Royal Jet will celebrate its tenth anniversary in May, and reports that it operated 3,135 flights to 370 cities in 136 countries during 2012.

"This year, we expect to comfortably outperform our operational and financial statistics forecast for the full period of 2012," says Shane O'Hare, president and ceo.

The operator has also reported its busiest-ever year in 2012 for medical evacuation missions, up by 10 per cent over another record year in 2011. As the oldest company to provide medevac services, Royal Jet has flown over 1,650 missions to date.

O'Hare explains: "Our service goes well beyond providing air ambulances, medical teams and equipment. In the past few years Royal Jet's medevac division has handled missions in the most challenging of situations across community, political and government sectors from around the world and nearer home in the GCC."

Growing the fleet and refurbishing the remainder of the current fleet is planned for 2013. Royal Jet is currently investing $9 million in the interior refurbishment of one of its Boeing Business Jets. Upgrades include a new state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system, live TV, SATCOM, Wi-Fi and global mobile systems, while furnishings such as luxury seats and sleeper beds will also be enhanced.

"We are assessing our long-term fleet plan which would include replacement of the existing BBJ fleet by 2016," says O'Hare.

"We have also signed a commercial agreement with Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) to lease 4,450 sq m of hangar space at the facility at Abu Dhabi International airport. This provides us the capability for simultaneous maintenance of two BBJs and one Gulfstream and allows the in-house maintenance team to expand their existing capabilities to include all A-checks, as well as fulfil other complex maintenance tasks."