Business | Aviation
New charter air operator takes off in the UAE
Silver Air, a three-year-old charter operator, has received an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) which will help it to serve the growing charter aviation market.
- By Saifur Rahman, Business Editor
- Published: 23:43 October 29, 2008
Dubai: Silver Air, a three-year-old charter operator, has received an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) which will help it to serve the growing charter aviation market.
The AOC was attained in less than one year by the UAE carrier, owned by a group of prominent local businessmen, the airline said in a statement.
Steffen Harpoth, chief executive, told Gulf News his airline is not interested in pursuing scheduled airline operations.
"We do not want to compete with our customers, who charter our aircraft," Harpoth said.
"We have three aircraft in the fleet. We are planning to have a fleet of ten aircraft by 2010."
Massive economic growth fuelled by high oil prices helped increased mobility across the region, that pushed travel demand in the Gulf.
The security situation in Afghanistan and Iraq has forced scheduled airlines to shy away from the region's trouble zones, which helped the charter business to thrive.
Silver Air's entry to the market will help it to serve the pent-up demand, anaysts say.
Silver Air was established in 2004 as a Dubai-based Aircraft, Crew, and Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) air carrier.
Its two Boeing 737-200 aircraft are equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines and have a capacity for approximately 115 passengers each.
One Boeing 737-300 aircraft is equipped with CFM56-3C1 engines and has a capacity of 127 passengers.
Silver Air's expansion plans include the acquisition of Boeing 737-300s and 400s to increase the size of the fleet to ten aircraft by 2010.
The aim of Silver Air is to be the leading ACMI wet lease charter carrier in the Middle East.
The company will achieve this by delivering outstanding customer service with the aim of becoming the "partner of choice" for operators and organisations throughout the region.
Customers will experience exceptional standards in reliability, service and safety while at the same time experiencing outstanding cost effectiveness.
Harpoth said: "One of our key first objectives was to secure the AOC in the UAE and we are delighted to have achieved it in such a record time.
"This means that we can go into the market and show the airlines and other customers of the Middle East just what we can offer. We are perfectly placed, in this rapidly growing market, to meet the needs of the airlines of the region. I look forward to setting new standards in customer service, reliability, safety and security. We wish to deliver to our customers the best service, with the best aircraft; the AOC means that we are ready to do so."
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