Leading international aviation fuel supplier Air BP continues to grow its business in the Middle East with the successful inauguration of its first off–airport site in the region. The new location, at the HeliDubaiFesitval City (DFC) Heli-pad, was the venue for the test refuelling of HeliDubai’s Augusta 109 by the Air BP operations team in June. Following the successful fuelling,complete control of HeliDubai’sfuelling operations was handed over to its operational team as HeliDubai became the first Air BP customer in the Middle East to sign up to the OMEGA programme.

Air BP’s customer focusedOMEGA – Operations Manual for External General Aviation – product is a tailored operational support and training programme which has been designed to ensure that customers such as airport operators, heliport operators and refuelling contractors can achieve high levels of operating standards when handling fuel. Air BP and HeliDubai worked closely to tailor-make from the ground up both the package of fuelling equipment and operating procedures required at the site. The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has also been a key stakeholder in the project, culminating in a safety oversight audit which took place successfully on 29th June.

The new location provides HeliDubai with increased flexibility as it enables the operator to balance more efficiently the passenger-to-fuel weight load enabling a greater number of passengers to travel through the heliport. Air BP anticipates that the bespoke fuelling operation will prove to be highly popular with DFC, the operator, and customers alike.

“We are very pleased to report that this project, which was first conceived in 2012, has finally culminated in the first fuellingat the HeliDubai Festival City Heli-pad. The fuelling was very successful and the operation went very smoothly,”said Robert Gerritsen, Air BP’s General Aviation Business Manager Middle East and Africa. “It has been a real team effort to get to thefirst fuelling at ourfirst OMEGA site in the Middle East,and we are delighted to have realized this project together with the HeliDubai team.”

The Heli-pad at DFC was opened last year and comprises two pads with a 15 tonne total capacity at the520hectare (1,300 acre), premier waterfront urban development.

About Air BP

As the aviation division of BP, Air BP is one of the world’s largest suppliers of aviation fuel products and services with over 1,100 employees. It currently supplies over seven and a half billion gallons of jet kerosene and aviation gasoline to its customers across the globe each year.

Through its direct operations, Air BP fuels more than 6,400 flights every day – that’s over four aircraft every minute or one every 15 seconds. The company operates at more than 600 global locations in over 45 countries serving customers from the private pilot to some of the world’s largest airlines.

Air BP customers include commercial airlines, the military, business and private aircraft owners, as well as international airports and airfield operators.

Air BP’s technical and operations experts provide a complete aviation fuel consultancy service, including the design, build and operation of aviation fuelling facilities, to help customers protect their operations and manage risks.

Air BP’s services for the General Aviation and Business Aviation sector include the Sterling Card, which can be used throughout the global network, including self-serve locations, providing easy access to fuel for thousands of Air BP clients including private pilots, aircraft management companies and corporate flight departments. Air BP’s card programmes were introduced in 1993 to bridge the gap between airline, general business and private aviation customers as an easy means of payment for aviation fuel on an as needed basis.