Direct from Inter Airport — Outlook 2006

The audience visiting its stand were not only existing Goldhofer customers but also new potential customers coming from all over the world. During the show, it signed a contract with Fraport AG for one AST-1 X 1200, the second customer — after Airbus — who purchased this new Goldhofer product.

Two other highlights of the show were the hand-over of keys of the 250th Goldhofer aircraft tractor to Japan Airlines and the exhibition of the 23rd aircraft tractor sold to the People’s Republic of China.

Goldhofer expects to have a successful year 2006, especially through the A380’s entry into service by the end of 2006.

Hydro

Hydro introduced its new series tripod jacks called fortis. Customers liked it very much and gave some ideas on how to optimize fortis. According to Hydro, this kind of efficient communication can only be achieved at such a show.

With the show now behind them and having obtained many opinions from customers about expectations, fears and developments for 2006, it feels that the GSE market will not show any substantial growth in 2006. “So many airlines in US being in Chapter 11 has caused an unstable and unpredictable situation in the biggest sector of our market. On the other hand we see the low fare carriers growing substantially as well as the cargo sector.

Therefore we foresee that 2006 will be a challenge with added competition, but Hydro will be able to further improve productivity, offer new products and services and as result strengthen our market leadership position,” says Jürgen Droste, managing director.

J&B Aviation Services

J&B utilized this show to enhance its presence in three key areas of growth it have experienced in the past few years and which it will concentrate even more on in the coming year. First, it promoted its full range of ancillary ground support equipment with emphasis on J&B’s industry leading nylon PCAir connector and the introduction of its new lower cost, high quality air-a-plane PCAir hose. Second, given “J&B’s rapidly expanding international sales,” it arranged numerous meetings with existing international agents and through research and strategic planning conducted prior to the show, it introduced its products to potential new agents with the intention of expanding its presence worldwide. Lastly, as military sales will represent a substantial portion of J&B’s annual revenue and sales effort in 2006, it utilized this occasion to promote its military line of products to key distributors in the international marketplace.

KAMAG

KAMAG presented its aircraft tractor and catering truck vehicles which are used as GSE at airports. Very much the star of the company’s exhibits was an aircraft tractor which has been designed to handle the new A380 super jumbo from Airbus. A variable ballast system, specially developed by KAMAG, allows the aircraft tractor’s dead weight to be adapted to the size of the plane in order to achieve the traction required by the tractor to ensure safe handling throughout. Another focus of attention for KAMAG was in the area of aircraft catering — a vehicle with special van body and an integrated scissors lift mechanism was on display.

It expects an increasing demand for its ground support vehicles in the coming year. The uncompromising design of its products for high level efficiency and economy will help them to boost the demand worldwide.

Meggitt Fuelling Products

In August 2005, when Meggitt PLC, the international aerospace, defense and electronics group, acquired UK-based Avery-Hardoll, joining its operations with Whittaker Controls in California and merging its fuelling capabilities into a new company, Meggitt Fuelling Products, the newly formed company met with a variety of customers, distributors and representatives and displayed a variety of its products and services.

Its outlook for 2006 is very positive. It is developing a number of new products that will facilitate airport operations and the combination of Whittaker Controls and Avery-Hardoll will enable the company to enter new markets previously not served.

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