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29 March 2024

Licence to fly: Dubai's Al-Futtaim gets airline certification

Published
By Vicky Kapur

Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group added another feather to its cap earlier this week when the company’s aviation division flew its first commercial flight from Stuttgart, Germany with officials from the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on board, and landed at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, located at Dubai World Central.

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF), a business aviation facility at DWC, noted in a media statement on Tuesday that it has been issued an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) by the GCAA, thus allowing it to operate and manage third-party business aircraft commercially.
The aircraft that DCAF is allowed to operate include aircraft charter under the UAE’s A6 registration. DCAF will initially begin its commercial operations with a Bombardier Global XRS aircraft, it said.

DCAF is a joint venture between Stuttgart-based DC Aviation GmbH, the largest operator of business jets in Germany, and Dubai-based Al-Futtaim. DCAF was also the first operation to open a hangar and lounge facility within Dubai World Central. The firm has handled more than 1,000 aircraft movements from its DWC hub since commencing operations.

“We are extremely pleased to have cleared all the regulatory requirements to receive our AOC. The receipt of the certification culminates over a year’s work and I would like to congratulate and thank the entire team at DCAF for their efforts,” said Holger Ostheimer, general manager at DCAF.

“With the AOC, DCAF is now in a position to offer a complete turnkey solutions to business jet owners and we believe there is a real demand for such services that require the highest levels of quality and professionalism,” he added.