Dubai-based aircraft brokerage ArcosJet has purchased shares in private heliport operator Air Chateau as part of a plan to develop a large-scale helicopter project in the UAE. Air Chateau owns an eight-pad commercial heliport at the VIP terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport that began operations in November 2021.
This base will serve as the foundation of an ecosystem to operate and service privately owned helicopters in the region. Air Chateau also will operate the country's first off-airport commercial helicopter hangar, slated to open by April 2024.
“We see an unfilled market niche in developing private helicopter infrastructure in the UAE,” said ArcosJet founder and CEO Mikhail Alenkin. “Together with Air Chateau, and with support of the government of Dubai, we expect to unite heliports across the Emirates into one network with Dubai South and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub, which will greatly improve door-to-door accessibility of the entire area.”
“Creating an all-round ecosystem to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient helicopter operations should meet the current demand on the part of the transport system, passengers, and helicopter owners to improve accessibility and passenger mobility in Dubai and the UAE. We are confident that our partnership with ArcosJet is a new step…along that path,” said Air Chateau co-founder and CEO Shilton Tony Irudayaraj.