Jet Aviation and Luxury Business Jets (LBJ) in Slovakia have signed a joint venture agreement to establish an aircraft management and charter operation in Malta. Jet Aviation is working to obtain an AOC from the Civil Aviation Directorate in Malta, which it expects to receive in Q3 2017.

“The Malta operation is an ideal complement to our Swiss and German operations, and a very strategic addition to our aircraft management and charter business in EMEA,” says Jürg Reuthinger, SVP and general manager of management and charter in EMEA and Asia. “By adding an additional AOC in the European Union, our customers benefit from further flexibility in their choice of registrations and operation.”

Joint venture partner LBJ has arranged for two aircraft, a BBJ1 and a Legacy 600, to be flown under the Maltese AOC as part of Jet Aviation's EMEA management and charter fleet. “It is a great opportunity for us to increase our presence in the aviation sector together with a strong and experienced partner like Jet Aviation,'' says LBJ CEO Jarka Sommeregger.

In addition to the Malta operation, Jet Aviation has signed four new aircraft management agreements in EMEA this year, including a Global 6000, a Global Express, a Learjet 60XR and a Gulfstream G650.