ExecuJet Middle East officially opened its private terminal at Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport today during an event led by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. The three-floor FBO facility has taken four years to build, with the business aviation services group making a substantial investment to provide a higher level of service to business jet passengers and crew.

According to the group’s regional FBO director, Dumani Ndebele, the terminal’s design was based on extensive consultation with clients to better understand their needs. “We wanted extend the experience of traveling through FBOs,” he told AIN. “At regular FBOs, the approach is generally that customers want to get in and out as quickly as possible, but we’ve found that clients sometimes want to arrive a bit earlier and spend more time with us.”

On the first floor of the ExecuJet terminal travelers will find an open seating area, as well as private lounges and a Majlis area offering authentic Arabic hospitality. Ndebele said the layout is intended to provide appropriate spaces for people waiting to greet arriving passengers, as well as private rooms for meetings.

The facility also features a commercial kitchen that can provide hot or cold meals. ExecuJet is ramping up the catering service available to provide food that aircrew can take with them directly from the FBO.

Ndebele explained that the second floor is intended mainly for relaxation and therapy with a spa offering massages, as well as a sauna and a salt wall. Also on this level is an exclusive suite for groups of royal travelers and separate suites that can be used by crews as an alternative to making the lengthy trip into the center of Dubai to stay in a hotel.

“This is already proving very popular with charter operators as a bed and breakfast service,” Ndebele said. “Last week, we helped a crew who had a technical issue with an aircraft and initially had a four-hour delay before having their departure delayed by another eight hours.”

The third floor of the terminal features a cocktail bar and cigar lounge. These amenities, as well as the spa, are run independently with clients billed for these services separately from handling charges that include complimentary use of the main arrival and departure area.

Immediately adjoining the terminal, ExecuJet has 27,000 sq m (291,000 sq ft) of apron space for the exclusive use of its customers’ aircraft, as well as 7,000 sq m of hangar space. Customs and immigration services are available in the terminal building, which is located close to a maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility that supports Bombardier, Dassault, and Embraer aircraft.

People Skills Prioritized

To recruit staff with exceptional customer service skills, ExecuJet has turned to Dubai’s extensive hospitality sector, recruiting a senior manager from the Four Seasons hotel group to lead this part of the team.

“Our focus is to get closer to clients, and have good relationships with everyone, including those meeting passengers, including drivers, and families with kids,” Ndebele explained. “Whether you work in operations or are front-of-house, we need you to be a people person, good at engaging with anyone. We take a lot of time to recruit staff and have a great retention rate and ongoing training.”

Dubai is now a very competitive market for private aviation support services, with multiple FBO options at both Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) and Dubai International Airport (OMDB). ExecuJet has facilities at both locations and operates a fleet of 14 managed aircraft, with three of these—an Embraer Lineage 1000, Bombardier Global 5000, and a BBJ2—available for charter.

“There is strong competition and each FBO brings something a bit different,” Ndebele said. “We pride ourselves that clients can come in and have a very personal experience, including private areas where they can spend time without being seen by others.”

According to Ndebele, 70% of Dubai's business aviation traffic now operates out of OMDW, where the MEBAA Show is being held this week. These days, OMDB is mainly used for charter flights or by private aircraft owners with their own facilities at the Emirate’s original airport.

In the 12 years he has worked in Dubai, Ndebele has seen a lot of change with people from very different backgrounds flocking to live in the Emirate. In his view, this, along with younger people starting to use private aviation, explains some of the shifts in customer service preferences that ExecuJet is trying to meet.

“When I started here it felt that most of the flights were for business or transactional purposes, but now we’re seeing more leisure flights, more charter aircraft based in Dubai, and more people who exclusively fly privately,” Ndebele said. “The changing demographics have changed expectations, and this new facility was designed to respond to these changes.”