Gama looks for Sharjah expansion

Farnborough Airport-based international business aircraft management company Gama Aviation is planning development to become an important part of the Middle East and North Africa market.

The arrival of five aircraft in Europe (Learjet 60XR, Gulfstream IV, Challenger 604, Legacy and a
Global Express XRS) and a further eleven in the United States (Gulfstream IV/G350/G450/G550,
Falcon 2000, 2 Challenger 604’s, 2 Lear 45’s, Beech 200 & Augusta A109E) pushes the worldwide
total to nearly seventy aircraft on the fleet, ranging in size from helicopters, through turboprops to
jet aircraft up to the Boeing Business Jet.

The development in the Middle East continues, with the award of the company’s UAE GCAA Air
Operators Certificate expected by July. The first aircraft to go onto the certificate with be a
Challenger 604, which the company already operates in the region, followed closely by a small
cabin jet, based at Sharjah International Airport. More aircraft are planned once the AOC is
issued.

Marwan Khalek, Gama’s CEO, explains: “Whilst the charter market has undoubtedly been hit as a
result of the global downturn, we are pleased that we have maintained our pace within the
international industry and grown our business and the fleet again this year. Our managed fleet
has increased substantially around the globe and we have added additional owned aircraft both
in Europe and North America. As always, we continue to focus on safety and customer service –
the two most important aspects of the business aviation industry and in an increasingly
competitive market, they are the benchmarks which set us apart.”

Gama’s plans for 2009 include the further expansion of the Middle East business, to include
facilities at Sharjah. Dave Edwards, who is leading the company’s growth in the Middle East
explains “The Middle East and North Africa region continues to be a market which represents
excellent opportunities for us and this gives us a truly international footprint for the business. Whilst
the market worldwide has been affected, there remains a substantial amount of business out
there, business which we are securing and the exciting part is that there remains strong potential
both in the region and internationally to build upon as the market recovers.”