Press Release

Issued by Harrods Aviation - The Knightsbridge.

October 24, 2016

Harrods Aviation, the leading London-based FBO chain, has seen a sharp increase in large cabin movements.

Movements have risen over 20% in this category since 2013. In the last 12 months, Harrods Aviation has handled over 250 B747 type aircraft including many visits from heads of state. 'With this increase in large cabin movements have come some exciting challenges for us all at Harrods Aviation,' commented managing director of Harrods Aviation, Paul Norton. 'Many of these large cabin aircraft are utilised by dignitaries, heads of state and royal families. Our customer facing staff have learnt to adapt the way in which they work to meet the individual needs of these flights, discretion, efficiency and professionalism being key attributes of our staff. There are of course challenges, such as finding space for a large number of onward transportation vehicles, but we are fortunate to have the space to handle numbers of vehicles and I am proud of the way in which our staff meet these more challenging tasks head on.'

'Over the past few years we have worked hard to develop our abilities in handling large cabin aircraft,' comments Will Holroyd, sales and marketing director for Harrods Aviation. 'We class a large cabin aircraft as anything larger than a Gulfstream 650, an ACJ, BBJ, A340, B747 or similar. As the availability of slots and parking at London's Heathrow Airport have seemingly dropped, these large aircraft have required a new base of operation,' Holroyd comments further. 'It is with great pride that we are now seeing our Stansted FBO as the clear preferred choice for these movements.'

Kerry Besgrove, operations director for Harrods Aviation comments, 'While maintaining and enhancing our world-renowned service for all aircraft types, it has been very rewarding to see our large cabin capabilities increase. We have invested heavily in ground service equipment, including covered steps, a mobile baggage screening unit, a new tug and other expensive, but essential items.' Besgrove comments further, 'In addition to the equipment purchases, we have also invested in the training of our staff. In 2013 we received our ISAGO accreditation at both bases. This process guided us and supported us in what we already knew and were already practicing. To complement this we have also just been accredited with the new GA safety standard, IS-BAH. Stansted is the perfect location for large aircraft handling. With a 10,000 foot runway and significant ramp space we are perfectly set up to handle the demands of an aircraft more commonly associated with long haul commercial operations.'

Harrods Aviation sees no likely decline in this sector of the industry, stating that requests are being discussed to meet the growing needs of this customer base, including the potential purchase of ground support equipment to offer support to the Airbus A380.

Harrods Aviation is the leading London-based business aviation service provider and offers high quality FBO services at London Luton and Stansted airports.

Both bases have fully equipped hangars for aircraft maintenance and engineering and Harrods Aviation also has a Honeywell accredited engine shop which is based at Farnborough.