Harrods Aviation attracts high flyers to its top-rate UK facility

Harrods Aviation, the leading London-based business aviation service provider offering Fixed Base Operator (FBO) services at London Luton and Stansted airports in South-East England, is operating at full throttle in order to meet the ever-growing demand for high quality private jet handling. Both bases have fully equipped hangars for aircraft maintenance and engineering. Harrods Aviation also has a Honeywell-accredited Engine Shop, which is based at Farnborough.Gulf Times met up with Will Holroyd, Harrods Aviation’s sales and marketing director, at the Luton facility to learn more about the client base and level of service provided. He explained that Luton is primarily a business hub though clients might also fly out on their private jets for leisure trips.Stansted, meanwhile, handles much larger aircraft and sees a high proportion of Royal and Head of State VIP flights. The popularity of Stansted and Luton FBOs, aside from the very high level of security and services on offer, is due to the ease of access they provide into London. “The whole point of flying privately is to get from A to B as quickly as possible. Luton, for example, offers the shortest drive to the areas of London our clients are primarily travelling to — Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Central London and the West End,” said Holroyd.He noted: “Heathrow has become incredibly busy and handles a significant volume of commercial traffic. Stansted operates quietly in the background as a very discreet and exclusive arrival location for Head of State flights.”Air Force One, which carries the US president, has been handled on two occasions by Harrods Aviation at Stansted. Asked to describe the clientele using the services of Harrods Aviation, Holroyd said: “The type of people we see cannot be easily characterised but could be described as ‘beyond ultra-high net worth’. They include business owners who use the aircraft for business purposes; we have a lot of clients from the US and the Middle East and increasingly from the Far East. Some own their planes and some charter aircraft.”One thing that all clients want is a smooth, fast service. Typically, they don’t spend a lot of time at the FBO, preferring to embark or disembark quickly and move on to their destination. “Often they are met off the plane by their own car. We escort their driver and vehicle out to the steps of the aircraft. Once they land and we have received notification that they have cleared customs — which can be done either on the aircraft of at our facility — they are then straight into the car and on their way out of the gates in a matter of minutes,” said Holroyd.Whether travelling in a privately owned jet or a chartered aircraft, all passengers are subject to standard security procedures. “Security is handled in exactly the same way as any commercial flight. There is no special treatment — it’s just on a smaller scale. We have UK border force representatives on site,” said Holroyd. Holroyd showed Gulf Times around the Luton FBO which was notable for a sense of calm, relaxed comfort. There is a large, elegant lounge where snacks and beverages are on hand, and two VIP lounges which can be used for business meetings or private social gatherings. There are also rest areas where clients can take a nap if they so wish. A special crew lounge is set aside for the pilots. Looking after the comfort and well-being of the pilots is a key priority for Harrods Aviation. “Just as we are responsible for our customers, we are also responsible for the crews who operate the jets. They might be on a standby shift waiting to know if their customer wishes to depart. They can relax and do their flight planning in comfort. “A lot of our focus is on the crew — making sure they are well taken care of,” said Holroyd. While there is a glamorous side to the FBO operation, there is more importantly a highly developed, practical side around maintenance which is what makes Harrods Aviation very attractive to top level clients.  “We are a Bombardier service centre so the likes of Global Express and Challenger aircraft can be maintained and serviced at our facility. We provide line service maintenance — routine tasks such as pumping up the tyres, refuelling the aircraft, refilling oxygen and hydrogen if required — that’s all done by us on site. “Our fully audited training programme for all staff is done in-house. We are an ISAGO and IATA registered handling location. We are also an ISBAH (International standards for business Aircraft Handling) accredited handling facility. What that is saying is that third party entities which are trusted world-wide have been in and audited our facilities. They have scrutinised how we deal with our customers and critically how we handle aircraft. How we move and park aircraft and control safety and security. “At Harrods Aviation we have built our reputation on and are known for our specialised full service offering,” said Holroyd. To meet demand, Harrods Aviation has recently opened a third location at Cranfield, a small university airport just north of Luton. “The reason we have opened a new facility at Cranfield is because Luton is so popular and so busy that we need somewhere else to offer to our clients. It’s a very private clientele — private flights only — no chartered flights departing or arriving through Cranfield,” said Holroyd.  So what about the glamorous side? Holroyd said it was exciting for the staff when well-known faces came through and he personally recalled a day when the private jets of the Rolling Stones and Robbie Williams were parked up alongside each other ready to head off on their respective world tours. He first spotted the RW logo of Williams on the tail fin and then the famous ‘lips’ logo of the Stones — and he noted that the Stones’ plane was twice the size of Williams’ jet. No privately owned jet is alike as all are customised to meet the personal tastes of their owners. The flight attendants are highly trained and with the right temperaments to work in close proximity with their clients. “It just depends on what the owner wants — some want to savour the whole experience of flying and others just want to get on board their plane, sleep and get up at the other end,” said Holroyd. The Harrods name, recognised worldwide, is a big draw for Harrods Aviation.“We take great pride in being part of the Harrods Group and brand. In our industry our Harrods name sets us apart. It says something about our business that others find hard to match. “We want the person in the back of the aircraft to say they wish to travel to Harrods London. That is our aim,” concluded Holroyd.