PrivatAir Has Geneva Terminal, Targets California Entertainers

Connecticut- and Switzerland-based PrivatAir is spreading the word about a new deluxe terminal in Geneva it says combines the advantages of business jet travel and scheduled airline service, at the same time the company readies a scheduled New York-Geneva run, and is also targeting the entertainment industry with a new office at the Van Nuys Airport in Southern California.

"It's a terminal dedicated to business aviation," PrivatAir marketing and business development VP Dave Kinson says of the $1.1 million Geneva facility, which is to become operational by next month.

The building combines the luxury and convenience of an upscale FBO with the security and customs facilities of a terminal. "It's a first," Kinson says.

PrivatAir is hoping to ride the crest of what Kinson sees as a basic change in air travel, as customers take advantage of the productivity gains afforded by business jets and take comfort in better security. A natural evolution is scheduled FBO- to-FBO service, which PrivatAir plans to offer from New York to Geneva. Equipment would be the Boeing Business Jet, of which PrivatAir has three, outfitted with 16, 28 and 48 seats.

Also fitting PrivatAir's strategy of targeting an elite clientele is the new office in Van Nuys. "PrivatAir fits in this area like a glove," says Rolf Smith, who heads up the firm's new California office at the Raytheon FBO.