Dubai-based UAS International Trip Support has seen strong levels of business in the U.S. this year, company co-founder and CEO Omar Hosari told AIN on the eve of NBAA-BACE 2023.
“UAS Americas has enjoyed a highly successful year in 2023,” said Hosari. “Our flights and operations have seen remarkable growth, with our local business and client base expanding, particularly in the Part 91 segment. Additionally, we've witnessed a substantial increase in inbound traffic to the U.S. market, notably from the Asian and European markets.”
Hosari believes the U.S. aviation sector is in better health than ever. In response to demand, UAS has expanded its operations team and made significant investments in technologies and solutions to better serve its growing clientele. It opened its Americas headquarters in Houston in 2013.
“Looking ahead to next year, our outlook is exceptionally promising," Hosari said. "We already have several flights booked for early 2024, signaling a strengthening and improving business trajectory. Furthermore, we have extended our presence into Latin America to provide support for our U.S. flights. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”
UAS’s strength in the African and Chinese markets in the past decade has been noteworthy. “In recent years, we have concentrated on investing in strong regional expertise at various locations on the continent of Africa and in Greater China,” Hosari said. “These networks are now established and incredibly effective, offering unrivaled support to international operators flying to these locations. More recently, we have expanded our presence and added new locations in South America and Southeast Asia.”
UAS’s focus is to continue to expand its ground presence and network through strong partnerships at key locations. Hosari said it is now well placed to meet the growing needs of the South American markets.
“In recent times we have seen demand for more comprehensive ground support in the form of dedicated supervision requests as the operational challenges experienced during the pandemic left an indelible mark on the former operating landscape,” he said. “These days, operators are taking extra measures to ensure that they avoid any potential delays or complications in trip execution. We foresee this only intensifying.”
UAS’s efforts to promote sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) have yet to gain substantial traction, mirroring the struggles of the rest of the industry. “Uptake for SAF remains quite low despite our efforts to encourage it,” Hosari said.
“The major obstacle is that operators need to know that once they make the switch, SAF will be widely available to them globally, as well as being affordable," he added. "Unfortunately, right now this is not the case. We would be delighted to see the Middle East become a production hub for SAF and lead the charge and set an example for the entire world to follow.”
Earlier this year, UAS became an "industry partner" of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). “[In this role], we assist IBAC in shaping standards before they are adopted and applied as regulations by civil aviation authorities in their countries,” Hosari said.
“We will also participate in an IBAC advisory committee,” he added. “This was a natural step for UAS because we share IBAC’s passion and commitment to helping communicate and demonstrate the benefits of business aviation to the global economy and society at large. We have joined a powerful force to ensure the sustainable future of the industry we love.”
The company launched the UAS Global Trip Manager earlier last year and claims it has proved a game-changing tool for operators. “Our client testimonials describe it as a highly effective planning tool that is versatile and flexible, offering insight and information through the airport and country databases,” Hosari said.
“This is exactly what we envisioned when we designed it—to put the power to manage all their trip-planning needs easily and effectively directly into operators’ hands,” he further explained.
UAS is adding capabilities to empower users to manage finances, pay bills, and chat directly with vendors. It also plans to offer features such as automated passenger information systems, hotel desk, and a map-planning engine.
“These new features, as well as a whole host of third-party integrations, will mean that operators enjoy even more power and connectivity—exactly what they demand,” Hosari concluded.