ABU DHABI -- Under the guidance of His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and the support of Lieutenant General Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, and under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Chairman of Royal Jet, the luxury executive flight services company based in the UAE, announced the acquisition of Augusta Bell AB139 -- a medium twin-engine helicopter and the Avro RJ 70 yesterday at the Dubai Air Show.
"By launching the AB139 and the Avro RJ 70 we have expanded our private air charter services," said Shaikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. "Adding these aircraft to our luxury fleet means we can offer our customers a variety of services besides private air charter and help fulfill our clients' diverse needs for luxury, privacy and accessibility."
With the latest safety features, the AB139 is capable of carrying up to 15 passengers or 2,500 KG useful load, at 157 knots, with the most spacious cabin in its class.
The AB139 combines the benefits of proven technology and the latest new-generation system integration and compliance with the demanding JAR/FAR 29 standards.
The RJ70 is manufactured by BAe (British Aerospace), well suited to the Middle East environment with an outstanding interior that presents cabin flexibility for business class offerings. With a capacity of 30-40 seats in corporate configuration, the RJ70 has a maximum range of 1650 nautical miles, enabling it to operate from Abu Dhabi to far away destinations like Mumbai, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Ankara and Tashkent.
A total of 380 BAe 146/Avro RJs were built, making it Britain's most successful jetliner.
The jet has excellent airfield performance allowing unique access to sensitive city centre airports and to remote and poorly equipped short strip airfields, making it more convenient to private operators.
BY A STAFF REPORTER
© Khaleej Times 2005
