AXIS Aviation
Swiss aircraft management and charter provider serves customers worldwide with fleet of Bombardier, Dassault, Gulfstream, and Pilatus aircraft.
By Rafael Henríquez
Managing Editor
In addition, all aircraft data is available in real time for aircraft owners, managers, and flightcrew members through the AXIS Aviation app, including flight plans, scheduling, costs, maintenance intervals, charter proposals, and aircraft availability.
With these personalized services, the company assists aircraft owners and managers in getting the most out of their aircraft investment, with attention to detail and guidance in all matters around the aircraft and its life cycle.
AXIS Aviation is part of the AXIS Group, a holding company that also includes AXIS Flight Simulation, which develops and manufactures Level D simulators for business jets and regional airliners.
Foundation
AXIS Executive Chairman Niall Olver was the founding CEO of ExecuJet Aviation Group, which was sold to charter provider Luxaviation in 2015. Meanwhile, Cédric Gitchenko, now director of AXIS, founded Boutique Aviation in Switzerland. “We started Boutique about 2 years ago,” relates Gitchenko.
“There was a big merger between Luxaviation and Jet Aviation. But some clients who were previously with Jet Aviation didn’t want to go back, so we thought we could offer them a different option. That’s why we founded Boutique Aviation.”
After being out of the industry for a few years, Olver returned to the scene and founded the holding company that eventually acquired Boutique in April 2023, renaming it AXIS Aviation.
In addition to its headquarters in Switzerland, AXIS Aviation has bases in Austria and Dubai. “We do aircraft management and operations in all 3 subsidiaries,” explains Olver.
In order to differentiate itself in the market, the AXIS Group is developing a software platform on which the 3 subsidiaries will operate. “We want to stand out by virtue of doing more of an asset management or family-office type of approach toward aircraft management,” Olver adds. “We’ll be deploying this software over this year, and our 3 subsidiaries will be included.”
With this software, AXIS Aviation aims to make aircraft management more efficient through automation, so the crew can be a lot more empowered in terms of what they do, reducing the typical errors found in regular bizjet operations that may result from manual processes.
Flight operations
All 3 AXIS Aviation bases do aircraft management. In addition, the company has charter certificates for its Switzerland and Austria operations.
“We have some 10 aircraft in Switzerland,” says Olver. “We started our operation in Austria a few months ago. We already have 2 aircraft there, but we have more coming soon.
And we just formed the company in Dubai, so we’re in the process of adding aircraft to that operation, too.” The goal is to have 20 aircraft by the end of the year, focusing on large-cabin business jets.
At the moment, the AXIS fleet includes Bombardier Global 7500/XRS and Challenger 601, Dassault Falcon 2000S, Gulfstream G650/G550/G450, and Cessna Citation CJ1 jets, plus Pilatus PC-12 NG turboprops. “In essence, we manage planes for private owners.
Some of them are corporate flight departments,” notes Olver. “We offer the classic aircraft management model, where we provide the flight crew. And if they want to put their aircraft on our charter certificate, we can manage that, too.”
The company also has aircraft based at popular destinations, including the US and Bahamas. The fleet operates worldwide and logs more than 3800 flight hours per year.
Aircraft maintenance
To guarantee its aircraft are in top condition and ready to fly, AXIS Aviation uses the continued airworthiness maintenance organization, through which it does maintenance management and planning, operated from the company’s Austria and Switzerland bases. “We manage maintenance, and our partner companies execute it,” explains Olver.
Gitchenko adds, “Since we operate newer aircraft, we work closely with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), because the planes are under warranty.
We still take care of quotes for maintenance work, but Bombardier, Dassault, Gulfstream, and Pilatus take care of our planes through their respective service centers.”
AXIS Aviation has dedicated EASA B1 and B2 licensed mechanics who oversee each aircraft and coordinate directly all maintenance work with the OEM, from annual inspections to scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance.
The in-house technicians know the history of the plane and are also present when the aircraft go to the manufacturer’s shop, making sure that quotes for parts and labor hours are accurate. Gitchenko continues, “Let’s say the plane goes to a factory-owned service center to have the tires replaced.
The manufacturer may say it’s a 40-hour job, but our mechanic will be there to correct this quote because it shouldn’t take more than 25 hours to complete such a job. So he makes the necessary corrections, writes a proposal, and checks when the job is done at the MRO.”
AXIS pilots
AXIS Aviation employs 70 pilots. Flight crew scheduling is managed through Web-based aviation software Leon. Current regulations mean that pilots know their schedules well in advance.
For instance, G650 pilots work on a 3-weeks-on, 3-weeks-off basis, and they know this a year in advance – although there’s some flexibility should non-scheduled maintenance be necessary.
Scheduling starts with the lead pilot, who collects all the information for the crew, and enters it in the software. Then each crew can either accept, reject, or make changes to the proposed schedule.
Most of the pilots have either military or airline background. The hiring process is simple, as it’s based on mandates also given by regulators. Gitchenko adds, “In order to prevent accidents, there are alcohol, drug, and cycle assessment tests, in addition to regular interviews. So the regulators already give us a lot of guidelines.”
AXIS Aviation pilots also benefit from a reduced workload that the company’s software platform facilitates. For example, by digitizing the asset management part of the flight operation, the system knows which aircraft is on a mission and who the pilots flying are, and produces a daily allowance automatically. This saves time because pilots don’t have to go through an accountant to claim their expenses.
Training
Another major division of the AXIS Group is AXIS Flight Simulation, based in Austria. At the moment, it develops and manufactures Level D simulators predominantly for business jets, but its catalog also includes options for airline training, such as ATR sims.
“We provide simulators to 3rd-party training providers, but it’s our intention to start our own training centers. Our goal is to provide training to AXIS Aviation,” says Olver.
Flight planning and preferred FBOs
AXIS Aviation works closely with Jeppesen, so it combines ForeFlight, Leon, and its proprietary software for its flight needs.
FBO selection depends on a couple of factors – price and customer preference. “Customers may request to use their favorite FBO at their destination,” says Gitchenko, “but fuel price is a major driving factor.”
However, in order to offer consistent services to its passengers and reap more benefits for the company, AXIS Aviation is finalizing details to work with an FBO chain that operates a worldwide network.
“This will get us closer to a sort of high-end loyalty program,” says Gitchenko. “Consequently, we’ll enjoy superior benefits, such as better fuel rates and free quick turnarounds.”
Inflight connectivity
For AXIS Aviation customers, productivity aloft and inflight entertainment needs are met by Satcom Direct, but just as with choosing FBOs, price and value are determining factors. For instance, the company has already selected Starlink to serve its Gulfstream G650 – a decision that was driven mainly by the price and connectivity speed.
Every AXIS Aviation plane is connected through Ku-band satellites, but this option is very slow, so inflight connectivity providers are switching to Ka-band satellites.
“Looking at Starlink prices and how they manage their services, they have a big future with us,” says Gitchenko. “We have tested their equipment on the ground in remote locations, and connectivity speed is pretty impressive. If they can provide the same in flight, I’m sure their market will grow.”
For the future
Certainly, one big win for AXIS Aviation is the creation of its software platform, which it considers a game-changer because of its scalable and transparent take on aircraft and flight crew management. “Although we won’t have that rolled out fully until next year, it will revolutionize ourselves and the industry,” says Olver.
However, AXIS has more than that coming in the near future. With the opening of the Dubai base, the addition of more large-cabin business jets to the current fleet, and the expansion of AXIS Flight Simulation and launch of AXIS Flight Training, the holding company’s offerings will make it a more competitive global aviation service provider.