Geneva / Switzerland, May 16, 2009 – Jet Aviation has appointed Michael Ruecker as the new senior vice president and general manager of the company’s maintenance and FBO operation in Dubai, United Arab Emirates effective June 1, 2008. The announcement came at this year’s EBACE convention (Booth #1147). He succeeds Phil Balmer who will facilitate Ruecker’s introduction to his new responsibilities during a transition period.
Michael Ruecker re-joined Jet Aviation in October 2007 to take on special projects for the company’s EMEA & Asia organization, including a reorganization plan for Dubai. He also served as interim director of maintenance in Basel prior to his new appointment. He left his native Germany to join Jet Aviation Basel in 1980 and went on to hold various positions with the company. He was CFO for Basel, Zurich and Geneva when in 1998 he left Jet Aviation to take on several management and consulting assignments in other sectors of the aviation industry. Ruecker completed a commercial-technical apprenticeship with the German railways and is a graduate of the Basel Higher Management School.
“We are happy that Michael Ruecker accepted our offer to become the new general manager of Jet Aviation Dubai,” says André Wall, COO Jet Aviation EMEA & Asia, adding, “He knows the Jet Aviation organization in and out and is the right person to manage this important operation in the growing Middle East market. I am convinced that Michael’s focus on quality and service will be of great benefit to our clients. I also want to thank Phil Balmer for his many contributions to successfully establishing Jet Aviation Dubai as a maintenance and FBO facility and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Jet Aviation’s maintenance and FBO location in Dubai was established in May 2005. The facility has a total of 4,200 sq m (45,192 sq ft) of hangar space, a workshop area of 1,000 sq m (10,760 sq ft), and a two story FBO building with an area of 1,050 sq m (11,300 sq ft). Jet Aviation Dubai is an FAA #U8JY426Y, Bermuda DCA, Cayman CAA, Pakistan CAA, Saudi Arabia PCA, UAE GCAA approved repair station and an authorized service center for the Boeing Business Jet, the Gulfstream GIV and GV series, the Dassault Falcon 900 and 2000 series, and the Raytheon Hawker 800 series as well as an authorized dealer for Rockwell Collins avionics products.
Jet Aviation was founded in Switzerland in 1967 and is one of the leading business aviation services companies in the world. Close to 5,100 employees cater to client needs from over 20 airport facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America. The company provides maintenance, completions and refurbishment, engineering, fixed base operations, along with aircraft management, charter services, aircraft sales and personnel services. Jet Aviation's European and U.S. aircraft management and charter divisions jointly operate a fleet of more than 200 aircraft and provided over 65,000 hours in global flight operations in 2007. For more information, please visit .
