ExecuJet South Africa handles 99% of World Cup traffic at Lanseria Airport

Thursday 15th July, 2010

ExecuJet South Africa has led the way as business aviation expert in Africa by handling over 2230 movements during the recent 2010 World Cup. FBO operations based at Lanseria International and Cape Town International airports handled the vast majority of visiting aircraft during the Soccer World Cup which was recently hosted by South Africa. Business aircraft started arriving a week prior to the World Cup on 11 June with most departing immediately after the final between Spain and Netherlands on 11 July. ExecuJet was the company of choice for most business jet operators.

ExecuJet’s FBO facility at Lanseria, near Johannesburg, handled over 1430 business jet movements for the World Cup period with all business aircraft visiting Lanseria International Airport at one time or another. Similarly ExecuJet‘s Cape Town facility handled over 800 aircraft movements during the tournament, which included 105 out-station movements. A total of 165 business aircraft made use of the world class FBO in Cape Town.

Visitors included numerous Heads of States, FIFA delegates, Government officials, tournament sponsors, Hollywood celebrities and sporting icons. Five of the international teams playing in the tournament made exclusive use of the ExecuJet facility at Lanseria for all their domestic flights to various host cities. Strict security measures were enforced and the facility was declared a sterile area during these departures.

The peak of the tournament with regard to business aviation was prior to the final match in Johannesburg, when an influx of business jets began arriving at Lanseria International Airport from Friday 9 July 2010. By Sunday 11 July, an astounding 187 aircraft were parked on the ExecuJet apron, Lanseria Airport’s main apron, freight apron and the parallel runway 06R. The bulk of the aircraft departed again on the same night immediately after the game.

ExecuJet ground personnel worked around the clock, alongside Airport staff, to ensure smooth and safe operations at both facilities. Ettore Poggi, ExecuJet South Africa Managing Director, commented: “I have very seldom seen, in my entire working career, such dedication, team work, team spirit, motivation and willingness to pitch in and help. ExecuJet South Africa pulled together as one team and handled 99% of all visiting aircraft. The team work and close co-operation between our staff, the airport personnel and all authorities was fantastic and contributed to the success.”

ExecuJet also states that they couldn’t have done this without the tremendous support of their third party suppliers who went the extra mile to assist with fuel supply, transport, catering and hotel accommodation.

ExecuJet's maintenance division, along with the major OEMs, offered additional in-country support during the event. This included Field Service Representatives, ground support equipment, spares, off-base maintenance support and mobile repair teams available 24 hours a day to support aircraft at all airfields in the country.

ExecuJet South Africa’s charter fleet of over 40 aircraft, ranging from King Air Turboprops through Learjets, Challenger and Global Express business jets were in high demand over the period with many accomplishing multiple trips on any given day.

The ExecuJet Aviation Group

The ExecuJet Aviation Group is a leading global business aviation organisation offering a diverse range of services including pre-owned and new aircraft sales, aircraft management for private and commercial registered aircraft, aircraft charter, aircraft maintenance, aircraft completions management and fixed base operations. Headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, ExecuJet has operations in five regions - Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and South Africa, embracing a workforce of over 800 experienced staff.

The ExecuJet Aviation Group manages 150 business jets worldwide under the most stringent safety standards. Its commercial fleet is operated under the regulatory umbrella of eight regional civil aviation issued air operating certificates (AOCs). ExecuJet has many authorised maintenance facilities throughout four regions, certified to work on most Business Jets. The ExecuJet Aviation Group operates six world class FBO facilities in Berlin, Zurich, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

The ExecuJet Aviation Group offers considerable experience in new and pre-owned aircraft sales worldwide and has a large inventory of business aircraft to suit all budgets with an international team of sales directors offering local knowledge and expertise. ExecuJet is the exclusive sales agent outside North America for the eight to 12-passenger Aerion Supersonic Business Jet, expected to come into service in 2016.

www.execujet.net