Royal Jet, the Abu Dhabi-based international luxury flight services company chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, has commissioned a $9 million upgrade for one if its six-strong fleet of Boeing Business Jets (BBJs).
Refurbishment specialist Sabena technics will be carrying out an in-depth cabin refurbishment, livery painting, aircraft maintenance and a systems upgrade including state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, live TV, SATCOM, Wi-Fi and global mobile systems (GSM) for the ultimate in passenger relaxation and connectivity.
The refurbishment will be designed byEdéseDoret, the acclaimed New York aircraft interiors consultancy, to give the BBJ (A6-AIN) a new and more modern and contemporary interior, furnishings of the highest quality, luxury seats and sleeper beds.The work on the 46-seat jet will be completed by Sabena technics’ team at its VIP completion centre in Bordeaux, France.
“Each of our 11 aircraft is like a five-star luxuryhotel, and they are all very individual,” said Shane O’Hare, President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Jet. “Our commitment is to provide our guests with the most luxurious in-flight experience possible and so it’s important that our jet interiors and systems are up to date and of the highest quality.
“At this end of the market, we must always keep up with customer expectations and offer the very best in cutting-edge technology and luxury in line with the brand promise. This particular BBJ will be the pride of our fleet when she returns to service. This is the second such upgrade to our fleet and is part of Royal Jet’s strategy to ensure that we continue to be the benchmark in the private jet travel market. We are entering our ninth year of operations on a record of strong growth, which enables us to invest heavily in the business.”
Ahmed Al Mamari, Chief Operations/Technical Officer at Royal Jet, added: “The BBJ is the mainstay of our fleet. We selected Sabena technics for its experience in delivering world-class luxury interiors for different aircraft and I am confident thatit will be able to minimize the refurbishment time through its large maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) workforce. The refit is scheduled to take five months.”
Christophe Bernardini, Chief Executive Officer of Sabena technics, said: “Being able to work for Royal Jet and to demonstrate our know-how in VIP refurbishment rewards our efforts. I am confident that this first collaboration will set the pace for future projects between both our companies.”
Sabena technics is a leading independent MRO provider of maintenance services to civil and military aircraft operators. Its VIP completion division offers refurbishment and completion services for Boeing 737, Bombardier CRJ, Embraer ERJ and Airbus A320, A330 and A340 aircraft families, among others.
