Luxaviation Group has appointed Joachim Krüger as vice president of northern Europe and managing director of the German entities, and Paul van der Blom as director for commercial development of the northern European region. These two appointments are part of a strategy to reinforce its activities in the German market by counting on renowned experts, well positioned in the local ecosystem. Van der Blom, who is now part of Krüger’s team and based in Munich, will oversee the development of the client market, the fleet’s growth and the sale and management of aircraft and other services for clients in the region.

Krüger says: "Luxaviation is well established in the German market. With Paul joining the team, we can rely on a deep knowledge of the local economy. This is in line with the local strategy deployed during 2022 to consolidate our footprint in Germany. The strengthening of our teams confirms our commitment to providing global support to our clients and allows us to accentuate our development, particularly in Germany, which represents a mature and dynamic aeronautical market and a source of opportunities.”

After the positive results of 2022, the group has been able to invest in new projects, making Germany one of the strategic development targets in Europe. In terms of its fleet, Luxaviation has enjoyed great success with the Citation and the Dornier 328 aircraft, whose ample baggage space make them the preferred aircraft for political missions, brokers or travellers with bulky luggage (golfers, skiers, music bands, etc), as well as the Gulfstream G450, a long-range aircraft offering great flexibility of use. Luxaviation has reinforced its crew to have full charter availability of its aircraft and now flies to the Caribbean and South and North America. The crew also has strong experience in Africa.

In the charter business in Denmark, the Challenger 605 proved to be successful during the summer with peak utilisations of over 100 hours per month. The offices in Berlin and Munich now have a local sales team to further increase local reach, and the new Luxembourg-based Cessna M2 D-IBLU has increased charter activity and strengthened local sales activity.

Luxaviation will also focus on developing the excellence of its FBOs for 2023. Those at Berlin and Munich are high revenue generators for the airports, and the service experience for customers will be enhanced primarily through the development and improvement of facilities at both sites as well as investment in crew amenities. In Berlin, the company is focusing on the refurbishment of the current general aviation terminal, notably the customs and security area, at Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg in order to meet new European Standards in 2023.

Krüger has more than 20 years of experience in the business aviation sector. He joined the German Air Force and enrolled in officer training before training in logistics at Dachser Kempten and working as a consultant for the Middle East. He continued his career as an independent cargo/freight broker for VW in Hannover. Prior to joining Luxaviation he founded FairJets with Dr Dirk Bruse, which was acquired by Luxaviation in 2011.

Van der Blom has 30 years of experience in commercial aviation in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He has held various positions in aircraft management and sales with operators and aircraft manufacturers. He holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Delft in the Netherlands and various management degrees from IMD Switzerland.