Luxaviation Group: airline

Luxaviation Group is an aeronautical company that brings together several entities from the world of aviation and air transport. Luxaviation specialises in business aviation and on-demand aviation. The airline charters private jets. It has one of the largest fleets of business jets in Europe. The group owes its origins to the creation of the Belgian airline Abelag in 1964. Let’s take a look at the history, fleet and activities of this carrier.

The origins and history of the Luxaviation Group airline

• 1964: André Ganshof van der Meersch, a pilot trained in the United States and an aviation enthusiast. Born in 1927, he became an aeronautical entrepreneur and one of Europe’s leading business aviation figures. This aviation enthusiast launched his own business. That year, he founded his airline, Abelag Aviation, at Brussels airport. It was the first terminal in Europe dedicated to business aviation activities. Abelag Aviation is at the origin of Luxaviation Group. This airline operates in the business travel and on-demand aviation sectors. The values advocated by Abelag’s CEO, and which are still the watchwords of Luxaviation today, are excellence and impeccable tailor-made air traffic service.
• 1967: Unijet, a European company specialising in business aviation, is created to coincide with the launch of the Dassault Falcon 20, which made its first flight in 1963. It is another Luxaviation Group entity that we know today. It was founded with the aim of creating a joint venture between the AILEC association and Marcel Dassault.
• 1970-1972: André Ganshof van der Meersch enables the entry and registration of the first private jet in Belgium.
• 1977 : Abelag Aviation joins forces with Unijet and 9 other aeronautical companies and operators to form the EBAA (European Business Aviation Association).
• 1978 : Still operating as a pilot, the founder of Abelag Aviation (forerunner of Luxaviation) set a record with a private Cessna 441 Conquest aircraft. He made a transatlantic flight of 4,735 km from Newfoundland (from the town of Gander) to Brussels.
• 1980: The first long-haul private aircraft joins the group.
• 1991: Execujet is founded in Johannesburg, South Africa. The airline is now part of the Luxaviation group. In 1997, Execujet set up operations in Europe with its first mission in Denmark, followed by the Middle East (notably Dubai) in 1999 and Oceania in 2000.

The creation of the Luxaviation Group airline

• 2008: Luxaviation is officially created. Based in Luxembourg, the airline operates with a single aircraft alongside a wide range of other aircraft, a Citation XLS. Their team consisted of 6 people. The company soon expanded, opening a number of offices on different continents to charter aircraft from manufacturers other than simple regional jets.
• 2009: Luxaviation receives its first Air Operator Certificate (AOC).
• 2011: Fairjets, a German airline, joins Luxaviation Group.
• 2012 : Luxaviation has created several FBOs and offices around the world. This year, the airline moves to Paris Le Bourget, creating one of the largest FBOs at this business airport.
• 2013: Abelag Aviation, the airline founded by Mr Ganshof van der Meersch, joins Luxaviation Group.
• 2014: This year, Unijet is acquired by Luxaviation. The group continues to grow and develop. Luxaviation Group acquires a majority stake in an English airline, LEA (London Executive Aviation). It also renames the Fairjets entity Luxaviation Germany.
• 2015: Execujet and Masterjet join the Luxaviation Group. Luxaviation group becomes the second largest business aviation company in the world.
• 2016: Abelag is now called Luxaviation Belgium.
  Masterjet and Unijet join forces and change their names. In order to unify all these entities, they are called Luxaviation France, Luxaviation Switzerland and Luxaviation Portugal, depending on the country. As for LEA, it has become Luxaviation United Kingdom.
  All the different entities of the Luxaviation Group now have a uniform name. Only the airline ExecuJet has retained its name.
• 2017 : The Luxembourg aeronautical group expands its services and founds a new branch with new aircraft models: Luxaviation Helicopter. It offers tailor-made helicopter management and charter services. In particular, Luxaviation acquires Starspeed, a UK company specialising in this field.
• 2019: Luxaviation develops its services and creates a new division within its group, Luxaviation Fine Wines. This entity enables the supply of wines and spirits throughout the world. Thanks to their network in the world of oenology, Luxaviation Fine Wines offers a unique experience. Once a member, the company gives you access to experiences and events. Luxaviation knows how to diversify its activities beyond business aviation.
• 2020: Luxaviation acquires the VIP terminal at Paris le Bourget to accommodate private planes and flights.

