Contributor - Middle East

Peter Shaw-Smith

Appointed v-p of sales for VIP and special aircraft services at Lufthansa Technik (LHT) in August, Fabian Nagel is well into the process of mastering a complex technical brief. A special focus on a unique part of the world for private aviation—the Middle East—is key to success in the job.
LHT looks at trends these customers watch: yachts, cars, luxury hotels, and private residences. “In the end, that all ends up in the airplane,” Nagel told AIN. “We’ve had relationships with almost all our Middle East clients for 20 to 30 years. We know them and they know us. I would say personal relationships are very good.”
Nagel has almost 10 years of prior experience dealing with Middle Eastern customers in product sales and aftermarket components. Most VIP customers have a component contract with LHT. He now interacts with them regarding not only the cabin but also the aircraft’s technical systems.
Two years ago, the company decided to focus on larger aircraft. It has a good deal of engineering and operational expertise on the Boeing 747-8, where Lufthansa is one of very few operators. “It is a very nice aircraft, but it’s also technically challenging as it's not the world’s newest plane,” Nagel said.
He sees a move away from B747 and Airbus A340 bizliners. “We expect operators to invest in new aircraft as the older aircraft no longer offer MRO support,” he said. “Today, it’s the B787s or A350s.”
Commercial versions of the B777, A350, and A330neo are all coming to the VIP market. “Next up is the B777X. It's going to be a great aircraft,” Nagel said.
Commercial service entry for this widebody airplane is currently projected in 2026. “VIP customers are hesitant to buy it,” he said. “They want to see more of the type in service and still regard it as a test aircraft.”
Delays to the 777X program were not a problem, given LHT’s flexibility. It can usually complete two widebodies and two narrowbodies at a time, or just several narrowbodies. Demand for the A320—both ceo and neo—and B737-based BBJs—both NG and Max—is said to be huge. Although very Middle East-centered in the VIP role, widebodies exist throughout the world as mostly head-of-state, special mission, and medevac aircraft.
“Owners in Asia now have A350s; there's the stock of the Air Force Ones in the U.S., but the widebody market is really in the Middle East, where our customers are all widebody owners,” Nagel noted.
Compared to corporate A320s or European head-of-state aircraft, he sees Middle East aircraft as much more elegant. In contrast, German government widebody aircraft—while refined—are more focused on functionality due to accountability office involvement.
“The nice thing about the Middle East is that all our customers are different, with a unique heritage—and unique expectations,” he said. “Owners can be very demanding, looking to modernize the aircraft, associated products, comforts, and on-board activities. Customer tastes are changing. Designs are modernizing but remain heavily reliant on tradition.”
Elegance, advanced surface materials, and very individual complex designs are the hallmarks of Middle East aircraft. Asian businesses—technology concerns, mobile phone companies, or car manufacturers—operate corporate jets with more pragmatic designs. “Middle East aircraft are the finest and most well-designed—super high-end,” Nagel said.
While these customers embrace their Arab heritage, they're also very open to tech gadgets and, as drivers of innovation and in-flight entertainment, invest in the kind of products a commercial airliner will not see for at least the next decade.
“What I like about the region is that they are very tradition-oriented—local colors, graphics and schematics, ornaments that are radically inspired and then merged with the latest technology,” he said. “As a European, you get a glimpse of a region we don't usually [see]. They use tradition to create a plane that substantially differs from U.S. or Asian models.”
Nagel said Celestial Star, LHT's VIP design for the BBJ777-9, was still a rendering but came closest to revealing what Middle Eastern VIP and government cabins looked like. “It doesn't exist yet,” he said.
“It is the starting point for the discussion—then you customize. Middle East customers don’t buy off the shelf. We can customize any request: that's the general rule. Every single plane in the Middle East is highly customized.”
Nagel always wanted to come back to this side of the business and saw it as a great opportunity. “I'm really looking forward to it,” he concluded.

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