Gama Aviation announces expansion into Saudi Arabia.

Tuesday 15th November 2011

Jeddah will be Gama's second Middle East base.

Gama Group MENA FZE, part of the Gama Group, the global business aviation services company, announced today during the Dubai Air Show that it is to expand its services into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With Imitiaz Company for Aviation Services LLC as a strategic partner in Saudi Arabia, the new joint venture company, to be known as Gama Aviation, plans to be operational in 2012 from Jeddah, Saudi's second largest city and a vital centre for commerce and tourism.

The Imitiaz Company, headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is headed by some of the Kingdom's most experienced aviation professionals.

This is an expansion in the Middle East for the Gama Group, a long established aircraft charter, management and maintenance business company now in its 29th year, which set up in Sharjah and Dubai three years ago. The company will specialise in aircraft management and aims to operate charter services under its own Saudi GACA Part 135 Air Carrier certificate.

The next step will be to add aircraft maintenance and consultancy services, replicating the company's expertise in Europe, USA and the Middle East. Gama's first base will be at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport where it will employ around five people in the start up phase. Gama Aviation in Saudi Arabia will be overseen by Gama's Regional Managing Director, Dave Edwards.

"This is a significant announcement for Gama and is the culmination of a substantial period of planning and negotiation," said Gama CEO Marwan Abdel Khalek. "We are delighted to have Imitiaz LLC as our strategic partner in this venture, which will bring to Gama many years of experience in the Kingdom. Breaking into the important Saudi market, the biggest market for business aviation in the Middle East, is a huge achievement and a long held wish of Gama. This milestone reflects a considerable amount of hard work by the team at Gama and our ability to demonstrate how the Gama culture and business model could be adopted in Saudi."

Gama Aviation obtained its UAE GCAA Air Operator's Certificate in February 2010 and now supports 25 staff and five managed aircraft at both Sharjah International and Dubai International Airports, including an Airbus ACJ318 which joined the fleet last month. Gama is on track to obtain its UAE GCAA CAR 145 maintenance approval and is working to develop a new 12,000 sqm hangar facility at Sharjah which will provide hangarage and maintenance facilities for business jet aircraft in the region. It will also be home to a new Fixed Based Operation.

About Gama Group:

Gama is a global business aviation services organization, founded in 1983 in the UK by Marwan Abdel Khalek and Stephen Wright. The group employs over 300 at bases across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East and operates over 80 business aircraft.

The group's companies and affiliates hold EU-OPS, FAA Part 135 and UAE GCAA Charter Certificates, FAA Part 145 Maintenance Approvals, Part 21 Design and Manufacture Approvals and offer business aircraft charter, management, FBO, maintenance, valeting and aviation software services.

The Group is headquartered at Farnborough Airport in the UK, with its Americas headquarters in Stratford, CT and its and its Middle East and North Africa headquarters at Sharjah in the UAE. All three bases are Wyvern approved for their commitment to improving aviation safety. The group operates aircraft throughout the world and has over 30 worldwide operating bases.

www.gamagroup.com