30 businEss
Flight path
Macau-based
huck Woods looks adding, “there is simply more business to go
proudly at the newest birds around than we have capacity.’’
business jet in Jet Asia’s fleet in the Jet Asia is even ready to accommodate
firm Jet Asia
Macau Airport Hangar. the needs of other companies and gaming
Three brand new Hawker operators: “We believe that, as an independ-
is growing their
750s - capable of carry- ent brand, although we are part of the Stanley
ing eight passengers on a Ho group of companies, we are one of the
fleet and biding 2,300 mile trip - await fi- only business aircraft brands in the area who
their time
nal certification to take to the skies. will deliver to a client on private label,’’ says
His wait may be coming to an end: Woods.
as they plot
“We’ve had some strong indications from the He says the company is ready to change
authorities that we are close,’’ Jet Asia’s chief some elements of their VIP program to ac-
an expansion executive officer told Macau Business .
commodate the needs of other companies and,
across the
His optimism is fuelled by a recognition at the same time, fulfill Jet Asia’s mandate and
that the city’s government agencies are not business plan: “It could be the scarf on a cabin
Asia-Pacific
keeping up with the growth in demand. attendant; it could be a pin, food and bever-
A fourth Hawker 750 is expected to ar- age collateral materials, or reading materials
region
rive soon taking the total number of planes available on board.’’
owned by Stanley Ho Hung-sun’s Sociedade
by João Francisco Pinto
de Turismo e Diversões de Macau’s (STDM) Spreading wings
subsidiary to nine. The fleet will then be
ready to fulfill the casino tycoon’s vision of Another cornerstone of Jet Asia’s business
offering fully flexible travel to Macau. plan is to spread its wings over Asia, some-
thing that the arrival of the Hawker 900XPs
Meeting the challenge and 750s has made possible.
The company plans to station an aircraft
Building Jet Asia’s fleet is part of Ho’s in Kuala Lumpur and is also looking at other
plan to shore up his position as the city’s larg- locations in China, Taiwan and Thailand. The
est casino operator. Having lost his 40-year idea is to reduce costs and make chartering
monopoly on gaming in Macau, he faces private jets cheaper: “When our client needs
fierce competition from Las Vegas Sands, to bring in a premium passenger from South-
which operates 2 mega casinos in the Macau. east Asia or from North Asia, chances are our
The threat is no idle one as Las Vegas aircraft will be located closer to where the
Sands has announced plans to use its US- person is,’’ Woods says.
based business jets for its Asian operations. The strategy of stationing aircraft outside
But Woods is optimistic, saying that in Macau is also based on the fact that there is
the confines of the Asia-Pacific there are fewer not enough outbound VIP traffic to sustain
business jets available than in some of the ma- business for a fleet of nine jets.
jor metropolitan areas of the United States. At present, half of the passengers on Jet
“Until the availability of product gets Asia aircraft are Asian decision makers, most-
here, until certain market densities are ly from Thailand, China and Singapore and
achieved, I don’t think that any of us in the 75 percent of them fly for business: “This is
Asian business aviation sector can claim a testament to the fact that this product, when
that the other is a competitor,’’ says Woods, used properly by a company, can maximise
february 2009
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140