The process sees the aircraft modified from the most commonly configured eight-passenger layout to accommodate 10 passengers. West Star has completed 10 projects of this nature to date.

George Euler, Corporate Aircraft Interior sales manager, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of reconfiguring several Falcon 2000’s. It starts with our 3D designers and quickly engages our engineering team, allowing us to unleash our creativity. By focusing on the customer’s needs, we tailor the design to meet their operational requirements. We provide the additional seating capacity that is crucial for charter companies. This process ignites creativity, enabling us to innovate and achieve amazing outcomes.”

Floor plan reconfigurations are no small task, with several elements needing to be modified or replaced during the course of the work, according to the company. For example, a typical eight-passenger layout would include a forward four-place club arrangement and a conference group set up in the aft section of the cabin. This area would also have a credenza or kibitzer that is located on the right-hand side.

This credenza is removed and replaced with new aluminum plates mounted in the floor to pick up the existing seat track line. This allows new seat tracks to be installed that are narrower, to accommodate the new narrow-style seats in the area.

Next a new set of narrow-style double conference seats are installed on the left-hand side of the cabin. In most cases, the existing conference table can be used. The table will likely need to be modified in order to allow for egress requirements. Once this equipment is fitted and installed, a new side-ledge and table assembly is built and installed on the right side for the new narrow-style club group.

There are several key cost-driving elements to consider when planning for the 10-passenger configuration change, according to West Star. “Providing your technical sales manager with as much information as you have available at the initial request will expedite their ability to provide you with an accurate proposal. Though it would be great to be able to provide a firm price for the reconfiguration without much detail, each aircraft is like a snowflake—they are rarely identical,” said a spokesperson for West Star.

Some of those elements include a need to obtain the part numbers of the existing four-place club grouping to verify whether the seats that are being retained have been dynamically tested with the new narrow seating. 

Then West Star will determine whether the aircraft has an existing flight data Rrcorder (FDR) and then confirm that the FDR complies with the additional passenger requirements. The company says technical sales manager will need to understand which oxygen bottle is installed for capacity purposes and whether it is positioned in the existing credenza, or outboard, or below the entertainment cabinet. New switching is typically needed, so the existing cabin management system will need to be considered for either modification or upgrade.

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With this certification in hand, Comlux Malta is able to provide line maintenance services for EASA-registered Airbus A320 and A220 aircraft at its facilities in Malta and Dubai.

To further enhance the approval, the upcoming efforts will be directed to expand the certification by Bombardier and Boeing aircraft.

Lorenzo Pagnan, general manager at Comlux Malta said: “Securing the EASA PART-145 certification is a significant achievement for Comlux Malta, complementing our existing air operator certificate and continuing airworthiness management organization (CAMO) certifications. This underscores our commitment to excellence and growth. We are excited about the opportunities ahead as we continue to enhance our expertise in maintenance services.”

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The problem, he says, is “boutique” is bandied around too often, but in his case he really means it.

“Everyone says boutique, but you cannot be boutique when you have 25 or 30 planes, because the management are lost in board meetings and travelling all the time,” he says.

Instead, Belgian Laitat, who was previously the CEO and accountable manager of Abelag/Luxaviation Belgium, intends to cap his fleet at 15.

“My goal is not fleet size,” he says. “Of course, we will be profitable. It’s not a goal to lose money. But my biggest pride is that at Abelag very few owners left. Some of them, I was operating their fourth successive plane. So if you have that as a passion, you can make a living quite decently.”

Fulfil promises

JetHouse, which is registered in Malta, launched with a Dassault Falcon 7X in Brussels in early 2024 and Laitat plans to add another aircraft “every six to nine months”.

“I have good confidence that they will come,” says Laitat, who oversaw a fleet of 25 aircraft at Abelag. The 15 is “not a magic number”, he adds, but about the level where he and his senior team of eight, with about 175 years’ collective experience in the business, can provide a “boutique” service. Alongside Laitat as founders are Nicolas Willemot, the CFO, and Tina Boeckx, director of flight operations, both also formerly of Abelag.

“It becomes difficult to fulfil promises because it’s always the founder or the CFO, who at some point met an owner and said, ‘OK, we’re going to pamper you’. But when it’s too big, the person feels you don’t follow them in the same way. So it’s really a matter of time that is driving this number in the fleet.

