theceomagazine.com | 69T
he lives of the world’s ultra-elite would
not be complete without access to private
jet transportation, a special service
provided by DC Aviation Al-Futtaim
(DCAF). The company – a joint venture
between German business jet operator
DC Aviation GmbH and United Arab Emirates’
real estate, financial services, retail and automotive
conglomerate Al-Futtaim – has branches in Moscow,
Malta, Dubai and Zurich.
The man behind the joint venture is DCAF
Managing Director Holger Ostheimer, who found
himself drawn to the skies despite studying to become
a teacher. “When I was at school, I was living very
close to Frankfurt International Airport,” he explains.
“Having become accustomed to the sight of aeroplanes
and the smell of kerosene, I inevitably ended up in the
aviation industry.”
Holger has worked in just about every department
including aircraft ground handling, passenger services,
aircraft cargo, airline station management and aircraft
charter brokerage. He has also travelled as an onboard
operations representative in crisis regions and trained
as a professional pilot. While serving as an aviation
management consultant on several start-up projects,
Holger was assigned the DCAF joint venture.
“The two partners found each other accidentally
when DaimlerChrysler Aviation at the time sold
one of its aircraft to the Al-Futtaim Group,” Holger
explains. “Through this sale, we won the Al-Futtaim
Group as an aircraft management client and we’ve
had a supplier-client relationship since 2007. That
relationship built up to such a degree that, not long
after, both parties started talking about a potential
project in Dubai.” Towards the end of 2010, Holger
began bringing this joint venture idea to life. In 2012,
he was appointed its General Manager, and in 2017,
its Managing Director.
DCAF combines the services of a private jet
operator with the standard procedures of international
airlines. It is the largest private jet company in
Germany and the only one with a fully integrated
hangar and VIP lounge in the Dubai World Central
airport. “We provide discreet aviation services to
clients with high expectations in a fast-changing
environment,” says Holger. “Besides the technical
delivery of services, operations and maintenance
requirements, it is of extreme importance that we
keep the client and their requirements in focus.
“We provide aeroplane transportation to high and
ultra-high net worth individuals to make their liveseasier. That is the ultimate goal. You want them to
return, saying, ‘I liked that’. The best thing is when
customers talk to their peers and say DCAF is
trustworthy and they had an amazing experience
in Dubai. That’s what we want.”
Part of keeping up with client requirements
means holding the most popular aircraft. “You move
from the Embraer to the Dassault, the Bombardier
or the Gulfstream aircraft,” Holger explains. “A little
higher up the food chain, you’ve got the Airbus
corporate jets and Boeing business jets. The market in
Dubai prefers larger aircraft. This has to do with the
demographics of the local population where you have
an above-average number of high and ultra-high net
worth individuals from inside the region – Pakistan,
India – and the Western world.”Since its inception, DCAF has made safety its
utmost priority. There is nothing else perceived to
be more important. This ideology is backed by the
stringent regulations in the aviation industry and
that DC Aviation, one half of DCAF’s joint venture
partner, successfully completed IATA’s Operational
Safety Audit (IOSA), which is widely considered the
quality standard for commercial airlines.
“For years, many scheduled and charter airlines
have considered this audit to be a general standard
requirement, though this is not the case for business
jet operators. The successful completion of this
certification clearly indicates the mission of DCAF’s
operations in Dubai – to provide the highest levels
of services,” says Holger.
Looking ahead, Holger is confident there is room
for growth. “Dubai will continue to be an
international marketplace so people will continue to
travel here in their private and business jets,” Holger
says. “With it, comes the demand to grow the services
around aircraft for VIP passengers.
“We have just added hangar number two. We
are fairly confident in how our business is going to
develop and we are also looking to increase our
footprint in the region.”“ Customers talk to their peers
and say DCAF is trustworthy and
they had an amazing experience ...
That’s what we want.”
Interview | INSPIRE