PrivatPort Brings Its FBO Network to Cancún and Tulum

Next week, PrivatPort will mark the official opening of its new Mexican FBOs at Cancún International Airport (MMUN) and Tulum’s Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport (MMTL), which serve nearby tourist resorts on the Riviera Maya coast. The two sites are among the new FBOs that the group—a newly spun-off business aviation subsidiary of airline ground handler Swissport—is adding to a network that includes private aviation support at another 84 airports worldwide.

Desigen Vythilingum, PrivatPort’s newly appointed chief commercial officer, told AIN that the company is now seeking to convince operators to try the high level of care it says it can deliver through a more focused approach to business aviation. The group also named Aldo Salzillo chief operating officer this week.

The other FBOs are in Geneva; Auckland and Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand; and the Moroccan cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, and Tangier. Many PrivatPort teams around the globe formerly operated under the Swissport Executive brand.

According to Vythilingum, there is plenty of opportunity for “granular, organic growth” at the locations now under the PrivatPort umbrella. “Many of our [Swissport] employees had significant passenger service experience and wanted to get into providing this level of service,” he commented.

Dubai Operations Center

At the heart of the network is PrivatPort’s new flight operations control center (OCC) in Dubai. The facility provides operators with 24/7 global support, and a single point of contact can arrange all aspects of service wherever needed.

Vythilingum said the team there can provide clients with all the help they might normally entrust to a trip support group. He recently moved to PrivatPort after working for UAS International Trip Support.

PrivatPort’s local handling teams are now providing their OCC colleagues with all the information they need from across the airport network to be able to accurately guide operators on what can be delivered. The company said business aviation traffic levels have remained fairly consistent this year, though aircraft types have fluctuated by region, with operators deploying some smaller jets to make trips more cost-effective.

The group has some ambitions to provide service in other parts of North America. However, with the FBO sector in the U.S. “very saturated with brands,” Vythilingum said this growth might come about through a partnership model, and discussions are now progressing with various parties.