Texel Air Bahrain and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) have signed an MOU to form a strategic alliance to develop Middle East and international aviation opportunities.
The MOU details an agreement to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to secure financing for Texel’s fleet and facilities expansion in Bahrain, with special provision to grow the Texel brand and AOCs into other identified areas of interest.
Texel Air, a cargo airline and MRO based in Bahrain, has recently expanded its fleet with the addition of a second B737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), with a third aircraft entering conversion this December and a further two aircraft planned to enter service in 2023.
The fleet serves a diverse customer base across the Middle East, Turkey, East Africa and global markets specialising in ACMI contracts.
SNC, a privately owned global aerospace and defence contracting company, employs 5,000 personnel and is a Tier One supplier to the US Government and other customers worldwide.
Fatih Ozmen, chief executive of SNC, endorsed Texel’s growth strategy and noted that the B737- 800BCF is experiencing high demand in the global air cargo market.
He welcomed the opportunity for SNC to continue its expansion into commercial aviation with Texel Air to develop new destinations across the Middle East and other global markets in the ACMI business by deploying its BCF fleet and developing supporting infrastructure in Bahrain.
He noted that Chisholm Enterprises, Texel’s parent company, and SNC are expanding a long association to further develop mutually advantageous opportunities in the ACMI, MRO and finance areas, leveraging Bahrain’s strategic location and the government’s business-friendly environment.
Texel Air chairman John Chisholm said: “We are pleased to see Bahrain as a launch pad for yet another aviation initiative, the first of its kind in Bahrain.” Chisholm thanked the Government of Bahrain, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication’s Civil Aviation Affairs and Bahrain Airport Company for providing “an ecosystem and infrastructure that supports our business development and enables our growth”.