“We don’t like to disappoint. Of course, sometimes, even the bad weather is your fault but having a client who sends you a handwritten note saying, ‘I’m so happy to have joined you’. It’s what we have in our blood.”

Passion for service

JetHouse’s natural market is Europe, the Middle East and “why not some French-speaking countries in Africa” but Laitat is not planning to expand for the sake of it.

“If someone was really begging to operate now out of Bermuda, I’m not sure I’m the right person,” he says.

Laitat was at Abelag for nearly 20 years, including for the acquisition by Luxaviation in 2013 and the purchase of ExecuJet in 2015, but left in 2021 with Willemot following closely behind.

“Let’s say that it became so big,” he says. “It’s not a criticism, it’s just a fact, it suits you or not.”

He quickly took up running AllianceJet in Malta, but the tide was pushing him towards setting up on his own and in May last year he took the plunge. Knowing he needed his team in place before he could meet with Transport Malta to apply for the AOC, he began ringing around trusted former colleagues and a number left jobs to join him. Laitat also partnered with Fiona Healy, MD, FCF Assets who “delivered impeccable guidance on all the steps needed to expedite the AOC”. The licence was signed off in seven months in February 2024.

“I wanted to have something with an amazing team, and be able to do something without any obstacles, with this passion for service,” he says. 

“The beauty of starting from scratch is we had the possibility to use these new technologies that have flourished in recent years that are all integrated. It is efficient and helps everyone.”

Freedom

A lack of transparency is one of Laitat’s bugbears in the industry and he is determined to operate differently at JetHouse.

“The way to keep the loyalty of clients is to always be able to look at yourself in the mirror,” he says. “It’s a small world and in the end, the cost of changing an owner or having plus three aircraft one year, but minus four the next, it’s not efficient.

“Of course, there are very few clients and it’s a tough business. Sometimes just to reach for a coffee with an owner, it’s the work of nine or 12 months.”

Building trust with a client leads to a “fantastic adventure for a long time”, he adds.

Laitat admits that being an entrepreneur doesn’t always come naturally but he is relishing a new adventure with JetHouse. 

“Some people are born entrepreneurs, some have to be entrepreneurs by the events of life, you know? But it’s quite fantastic to have this freedom,” he says.

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“Investing in a larger and modern Textron Aviation Service Center facility in Perth allows us to grow our capacity and better assist customers with scheduled maintenance, modifications and aircraft-on-ground support,” said Brian Rohloff, senior vice president, Customer Support at Textron.

The company also announced that it will rename the recently-acquired Australian service center Premiair Aviation Maintenance to Textron Aviation Australia to fully integrate the Perth, Gold Coast and Melbourne facilities into its service network.

Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker customers receive factory-direct support, maintenance and modifications by Textron Aviation through its global network of service and parts centers, mobile service units and 24/7 1CALL AOG (aircraft-on-ground) support.

Aftermarket parts and services accounted for nearly 39% of the Textron’s revenue during the first quarter of 2024.

The company said that it is moving to larger and modernised facilities at both Jandakot airport in Perth and Essendon Fields airport in Melbourne to grow service capacity and support parts availability in the region.

The company expects larger facility at Jandakot to increase shop capacity and aid in faster scheduling with minimal down time to keep customers flying. The new facility is expected to be fully operational by the end of July 2024.

Moreover, in Melbourne, Textron said it is adding 5,000 square feet of new parts storage to a facility near Essendon Fields airport, located within five minutes of all major carriers and the Textron Aviation Service Center. Textron Aviation anticipates being fully functional in the expanded Melbourne facility by the end of June 2024.

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Jim Rankin, who has served as CEO since 2018, has been named executive chairman of the board, Stephen Maiden has been appointed his successor as the West Star’s CEO, and Allen McReynolds, who currently serves as chief operating officer, will also take on the role of president.

“Stephen and Allen bring a unique set of skills and experiences to their leadership roles. I’m excited to support them as they build on West Star’s long-standing guiding principle of taking care of customers and employees,” said Rankin. “Stephen and Allen have a rich understanding of where the company is headed, and I look forward to achieving new milestones with them as they assume these leadership roles.”

