Advance Aviation (Thailand) (AAX, Bangkok Don Mueang) is in the process of switching from G200 operations to G280s. Speaking exclusively to ch-aviation in Bangkok, CEO Chai Nasylvanta said the equipment upgrade will reduce operating costs for the business while offering customers a more contemporary product and an improved operating range.

Nasylvanta got into the private jet business around a decade ago, acquiring his first G200 and, about four years later, a second G200. “That’s how the game started,” he said. “I’m an engineer by training, and the Gulfstreams to me are like Rolls Royces, and the G200 was the perfect size for our business. Depending on the load and the time of the year, they can go all the way up to Tokyo."

Advance Aviation, whose fleet operates under the AOC of Advance Aviation Jet, is acquiring its first G280 in 2026. The company is presently operating a single G200, HS-LEE (msn 090). Nasylvanta sold his second G200, HS-HAN (msn 153), last year. At the time, he was expecting delivery of a G280 in 2025. HS-HAN has since left Thailand and is now with Executive Jet Management and entered in the US register as N83FF.

“The G280 was supposed to be delivered this month, not next year,” Nasylvanta said. “But Gulfstream Aerospace starts production of the G280 in Israel, but with the Gaza crisis they withdrew all their workers to become soldiers and stopped production, delaying delivery by one year. They now promise for March 2026.”

Once the G280 arrives, Nasylvanta intends to sell HS-LEE, and Advance Aviation will only operate the G280. The company also looks after ground handling and hangarage for a G650ER. So far, it is their only foray into managing aircraft.

Nasylvanta is in the position of being able to pay upfront for his aircraft. Among other things, he is currently a director of Aon (Thailand) Ltd and Aon Group (Thailand) Ltd. Aon is an Anglo-American professional firm specialising in risk mitigation. Thai law stipulates that multinational insurers can only hold a maximum of 49% of a Thai trading entity. In this case, Nasylvanta owns the other 51%. “It’s my main income source,” he says.

Advance Aviation also operates four Eurocopter EC130s under a separate air operator's certificate. Two are based in Bangkok, one in Phuket, and the other at Chiang Mai. Nasylvanta got his start in the aviation business after buying a helicopter to ferry his father, then a privy councillor to the Thai king, on weekly trips to see the king, who lived on the opposite side of the Gulf of Thailand. However, the helicopter had considerable downtime, and Nasylvanta began chartering it out to recoup some of the costs. The concept proved successful, and he acquired more helicopters before branching out into business jets.

Reasons for switching to the G280

Nasylvanta says there are several reasons for switching from G200s to G280s. When he first acquired the G200s, they were the right aircraft for the business, but "the G200's technology is 20 years old," he said. Production of the aircraft ended a decade ago, and sourcing spare parts is becoming harder, resulting in more downtime.

The new G280 also comes with a five-year warranty, zeroing out most maintenance and parts costs for that period. Finally, the G280 has a slightly improved range and load capacity. Tokyo is right at the edge of the G200's capabilities and is subject to load and weather considerations. The G280 can fly to Tokyo with ease and still has extra fuel in the tank.

Other than for engines and APUs, Nasylvanta says there is a large pool of suppliers for Gulfstream parts. The global supply chain issues make procuring parts harder, but he says it is “not that bad.”

But sourcing engines and APUs is significantly difficult. Two years ago, a turbine fan on one of the jets cracked, broke, and went through an engine mid-flight. “We subscribe to the Pratt & Whitney maintenance programme, which means, in normal circumstances, they send a loan engine and take the damaged one away for repairs," Nasylvanta said. "Pratt & Whitney’s supply chain problems hit us. It means that each engine that goes into the shop, it takes longer to repair. When we had our problem, we waited six months for the loan engine because Pratt & Whitney did not have any - everything was already loaned out."

He added that warranties and subscriptions cover the cost of engine repairs but do not cover lost revenue from grounded aircraft.

Eyeing another G280, open to aircraft management

Longer term, Nasylvanta wants to buy another G280. “It should be at least three years from the delivery of the G280 in 2026,” he said. “Having two aircraft makes it much easier in terms of maintenance and rotation."

He is also interested in managing more aircraft beyond the arrangement with the G650ER's owners but within "limited constraints."

“I would like to manage aircraft, but I want to manage only Gulfstreams, and I want to manage the same type of aircraft," Nasylvanta explained. "I’d like to find someone who’d like to buy a G280, and we can manage it. It would be the same mechanics, pilots, and operating manuals. If we get another type, it complicates things."

Advance Aviation generates around 90% of its business through Europe-based charter operators, and only 5% of the company’s customers are Thai nationals. Up to half of its flights do not originate in Bangkok but at airports such as Hong Kong International, Manila Ninoy Aquino International, and Singapore Changi. However, Nasylvanta rarely tries to sell empty legs. “To me, doing so is a headache,” he said. “The primary customer will fully pay for the trip and will be charged for the empty legs in our calculations. So this customer has priority, and they often change their schedules, and I don’t want to disappoint people, even if they are paying a cheaper price.”

Many Thai commercial airline operators say the failure of the inbound Chinese market to revive after the pandemic has forced them to change their business models. However, Nasylvanta notes the absence of South Korean tour groups. “The Koreans haven’t come back yet,” he says. “We used to do a lot of inter-island (helicopter) transfers and sightseeing out of Phuket. They would come in groups of 20 couples and take turns on sightseeing flights, but they are not back.”

More convenient than seaplanes

Nasylvanta says several planned seaplane start-ups would also see his helicopter business face a new competitive front. “It would definitely be close competition,” he says.

But Nasylvanta thinks his helicopter operations will retain a competitive edge, primarily because helicopters can land virtually anywhere, subject to approval. Any seaplane operators will only be allowed to land and take off from clearly defined water runways. They must also establish permanent infrastructure such as pontoons.

There is also the matter of operating costs. A ten-passenger Cessna (single turboprop) C208B is much more expensive to operate than a helicopter. “Seaplanes are not that convenient,” he said. “If they price it as a full aircraft charter, they are not competitive with us.”

There is also the question of sea conditions. Amphibious aircraft cannot land or take off when the waves are rough. “The Andaman Sea can be very rough because of the weather,” said Nasylvanta. “For us, if we promise to fly, we definitely will fly, regardless of whether it's one passenger or two, except that the aircraft had technical problems. It’s all about consistency and seaplanes cannot offer that. Passengers on the islands want to know their aircraft will arrive.”