Luxaviation Group figures

• 260 : the number of private jets owned by the Luxaviation Group. One of the largest fleets of business jets in the world.
• 1,700: the number of employees working for Luxaviation Group.
• 42: Luxaviation Group is present in more than forty cities, on every continent of the world. Both with offices and FBOs. Luxaviation Group benefits from a real global presence in the on-demand aviation and business aircraft market.

Luxaviation Group’s activities

Business aviation by Luxaviation

Luxaviation Group’s business aviation or on-demand aviation services are aimed at anyone wishing to enjoy a private flight , whatever the type of aircraft and whatever the request. In fact, business aviation is primarily intended for flights for companies wishing to expand. This mode of transport is fast, efficient, confidential and offers flexibility and security. Business aviation is also aimed at anyone wishing to travel for leisure or on a family holiday, for example. In fact, you can fly to 10 times more destinations than in commercial aviation, all in a luxurious, quiet and well-connected cabin. However, on-demand aviation also means tailor-made flights. This can involve chartering group flights on regular routes, plane taxis, but also cargo flights with other airlines’ cargo planes.

At Luxaviation, customer service is very important. It should also be noted that Luxaviation has acquired the title of “official supplier to the Court” of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Proof of its impeccable service. Finally, the company makes it a point of honour to ensure that all passengers, including pets, travel in the best possible way. This is why Luxaviation is committed to ensuring that your pets , whether furry or even feathered, are part of the journey just like a normal passenger. They will not be part of the baggage but will be treated as real passengers.

The Luxaviation experience

Luxaviation is expanding its range of services by offering tailor-made experiences created according to your wishes. In fact, as mentioned above, the airline has created a Luxaviation Fine Wines branch, which offers events and stays based around oenology. Luxaviation also offers tailor-made safaris, unusual experiences in the 4 corners of the globe (Scotland, Rwanda, Spitzbergen, Galapagos, etc.) and cultural experiences. Luxaviation offers tailor-made experiences in partnership with travel agencies. In this way, the Luxembourg airline combines a tailor-made trip in a private jet with a holiday and experiences created exclusively for you.

Luxaviation’s sustainable projects

Luxaviation Group is also keen to support projects that combat pollution and environmental degradation. The aviation group also supports goodwill and equal opportunities within its own company.

As far as ecological sustainability projects are concerned, Luxaviation has long been committed to the fight against global warming and ecological issues. In fact, ExecuJet, which is part of the Luxaviation Group, was one of the forerunners in the business aviation world in adopting a programme to offset the carbon emissions of their flights. Luxaviation is also trying to use less polluting energies such as biofuels (SAF) to gradually replace the paraffin that powers private jets.

Luxaviation’s fleet of business jets

Luxaviation Group has a fleet of no fewer than 260 private jets. These are of all types. From light private jets to long-haul aircraft, Luxaviation’s fleet of business jets is comprehensive. It is adapted to meet all types of requirements. Here are the different categories and private jets in the Luxaviation Group fleet:

• Airliners: Luxaviation has 2 types of airliner, an Airbus A320 VIP and an Embraer Lineage 1000 . The number of passengers that can embark on these types of aircraft is higher than on other types of private jets.
• Long-haul private jets: Luxaviation Group has nearly twenty long-haul private jets, which can be flown for several hours at a time. This category includes various models of Bombardier private aircraft, such as the Global Express XRS, Global 7500 and Global 6000, as well as Dassault private jets such as the Falcon 7X and Falcon 8X, and Gulfstream aircraft including the Gulfstream G450, G550 and G600.
• Large private jets: the aircraft in this category are diverse and varied. They come from aircraft manufacturers such as Bombardier, Embraer and Dassault Aviation.

Here are some examples of Luxaviation’s large business jets: Falcon 2000LXS, Embraer Legacy 600, Challenger 600, Challenger 605, etc.

• Intermediate private jets: Luxaviation’s fleet includes some twenty intermediate private jets. These include the Citation XLS, the Challenger 300, the Legacy 500 and the Hawker 900.
• Light private jets: Luxaviation has a fleet of small private jets including the Citation CJ4, the Citation M2 and the Learjet 60.
• Turboprops: these business jets are often more economical and competitive over short distances. Luxaviation has Pilatus PC-12s, King Air Beech 1900s and King Air B200s at its disposal.
• Helicopters: Luxaviation has more than just private planes and jets at its disposal. In order to offer flights and connections by helicopter, it has acquired around ten aircraft, including theAirbus H125, the Bell 407 and the Augusta Westland AW139.

Find out more about Luxembourg’s other airlines:

• Global Jet
• Jetfly Aviation

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