Gama Aviation reveals new features at its 80,000 sqm business aviation centre (“BAC”) including a new look lounge and the incorporation of leasable office space.

Gama Aviation’s Fixed Base Operation (”FBO”) strategic business unit is pleased to provide the business aviation community with a further update on the development of its new Business Aviation Centre at Sharjah International Airport. Targeting an opening late in Q2, 2025, the new facility will add significant business aviation infrastructure to Sharjah International Airport.

Easy to reach facility
The new Business Aviation Centre at Sharjah International Airport is a c30 minute drive from Downtown Dubai and c20 minutes from the Dubai financial district, DIFC.

Minimal transition times between airside and landside
The Business Aviation Centre has been planned with 40 years of operational experience at its core to minimise transition times. The design of the building allows passengers to flow through the facility, with the very minimum amount of time required outside of the comfort of their transport. Once at the aircraft, there  is a short 5 min taxi to the departure position (80% of all departures) and with no slot restrictions for general aviation traffic, passengers do not loose valuable time waiting to depart. Arriving aircraft have similar advantages, allowing passengers to depart from the aircraft swiftly to optimise their time in the region.

Crew friendly environment
Care has been taken in the building design to ensure flight crews with longer stopovers have dedicated rest areas including two innovative ‘rest pods.’ Flight crews that are stopping overnight may also make use of the concierge style service for transport, hotels, and reservations. For flight crews with short turnaround times, the operations team are to be found adjacent to the flight crew rooms, providing instant responses to requests whether that is for last minute catering or line maintenance tasks.

A welcoming, discreet lounge experience
The lounge is comprised of a quiet area, central lounge, and an observation bar. Each area has been carefully appointed to caterer for the needs of individuals as well as family groups. The quiet area, using floor to ceiling sliding panels provides either a private space or is opened as part of the wider lounge space. A raised observation bar provides uninterrupted views of the apron with speciality refreshments including a wide selection of juices curated to match the time of day. In the central lounge area families can relax in comfort and privacy, with personal service from our kitchen while their entourage assembles prior to departure.

Taking care of business
The FBO will contain an amount of office space that will be available for short or long lease, ideal for flight operations teams working with regionally based aircraft that require a cost-effective base at a business aviation friendly international airport.

Tom Murphy, Managing Director, FBO, comments: “We have spent a good deal of time benchmarking other FBOs around the world to create a facility that is focused on providing a highly personalised experience to our clients whether they transition directly to their aircraft or spend a few minutes enjoying our hospitality. This same focus has been applied to the flight crew. The importance of good crew rest is paramount to flight safety and again we have tried to ensure their experience is balanced for short or long stopovers.”

Marwan Khalek, Group Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Our total investment in the business aviation centre in Sharjah International Airport, and its sister facility at Jersey International Airport, will exceed c$100M. This investment is building infrastructure to meet demand at both locations, offering business aviation operators a discrete, bespoke service for their discerning passengers.”

Gama Aviation will be attending MEBAA between 10 -12^th December and can be found on stand 1170 within the main exhibition hall.