Staying Grounded

If you need an example of sheer tenacity, unbridled determination and steely courage, meet Adel Mardini. The CEO and president of Jetex Flight Support, headquartered in Dubai, hasn’t inherited his success and it hasn't come without a fight

- Varun Godinho

“I WAS A driver in Damascus taking the crew between the aircraft and the terminal. The crew were always complaining about the facilities, lounges and service levels in the lounges at the airport,” explains Adel Mardini – now the CEO and president of Jetex Flight Support – of his early days when his only connection to aviation was ferrying flight staff.

That bickering by the crew meant that Mardini struck upon one of those life-changing epiphanies, deciding to set up high-quality terminals for passengers and crew of private aircraft. He borrowed money from a family member to start up his own business and Jetex Flight Support was established in 2005.

Based in the UAE, the company was launched at the Dubai Airshow that year. At the event, Mardini went all out, from flags to billboards to sponsorships to make sure that the bright orange branding of his company disrupted the muted sea of greys and blacks chosen by traditional players. While Jetex began by building flight plans and offering ground support to private jet flights, Mardini set upon building the company's first private jet terminal – fixed base operator (FBO) in aviation speak – at Paris Le Bourget Airport.

“There are only two companies in the world doing FBOs, logistics and flight support – and we are one of them,” he says.

“Starting from 2005, it took us four years to build our first terminal. We spent that time building our platform, the network, the connections and the slots we required to set up such a business.”

Until Jetex entered the business, FBOs were largely dreary terminals with cheap coffee and non-existent customer service. They were purely functional spaces that served as a no-frills access point to private jets.