Flight Consulting Group marks 20 years with European expansion plans

Latvian business aviation holding company, Flight Consulting Group, is celebrating its 20th anniversary by announcing ambitious goals to expand the concept of its business aviation center across its European ground handling network.

Over the past 20 years the company has grown from a charter flight management and non-scheduled flights handling provider at Riga International Airport to a market leader with a strong portfolio of integrated business aviation services in the Baltic region and around the world.

Today, Flight Consulting Group provides ground handling services at 42 airports in the Baltic States, the CIS, Scandinavia and the Balkans. More than 250 airlines use its services annually, exceeding 120,000 flights handled and serviced at 2,600 aiports in 140 countries across the globe.

“For 20 years, our key priorities have been the permanently high quality of services and the extension of service portfolio for the benefit of our customers," says founder and co-owner, Roman Starkov. "The trust of our customers is the best proof that we have chosen the right strategy.

"Responding to their current needs, we are continuously expanding our presence to bring the concept of our business aviation center to new locations: we have own ramp agents in airports, launch crew briefings, and establish direct contacts with various service providers. We look confidently into the future and enter the new decade with ambitious plans”,

FBO RIGA Business Aviation Center

An important milestone was the launch of FBO RIGA business aviation center in 2015. Its infrastructure includes a boutique terminal, crew briefings, an 8,400 sqm. hangar, an apron and a flight operations and dispatch center.

The company continuously improves the quality of services and follows very strict safety requirements. The company is the first and the only holder of IS-BAH Stage II certificate in the region. The audit confirmed that FBO RIGA fulfills all the requirements for business aviation safety and in many respects exceeds what is required by mandatory documents. In Europe, just about 50 FBOs hold IS-BAH certificate, and less than 20 organizations have achieved Stage II.

“We are very proud of our long-term partnership with Flight Consulting Group that has allowed Riga airport to position itself among the top business aviation hubs in the region," said Arturs Saveljevs, CCO, RIGA International Airport. "One of the main advantages of the Flight Consulting Group is its continuous investments in infrastructure development and service quality that have been recognized both by international organizations within the industry as well as by their customers who have significantly increased over the time.

FBO RIGA Boutique Terminal

"On a B2B level it is always a pleasure to cooperate with Flight Consulting Group management team as it is highly professional and always motivated to reach the highest targets. We are very pleased to host the state-of-the-art FBO at Riga airport which is an excellent and most visible example of Flight Consulting Group achievements.”

The success of the FBO RIGA concept formed the basis of the holding's growth strategy with a focus on expansion to the new markets. In 2019, the holding launched FCG OPS station with a comfortable crew briefing facility at Tallinn International Airport, Estonia. In the summer of 2020, it is going to launch a similar station at Kaunas Airport, Lithuania. Thus, Flight Consulting Group will offer business aviation operators and crews the highest quality of services in all Baltic countries.

FBO RIGA Hangar

Wim Van Vlaenderen, Commercial Director at AIR HAMBURG said: "One of the things that we feel really sets Flight Consulting Group apart is the strength of FCG’s Latvian and Baltic background. The combination of European business mentality along with Russian language and connections really ensures that Flight Consulting Group is a clear winner for AIR HAMBURG in these regions. Both our air and ground crews are always happy to arrive in Riga. We enjoy the warm reception in FBO RIGA and the welcome from the team whenever we visit. We thank Flight Consulting Group for the great partnership and look forward to the next 20 years of teamwork together.”

Leonid Gorodnitski, co-owner of Flight Consulting Group, concluded by saying: “Our achievements come from the efforts of a powerful team of professionals where every member plays a significant role. Our vast experience, knowledge and competencies help us to grow and evolve despite market challenges. Over the years, our companies have achieved business continuity, while a diversified portfolio of services, including cargo and military flights handling, ensures our business is stable and robust. 20 years is just the beginning. Further optimization of processes and improvement of services across all business areas will help us to provide even more efficient and profitable solutions for the benefit of our customers and the whole industry.”

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 30th July 2020 | Issue #568

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