland are locations of interest in Europe, while we are looking at Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Dubai as out bases in the Middle East," he adds.
Grimes, a former Harrods Aviation chief executive, admits these locations are "highly prized and sought after", but is undaunted by the challenge. "There is tremendous asset value in these locations as they are all attracting a great deal of business aircraft traffic," he says.
Ocean Sky - owned by Luxembourg-based trust fund Ocean Group International - is keen to offer an array of services at its jet centres "where it makes sense to do so. We will examine each location on its merits," says Grimes
At Luton, handling, parking and line maintenance on Bombardier and Dassault types will be offered initially, but "we are looking at opportunities to develop a full maintenance capability with a hangar at some stage", says Grimes. "The pinch point at Luton is concrete - there simply isn't enough of it to accommodate the demands of all the airport's residents."
OS have made a bold move of opening a facility at Luton at such a difficult time for any good and well established FBO, obviously time will tell however, maybe this was the wrong decision by OS to open a base at LTN, from what I have seen is a number of staff sitting about twiddling there thumbs and getting nice massages.
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