Royal Jet gears up for F1 event with VIP terminal facilities in pole position

With its VIP Terminal (FBO -Fixed Base Operations) facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport being situated only three minutes by helicopter transfer or 5 minutes by limousine to the Yas Marina circuit, demand for Royal Jet services will be very high and they are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the travelling experience of the VIPs, F1 teams, sponsors and owners is second to none.

Shane O'Hare, President and CEO of Royal Jet, explained that to cope with the expected traffic demand and the number of visiting aircraft, Royal Jet has temporarily expanded facilities at the terminal to complement its own VIP facilities, thereby offering an additional three VIP lounges for the duration of the F1 event.

O'Hare said:

"Taking the examples of the Grand Prix held in Bahrain, Istanbul and Monaco as typical of the type of numbers likely to fly in on private jets, we are expecting around 200 to 250 aircraft movements during the three day event with additional numbers using our VIP terminal in the previous week. That equates to around 750 to 1,000 guests who will pass through our facilities during the race days themselves."

O'Hare added, "We have already taken on additional manpower for the ground handling and lounge services to cope with this high demand, but Royal Jet staff - especially cabin crew members - will take over the lounge hospitality services in order to ensure that our uniquely prestigious quality service levels are maintained at all times. Our in-house catering team has even designed a special menu for visiting F1 VIPs which will, of course, have a distinct Royal Jet touch."

"As this event is being staged here in the UAE for the very first time, we expect large numbers of VIPs, VVIPs and F1 fans flying into Abu Dhabi using private jets," O'Hare continued. "Royal Jet is able to park a minimum of 25 midsized aircraft, and we have also arranged additional parking facilities at both Al Bateen and Al Ain Airports," he said.

"Naturally this F1 event will be a very busy time from every angle, including our customer service, ground handling and our professionalism in responding and reacting to our guests' needs and demands. This give us an opportunity to show why our FBO / VIP Terminal at Abu Dhabi was recently voted by Aviation International News' readers to be in the world's top 5 such facilities; so I have every confidence that we will not just meet, but once again surpass, our guests' expectations," stated O'Hare.

Royal Jet is currently finalising the logistics of transferring guests from the Airport to Yas Island, where the F1 Circuit is located. It has already block booked additional limousines, and is also expecting at least 10-20 helicopter movements during the three days of the event.

O'Hare concluded, "We are working closely with our sister company Abu Dhabi Aviation to further enhance our service offering to our visitors, many of whom will be experiencing Abu Dhabi for the first time."