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Flight Consulting Group sets the pace for Baltic Business Aviation

19/08/2015 by Aviation Times

The Flight Consulting Group, a Latvian holding company that specializes in business aviation services, is celebrating 15 years of being in business. During that time the Flight Consulting Group as proved itself as a reliable partner to many clients, the company continues to grow and is aiming to double in size by expanding its service portfolio.

The Flight Consulting Group started by offering international flight support, charter flight management and handling for non-scheduled flights at Riga International Airport. The company quickly became one of the leading business aviation service providers in the ex-Soviet territory.

In 2009 the Group established the first FBO (Fixed Base Operator) in the Baltic States resulting in the launch of the FBO RIGA business aviation center at Riga International Airport. By 2010 there were 20 business jets based at the airport making Riga one of the leading business aviation centers in Europe. Today the Flight Consulting Group is preparing for the launch of a new state-of-art business aviation center, FBO RIGA, at Riga International Airport. The grand opening of the new business aviation center is scheduled for September 9, 2015.

Speaking about how business aviation has developed in Latvia and the prospects for the future of the Flight Consultancy Group co-owner Roman Starkov states that there is moderate growth (1.5-2%) in the market. Leonid Gorodnitski, co-owner of the Flight Consulting Group sees this as an opportunity to attract new clients by offering a combination of price and quality criteria which means that the company has consistently managed to exceed the overall growth rate.

Currently the Flight Consulting Group is handling about 80 percent of non-scheduled flights in the airports throughout the Baltic States, Belorussia and Kaliningrad (Russia). It is also providing dispatch services to more than 90 aircraft of different types, from the Beechcraft Premier 1 to Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jets from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Malta, etc. The total number of flights handled and serviced by the Flight Consulting Group exceeds 80,000 in 125 countries and 2500 airports across the globe.

Leonid Gorodnitski advises “We do flight support for aircraft from all over the world, so regarding the Flight Consulting Group Ops center some of the aircraft that we support may not even be flying to Latvia. Most of our clients are from the nearest countries in a radius 1000-1500 km (Russia, CIS countries, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe).”

The Flight Consulting Group includes FBO RIGA, a certified ground handling provider and operator of the business aviation center in Riga International Airport. Roman Starkov sees this as one of the Flight Consulting Group’s most important projects. He advises that the engineering design and development department has participated in different consulting projects in CIS countries during the last 8 years. One of the key aspects of this is the creation of Flight Consulting Group’s unique software for business aviation. The company’s flagship IT-product – Flight Consulting Group ATOM (Air Trip Order Management) combines ERP, CRM, Flight Planning and Business Analytics. The software not only meets the needs of its users but also sets new standards for all market participants. The Flight Consulting Group’s policy is to constantly work on the development and improvement of the software to ensure it is the most up-to-date and modern software available.

Looking ahead to the forthcoming Baltic Business Aviation Forum (BBAF) Mr Starkov is delighted that Flight Consulting Group will play a major part in the event. Speaking about the Forum he says “The BBAF has a great value for our region. It’s a unique platform for communication between industry professionals with interesting lectures and discussions.” Leonid Gorodnitski adds “Besides there is not only official part, but also common culture and networking activities in the outstanding location of the Baltic Sea shore which unites delegates into a big, friendly team that goes beyond any international borders.”

While some international delegates may be put off by the current international tension in the wider region Roman Starkov suggests that this should not deter them from coming to the Forum. Both owners agree that despite the political situation in the region, the work goes on and business continues to develop. It is hoped that the political situation will stabilize in the near future which will result in a very positive impact for the regions business aviation sector.

To summarise Mr Starkov reflects that “15 years is a period when one can safely judge if the business has been a success. I am very proud of Flight Consulting Group’s achievements. Of course, this is the result of the hard work of our team where each member is a true professional in their field of expertise. From the very first day we strived to provide integrated, high-quality and most-effective services in business aviation with an individual approach to every customer. We will continue our progressive development and will constantly improve our services for the benefit of our clients, partners and the whole market”.

Leonid Gorodnitski added “We are proud of our business results and we will put every effort to increase the scope of services on offer while continually improving the quality that we deliver.”