Air BP and Gama Aviation FBO double General Aviation fuel sales at Sharjah International Airport.

Monday 24th February 2014

Air BP, the leading international aviation fuel supplier will use this year's Abu Dhabi Air Expo, February 25 - 27, the only dedicated general aviation air show in the region,  to showcase its UAE offering and mark its growing success in the region. Specifcally at Sharjah International Airport a successful collaboration with Gama Aviaton's FBO has resulted in a doubling of General Aviation fuel sales year on year.

The rise in General Aviation sales at the airport has been supported by an increase in direct into-plane client sales and more significantly, the strengthening collaboration between Air BP and global aviation services company Gama Aviation. Buoyed by the resounding success of its new fixed-based operation (FBO) at Sharjah, which opened in 2012, Gama Aviation and Air BP have already established a successful ongoing relationship serving the General Aviation sector. Air BP supports fuelling of Gama Aviation's 90 strong managed executive aircraft fleet, as well as providing fuel for Gama Aviation's FBO customer base. Significantly, Air BP is now Gama Aviation's largest fuel provider in the Middle East. Both companies anticipate the relationship will continue to go from strength to strength as SHJ is repositioned as one of the leading executive aviation airports in the region. Gama Aviation's FBO is the airport's sole business aviation handler and offers clients closer proximity to downtown Dubai.

Strategically located midway between Europe and the Far East, Sharjah, represents a key location in Air BP's Middle East network. Miguel Moreno, General Manager of General Aviation, Air BP comments: "The successful relationship between both parties at Sharjah Airport, and the Middle East region as a whole, is of huge importance to us.  We consider, along with Gama Aviation, that Sharjah International Airport will become an increasingly important business aviation hub in the region. Since Gama opened its FBO, it has established itself as the preferred business aviation gateway to Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates. We value our mutually beneficial relationship with Gama Aviation."

Oliver Hewson, Commercial Manager of the Middle East and North Africa region, Gama Aviation adds: "At Gama Aviation we focus on unparalleled service, in the air and on the ground. It is important to us to offer a high quality fuel supplier like Air BP and we value the relationship we've developed. Air BP's professionalism, level of customer service and responsiveness are all contributing factors to the increasing popularity of the Sharjah FBO. Our customers really appreciate the benefits of the on-demand, fast, fuelling in Sharjah."

Operating to exceptionally high standards, Air BP serves a total of eight airport locations in the UAE and a total of 26 across the Middle East and North African regions. The company is exhibiting at Abu Dhabi Air Expo, Al Bateen Executive Airport - booth number 34 - for the third year running, as it has since the inception of the show demonstrating its solid footprint in the Middle Eastern Business Aviation community.

For a full list of locations served by Air BP in the region, go to www.airbp.com/wheretofind.

Notes to Editors

•    Air BP is one of the world's largest suppliers of aviation fuels and currently supplies over 7 billion gallons to its customers across the globe each year.

•    Air BP fuels more than 8,700 flights every day - that's one every 10 seconds.

•    The company operates at around 600 global locations in over 45 countries serving customers from the private pilot to some of the world's largest airlines.

•    The Sterling Card can be used throughout Air BP's global network of around 600 locations, including Air BP's self-serve locations, in over 45 countries so providing easy access to fuel for thousands of Air BP clients including private pilots, aircraft management companies and corporate flight departments. Air BP's card programmes were introduced in 1993 to bridge the gap between airline, general business and private aviation customers as an easy means of payment for aviation fuel on an ad hoc basis

www.airbp.com