Summer 2022

Service in the Heart of Europe

Petr Wessnitzer, Marketing Manager, ABS Jets

ABS Jets provides the highest service standards at airports across the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as Marketing Manager Petr Wessnitzer explains

Headquartered at Václav Havel Airport Prague in the Czech Republic, ABS Jets offers a surprisingly broad range of private and VIP aviation services from several Czech and Slovak airports. From its location in central Europe, ABS Jets is working hard on sustainability and quality initiatives – its Prague FBO was the first in Europe to gain IS-BAH Stage III certification – while simultaneously expanding its managed aircraft fleet and client base. Marketing Manager Petr Wessnitzer answered EVA’s questions.

ABS Jets offers a comprehensive variety of services, including ground handling and FBO provision. You have FBOs at Václav Havel Airport Prague and MR Stefanik Airport, Bratislava, and offer private aviation ground handling services at many other locations. How does your system work?
We have an FBO in Terminal 3 at our Czech base at Václav Havel Airport Prague and another at MR Stefanik Airport Bratislava, our Slovakian base. We can also provide ground handling at other Czech and Slovak airports, many of which we have audited and certified as delivering the standards we expect for our clients – ABS Jets’ presence is a 100% quality guarantee.

Your Prague FBO is IS-BAH Stage III certified. What does that mean to the ABS Jets team?
Our FBO was the first IS-BAH Stage III-certified facility in Europe. We are very proud of our ground handling team and believe that the commitment to quality and safety values we hold throughout the company were a critical element in the certification. However, our focus remains on improving service delivery and our internal processes, which is why we became the first ground handler at Prague’s Terminal 3 to provide electric cars for our clients.

As part of its electric strategy, ABS Jets added the Mercedes-Benz EQV electric van to its fleet in April. How is the vehicle performing in daily service and how do your customers like it?
We were delighted to welcome the electric Mercedes-Benz EQV into our client fleet. We were the first ground handling provider at Prague’s Terminal 3 with such a vehicle and we’ve had lots of positive feedback from our clients and handling agents. Now we are looking forward to the imminent arrival of an electric Lektro aircraft tug and further electric transport options. Sustainability is a key future strategy here at ABS Jets.

You offer aircraft management, maintenance and CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation) among other services. Are these provided alternatively as individual or packaged services?
We offer aircraft management, aircraft maintenance, charter and brokerage, ground handling, flight planning and dispatching, CAMO, travel management, hangarage and other services. Clients may choose an individual service, but we can provide everything they and their aircraft need. We deliver all our services in-house thanks to the knowledge and passion of more than 250 dedicated staff. Many of our team – our CAMO engineers and maintenance technicians, for example – are among the most expert in Europe.

Are your flight handling and travel management services provided separately to your charter offer, or are they only available when clients charter with you?
These services are available to our clients however they wish to access them. They might use only our travel management services for their holiday, for example, just as we provide travel management for our crews.

The tragic war in Ukraine is on Slovakia’s border. Has it caused problems for your business or your customers? Are the international sanctions affecting ABS Jets?
The war is indeed on our doorstep and ABS Jets is respecting all sanctions even though this is not an easy situation. We are pleased to have many clients around the world deeply satisfied with the high service standards we provide. We believe we must be patient and keep doing our very best. Naturally, we are working hard to expand into new markets more quickly than we had previously planned. We are also adding more aircraft to our fleet.

Bratislava is close to Vienna and Budapest, making it a very international location in the centre of Europe. Is this reflected in your business ethos and client base?
Of course. Our locations – Prague and Bratislava – are our big advantage. We are literally based in the heart of Europe and so we are a major provider of business aviation services in Central and Eastern Europe, although we do have clients from other continents too. Our ambitions for the international market are huge and we are looking forward to a bright future based on our continuing ethos of quality and safety.

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