Hadid Establishes U.S. Flight Support Operations Center

Flight support group Hadid International has a new U.S. operations office to boost services for customers in North and South America. The company’s hub at Houston William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) was opened earlier this year inside the Galaxy FBO terminal.

According to Moaiad Shammout, the Dubai-based group’s regional director for the Americas, its expanded presence in the U.S. allows it to get closer to customers in that market. The company already has an established sales force in the Texas city, and they are now supporting an operations team that is expected to grow.

Established in 1981, Hadid specializes in tasks such as securing overflight and landing permits, as well as arranging refueling and ground handling. It has a strong presence in markets such as the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, where there is limited support infrastructure.

As part of efforts to make its services more accessible to clients, the company has integrated the Leon software tool with its own Compass customer support portal. This is intended to make it easier for operators to access key data such as flight briefs, visa documentation, and fuel releases.

Hadid also offers clients access to the FuelerLinx aviation fuel-planning and tankering software that helps to automate the fuel supply process. Another partnership with G3 Global Services supports clients in securing visas through the company’s 62 offices worldwide.

Shammout said Hadid is seeing increased business aircraft traffic into and within Saudi Arabia in response to growing economic opportunities in the country and across the wider Middle East region. Demand for flight support has also been increasing in India, he added.

Meanwhile, the first students began classes last month at the Intercontinental Aviation Academy GCC, which Hadid launched in February through a partnership with Intercontinental Aviation Enterprise. The college, which is located at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (OMRK) in United Arab Emirates, is focused on providing operational training for aviation personnel, including pilots, cabin crew, and flight-support teams. The facility includes flight simulators and Diamond DA40 training aircraft.