09/02/2005

Hawker Pacific expands successful FBO & charter services to Brisbane and Cairns.

Australia''s leading aircraft sales and aviation services company, Hawker Pacific has moved to extend its highly successful FBO operations to Queensland.

The new ultra-modern facilities established at Brisbane and Cairns International Airports, represent a strategic expansion of Hawker Pacific''s award winning VIP Ground Handling Operation established at Sydney in April, 2003.

At today''s official opening by the Queensland Premier, The Hon Peter Beattie, Hawker Pacific''s General Manager, FBO and Aircraft Charter, Douglas Hendry said the Brisbane facility represented an unrivalled opportunity to grow the company''s FBO business into one of Australia''s busiest and fastest-growing airports.

He said the Brisbane Flight Centre dove-tailed perfectly with Hawker Pacific''s new Cairns Flight Centre established within the company''s newly-completed Cairns maintenance repair and overhaul facility and with the Sydney Flight Centre.

"The Sydney Flight Centre has been a real success story for Hawker Pacific. From a standing start 2 years ago, it has achieved market leadership, handling about 60 per cent of domestic and at least 50 per cent of inbound traffic," he said. "It is now considered by our customers to be the number one facility in Australia and one of the best in the Region."

Mr Hendry said it was a measure of the Hawker Pacific Flight Centre''s success that it had last year won the contract to handle the Royal Australian Air Force VIP squadron at the same time as handling the majority of the aircraft carrying Heads of State visiting Australia.

More recently the Hawker Pacific Flight Centre hosted for the fourth time, the visit to Sydney of Boeing''s new generation B777 aircraft.

Hawker Pacific Chief Executive, Alan Smith said extension of the company''s Flight Centre capabilities to both Brisbane and Cairns was part of a broader strategy to establish a network of Hawker Pacific Flight Centres at key international airports around Australia and into Asia.

"The Brisbane facility, which we will share with Mr Terry Peabody''s Brenzil Pty Ltd, represents an outstanding asset which will deliver the presence we need at that location as well as supporting our aircraft sales and charter businesses," he said.

Mr Hendry said the extension of the Flight Centre operations into both Brisbane and Cairns would also see expansion of Hawker Pacific''s substantial Aircraft Charter business.

"We are currently managing/operating a fleet of 11 aircraft from 5 locations and will shortly be adding a Brisbane based Falcon 2000EX long-range executive jet to our International Charter Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and repositioning a smaller business jet to the Gold Coast."

"Our expansion in Queensland means we can effectively provide customers with a one-stop-shop for all their charter and aircraft management needs," he said.

About Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd
Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd is the market-leader in integrated civil and military aerospace sales and product support in Australasia. The company maintains facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Townsville, Cairns and Auckland as well as in South-East Asia and the Middle East

For further information:
Douglas Hendry
General Manager, FBO & Aircraft Charter
Phone: 02 9693 2591
Email: douglas.hendry@hawkerpacific.com.au
Web: www.hawkerpacific.com.au
www.fboaustralia.com.au