ExecuJet hands over newly refurbished King Air B200 to the South African Air Force (SAAF)

ExecuJet Aviation Group has completed refurbishment of a Beechcraft King Air B200 for the South African Air Force (SAAF) and handed the aircraft over during a ceremony held at Waterkloof Air Force Base, near Pretoria.

On the 30 June, the King Air B200 was officially handed over to the Chief of Air Staff Operations, Maj Gen W. S. Mbambo at a ceremony held at 28 Squadron, AFB Waterkloof. The event was attended by the Chief of Air Force, his team of Generals and Senior Officers, Armscor CEO and Senior Managers, ExecuJet VP Africa, Ettore Poggi and ExecuJet GM: Government Contracts, Steve Bothma joined by the ExecuJet Maintenance team responsible for the refurbished King Air.

Ettore Poggi, VP Africa, ExecuJet Aviation Group, says: “The King Air B200 aircraft has been out of operational service for almost three years and has undergone extensive work by our expert refurbishment team. This included the installation of a new digital Garmin 1000 avionics system, interior and exterior refurbishment as well as a major maintenance inspection. Following extensive testing, we are delighted to hand the aircraft to the SAAF today and look forward to working on the rest of the fleet.”

ExecuJet was awarded the contract to refurbish the entire SAAF King Air fleet in August 2014, with the first aircraft undergoing maintenance work in November 2014.

The South African Air Force regards this refurbishment programme as an enhancement of the air transport value chain.

ExecuJet is an approved Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier Aerospace, Dassault and Honeywell Engine Approved Service Centre and holds dealerships for avionics OEMs such as Honeywell, Universal, Rockwell Collins, Avidyne Corporation and Garmin.