Stephen Maiden joined the West Star team in November of 2023 when Jet East, where he served as president and CEO, was acquired by West Star Aviation. Maiden’s career in aviation maintenance began when he served in the US Air Force as an Electrical and Environmental Specialist on F-16s. Throughout his career, Maiden has served in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility from an avionics technician to team lead and manager, to director of Quality and Operations. He spent the last 18 years serving as a CEO in the area of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

Maiden said: “I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to lead this remarkable team and express my sincere gratitude for all the hard work and dedication that has contributed to the legacy of West Star Aviation. The history of 77 years is truly special. Our people, who are the heart of our organisation, will remain our top priority as we strive to deliver exceptional experiences to our valued customers.” 

McReynolds was announced as West Star’s chief operating officer in September of 2023. As part of the recent leadership restructure, McReynolds will assume increased responsibility and oversight of all business operations in his new role of president and chief operating officer. He has spent more than two decades in and around maintenance covering business aviation, commercial airlines and defence. Prior to joining West Star, McReynolds served as a managing partner at SeaTec Consulting and has held leadership positions at firms including Textron Aviation and Hawker Beechcraft. 

“I am humbled and honoured to have the opportunity of leading West Star across multiple business lines,” McReynolds said. “The opportunity represents a professional and personal privilege to collaborate with a team of experts. I am excited about what the future holds for West Star.”

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Three Gulfstream deals hit the landmark for the company which was founded in 1989 by Joseph Carfgana Sr.

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“We have always prided ourselves as being one of the brokerage firms that’s been around the longest and this number is a testament to that,” Carfagna Jr. told Corporate Jet Investor.

“We realised 1,000 was probably something that was going to happen in the next few years so we made a big deal of it.

“It was exciting to count down as we got very close, but it was just business as usual.”

‘Can’t buy experience’

 The 998^th, 999^th and 1,000th transactions were for Gulfstream G450s for repeat clients.

“In 1994 when I came onboard, we were a very different company – there was no email or internet, so everything moved at a much slower pace, but the principles of what we do are still the same,” added Carfagna Jr, who is based in New Jersey, USA.

“We put a very high importance on making our clients so happy that they’re proud to refer us to their friends.”

Among the 1000 transactions, Leading Edge has completed deals on 242 Gulfstreams, 225 Cessna Citations, 131 Hawkers, 126 Bombardier Challenger and Globals and 121 Dassault Falcons.

“[The secret is] doing things methodically and having good people. You can’t buy experience,” said Carfgana Jr.

Jack Nicklaus

His father began his life in business aviation in 1967 when he joined Bill Lear to sell new airplanes in the north east of the US. One of his first sales was to the golfer Jack Nicklaus. Carfagna Sr. set up Executive Air Fleet (EAF) in 1970 and then Wings Aviation International in 1989, which eventually became Leading Edge Aviation Solutions.

Carfagna Jr. can still remember the first deal he did after joining his father in 1994.

“It was the sale of a Citation 3,” he says. “It was a moment that I won’t forget any time soon. The person we sold it to, we have sold several more airplanes to over the years.”

After all this time in the industry, Carfagna Jr. says he is rarely fazed by anything. “There really isn’t much we haven’t seen – we’ve bought and sold airplanes all over the world, of all different types and as a result when you’ve been around this long not much comes as a surprise,” he says.

‘Needs to be sold’

Of all the deals, though, one particular transaction sticks out. “We were negotiating a deal on the sale of an airplane in September 2008, right after the financial crash, and the parties were arguing over who was to get the china and flatware in the airplane,” he says.

“I advised the client to give them everything they wanted because it was going to be worth a lot less money in a week. I think we saved the client $8m over that. If they had deliberated another few days, it probably would have fallen apart. I just remember thinking, ‘This airplane needs to be sold, the money needs to be wired asap or this deal will never happen.’”

Carfagna Jr. is “fascinated” by the technological advancements in airplanes but after hanging some old sales posters at his offices he notes that manufacturers’ ambitions haven’t changed.

