Mena Aerospace Enterprises and US-based Tempus Jet Centers have signed an agreement to launch a joint venture which will provide a link between Tempus’ aircraft maintenance facilities in the US and the customer base in the Gulf Region.

The joint venture, to be known as Mena Tempus will be based at Bahrain International Airport. The initiative will also establish a highly technical capability and expertise that will result in local content for aircraft based in the surrounding area.

Tempus Jets operates an expansive aircraft maintenance, modification and interior completion facility in the US city of Brunswick, Maine specialising in Bombardier Global Express, Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Mena Aerospace has developed an aircraft hangar and office complex at Bahrain International Airport, operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 737 and business jet aircraft, and has offices in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the Mena Aerospace group possesses numerous regional and international maintenance approvals.

The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Bahrain Embassy in Washington were very supportive of Mena’s Joint Venture with Tempus in Bahrain.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome this joint venture between Mena Aerospace and Tempus Jets to Bahrain,” said Kamal bin Ahmed, Minister of Transportation and acting chief executive of the EDB.

“This agreement provides an excellent opportunity for Mena Tempus to take advantage of fast growth in the GCC region and increasing demand for both business and personal jet services. As an established logistics hub Bahrain is the ideal base from which the new joint venture can expand across the region.”

“As we expand our modification and completions capability, it is prudent to establish a presence in the GCC in order to build and maintain relationships with customers who represent the largest concentration of VVIP aircraft in the world,” said Scott Terry, CEO of Tempus Jets.

“We believe that providing technical services on a local level will accelerate the growth for the Mena Tempus brand in this dynamic region of the world,” he added.

Dr Mohamed Juman, Mena Aerospace’s managing director said: “The combining of Tempus’ capabilities with the Mena Group’s existing capabilities will provide an extremely effective platform from which to deliver an extensive array of complementary services to the aviation market across our footprint locally and  regionally.”

New hangar opens at Bahrain International

Meanwhile, Mena Aerospace has completed its 6,400 sq m aircraft hangar and office complex located on the northern side of Bahrain International Airport. The entire facility has now been integrated into the airport’s operational procedures.

The hangar complex consists of two separate bays of more than 3,000 sq m each, and with sufficient door height to accommodate most airliners’ tail height. The facility caters to all aircraft operators and operations, whether maintenance or parking under protection from the region’s harsh elements.

The facility’s developer and operator, Mena Aviation Real Estate, has been carrying out its “soft launch” to successfully test the various systems and operations of the hangar. The facility, which is fully MFPA 409 compliant entered into full operation following Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs recently completing the integration of the hangar’s taxiway into the airport’s procedures.

Mena’s vice chairman Tawfiq Al Zamil said, “This is a unique facility at Bahrain Airport, and we feel it will fill a very specific requirement for hangar parking and an location which is suitable and approved to perform maintenance on locally based aircraft and transient operators in need of maintenance support while transiting through Bahrain.”

The facility is already sixty per cent sold out. Mena Aviation Real Estate is accepting inquiries from aircraft operators and service providers for space in its hangar. – TradeArabia News Service