Facing a slowing Middle East economy, Empire Aviation (MJE, Dubai International) is looking outside the region for opportunities and has its sights set on expanding in India and Africa.
Empire Aviation currently has Air Operator's Certificates (AOC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and San Marino. Executive Director Paras Dhamecha says that they are near the end of the AOC process for India and he expects to see a lot more activity once it is finalised. Talking to AIN Online, Dhamecha believes that India is a good market as there are several Tier II and III cities with fully operating airports. The market is also large; he estimates it is four times the size of the UAE.
Empire currently offers private aviation services, managing a fleet of twenty-five business jets based in Dubai International, Dubai World Central, Muscat, Lagos, Bengaluru International and Hong Kong International. Empire’s sister company, Empire Aviation India, is based out of Bangalore. A subsidiary of Air Works India Engineering, it manages a fleet of four aircraft in the sub-continent.
Empire set up a joint venture in Hong Kong at the end of 2015 and manages two aircraft there, including a GVI-G650. They plan to use the hub to expand their operations in Asia and beyond.
Still, Dhamecha says the whole market is slowing. Empire has reduced its number of aircraft based in Nigeria to five. The Russian and Chinese markets, which were expected to be strong, have also slowed.