“The vintage ads for airplanes in the 60s and 70s all said the same thing, ‘We will fly you more efficiently, more quietly, at a cheaper cost and faster than our competitors and that’s still what they’re striving to do. They’re just getting better and better at it.”

 For Carfagna Jr., business aviation is in the blood but while he is proud of the legacy it is the future transactions that drive him.

 “Winning the next deal is something that motivates me, all of us, and creating a happy client,” said Carfagna Jr. “Those two things are the primary drivers of what makes me tick and keep doing this.”

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The user app experience does not differ from MRO Insider. The new Alpha Wingman (AW) app  will act as a one-stop solution, increasing convenience and streamlining the booking process by reducing administrative delays, said the firm.

“We are excited to introduce Alpha Wingman, which represents our continued growth and unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our expanding client base,” said Andy Nixon, president of Alpha Wingman. “Our change in identity will help us as we deliver greater access to a wider selection of vendors and services, making Alpha Wingman your go-to source for aviation products and services.”

Latest additions include:

• Catering Services: Providing gourmet catering to meet the diverse dietary needs of our customers.
• Car Services: Providing luxury ground transportation for passengers and crew members.
• FBO Services: Allowing our aircraft operators to request quotes for fuel, ramp fees, handling services and more.
• Pre-Purchase Inspections: Providing easy access to comprehensive aircraft evaluations prior to acquisitions.

“Alpha Wingman is not just a new name; it’s a new era for our company,” added Nixon. “We are constantly upgrading our platform to deliver a seamless experience, from booking maintenance and rapid AOG repairs, to arranging catering, booking an FBO or ground transportation services. Our objective is to be your trusted partner, providing access to anything you need for your flight operations.”

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With this arrangement, Azzera will supply a portfolio of carbon credits rated through Azzera’s Impact Score. The engine manufacturer’s Carbon Offset Service is available to all Pratt & Whitney Canada-powered aircraft including business jets, helicopters and regional and general aviation aircraft. 

“Our collaboration with Pratt & Whitney Canada underscores our shared commitment to driving sustainability in the aviation sector,” said Puja Mahajan (pictured right), CEO and co-founder of Azzera. “The Azzera Impact Score ensures that the carbon credits provided are both high-quality and have verified and significant environmental impact. Working with customers such as Pratt & Whitney Canada, we are making it easier for aircraft operators to not only offset their emissions but also to understand and quantify the positive environmental impact of their contributions.”

The Azzera Impact Score serves as a quality assurance measure for carbon credit projects. It addresses concerns in the voluntary carbon markets regarding the validity and impact of carbon credits, offering a tangible and auditable metric that mitigates the risk of greenwashing.

“We are committed to providing our customers a seamless way of offsetting aviation carbon emissions,” said Irene Makris, vice president, Customer Service, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “Through our arrangement with Azzera, we provide our customers with a means to compensate for their aviation emissions and help them ensure the quality of their sustainability investment. We are focusing exclusively on CORSIA-eligible credits, adding an additional layer of due diligence to our Carbon Offset Service.” 

Azzera will be showcasing its products and services at Booth J37 during this year’s EBACE in Geneva, Switzerland.

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“We at Wheels Up are continuously evaluating and acting upon opportunities that will drive efficiencies and control costs, all in service of strengthening our business model and improving our member experience,” said George Mattson, CEO, Wheels Up.

The company said its new PBI facility signifies a shift in maintenance network strategy by strategically locating resources closer to areas with high flight density. The company aims to achieve better alignment with its overall network and flight patterns with the launch of new MRO.

“The opening of our new state-of-the-art maintenance facility at PBI is a key strategic step, leveraging our resources and locating our facilities in areas of high flight frequency.  As a result of these measures, we are improving reliability and efficiency while reducing costs as we continue to drive toward adjusted EBITDA profitability later this year,” added Mattson.

The company will initiate an immediate closure of its Colorado facilities. The relocation of personnel from the Fort Lauderdale location will occur upon the opening of the new Palm Beach facility.

To ensure a smooth transition for impacted employees, Wheels Up has collaborated with MRO providers FEAM Aero and AVEX Aviation in Cincinnati and Broomfield. The company said these partnerships will provide departing staff at Colorado sites with direct opportunities for placement within these established companies.

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