Flight operations support company Nexus announced here at ABACE yesterday that it had signed an MoU with Asian Sky Group (Chalet) to work together, including the formation of a joint venture company to provide flight operations services in the Asia Pacific region. Initially, a flight operations center will be created in Hong Kong with ASG obtaining the necessary approvals, providing infrastructure, human resources and manpower. Nexus will provide “technical expertise, IT solutions, systems, quality control, its global network, international partnership, international certifications, relationships and resources,” said the company’s in a joint statement.

Last year’s acquisition of aviation risk-management and safety audit provider Wyvern Consulting marked the latest chapter in the expansion of Nexus. In recent years, the Saudi Arabia-based group also extended its presence in key markets beyond the Middle East, with the opening of new flight support operations in India, Africa and Europe.

U.S.-based Wyvern became part of Nexus Services America following an acquisition from online charter portal Avinode. Its Wyvern Wingman and Wyvern Registered audits now will be promoted by Nexus, which also has partnerships with training provider FlightSafety International, security specialist FAM International and consultants MAZ Aviation Group.

In February, Wyvern adopted the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) as the benchmark for achieving its Wingman Certification. This now forms part of the company’s latest Revision 3.0 for the Wingman Standard.

In an alliance with insurance company AIG, Wyvern is now offering a new package of safety and loss control services called AirGuard. The service addresses the safety and regulatory risks faced by corporate flight departments and charter operators.

According to Nexus president and CEO Abdullah Al-Sayed, his main motive for acquiring Wyvern was the lack of established safety audit and risk-management companies in key emerging markets such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia. “Of the companies providing these services, Wyvern is the most protective of its standards,” he told AIN. “It is very rigid and conservative, and there has never been an accident with an aircraft it has audited. We’re restructuring the company, but we’re not interfering with its standards.”

Nexus does not have its own executives on the Wyvern board, in part to avoid any perceived conflict of interest in its role as an aircraft management company. The new board members were chosen for their experience with leading manufacturers, operators and regulatory bodies.

Currently, Nexus has around 13 aircraft under full management for purely private Part 91 operations and provides various levels of management support–mainly involving scheduling and dispatching–for Part 135-operated aircraft. The IS-BAO-certified company is approved as a continuing airworthiness management organization by authorities in the Isle of Man, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. According to Al-Sayed, the aircraft Nexus manages are operated to the standards of air operator certificate holders.

Intercontinental Flight Support

In addition to its flight operations centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Nexus now has an East African base in the Rwandan capital Kigali. Last year, through its alliance with FlightSafety, it signed a contract with South Korea’s Aquila International through which it will train Korean flight dispatchers in Saudi Arabia. It has also been training staff from Nigeria.

Also in 2014, the Nexus flight operations center move into a new high technology headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and introduced a new flight dispatch system. The flight operations center includes four core teams: the service excellence team, which is the main interface with clients; scheduling and planning; flight support; and dispatch.

In India, Nexus is partnered with Sovika Group, which provides ground support services at several of the country’s international airports. Nexus is providing the growing Indian business aviation market with trip planning, flight dispatch, crew and aircraft scheduling, maintenance management and concierge services.

The Nexus office in Rwanda has been operational since early 2014. Working with local partner Crystal Venture Limited, it supports flights throughout Africa and also provides flight dispatch training for local operators.

In Europe, Nexus is working with local partner FlyTrans (part of the Balguerie Group). In addition to flight support, the partnership specializes in air cargo logistics.

According to Al-Sayed, in 2014 Nexus achieved a growth rate of around 24 percent in the volume of flight activity it supports worldwide. The growth rate for Saudi Arabia alone is more like 40 percent.

The Nexus group also includes aircraft interiors specialist GDC Technics. The company is in the process of expanding its operation at a new 840,000-sq-ft headquarters at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas. It will maintain its headquarters in San Antonio.