TAG Aviation Farnborough bought out resident JAA/FAA-approved
corporate engineering facility FASET (Farnborough Aviation Services)
on July 1, and is close to committing to a second, 120,000-square-foot
"three-wave" hangar on which work could start in 2005.
"Our first three-hangar complex, which became operational
in 2002, already has a 75% contractual occupancy," said Len
Rayment, TAG Farnborough's Director of FBO Services. "At
the moment there are 35 resident corporate aircraft based here,
and that is due to go up to 40 by year end."
The new hangar would be built alongside the first complex, and
would involve relocating newly arrived Harrods Aviation's engine
shop and the current FASET facility.
FASET will be upgraded to TAG worldwide standard with help from
TAG Engineering Geneva, a Dassault and Bombardier service center.
"Engineering is a big issue and we want to get it right,"
Rayment told Show News. FASET's specialties included Hawkers and
Citation work. It will have access to 60,000 square feet of refurbished
hangar space.
This news comes on the back of a hectic four-year period for TAG
Farnborough, and an estimated $100 million spend on developing
and upgrading the UK's only dedicated corporate aviation airfield.
TAG's three-storey, boomerang-shaped passenger terminal/administration
block is due to be completed by the first quarter of 2005. FlightSafety
International's training center, which will be located close to
the new terminal, should open around the same time.
Despite a flat 2003 first quarter, Farnborough's second and third quarter
movements were back in growth mode, according to Rayment "We
are already 1,000 movements up on last year. We are also getting
a significant increase in larger aircraft movements. Total movements
for 2003 could be up to 17,000, which is around 2,000 more than
in 2002."
