Aircraft Management at Zurich Airport
Owning a business jet should feel like freedom, not administration. Swiss Global Jet Management has provided aircraft management from Zurich Airport in Kloten since 2002, taking care of everything that happens between one flight and the next so that owners keep full use of their aircraft without the operational burden that comes with it.
A family-owned company, in its second generation
Swiss Global Jet was founded in 2002 by John Rageth, who brought more than forty-five years of aviation experience to it. The company is still independent and family-owned, and is now led by Désirée R. Rageth, his daughter, as CEO and Accountable Manager. The generational handover has already taken place, which for an owner entrusting an aircraft for the next ten or fifteen years is not a detail.
Independence has a concrete meaning here. We are not owned by a manufacturer, a broker or a fractional programme. When we advise you on a maintenance decision, on a sale or on whether to offer your aircraft for charter, we have no other interest to serve.
What aircraft management covers
Aircraft management means running your aircraft as a complete operation on your behalf. In practice it breaks down into four areas, and we take responsibility for all of them
Flight operations
Our sales and dispatch team plans and coordinates every flight, from routing and slots to handling, permits and ground arrangements. You tell us where you need to be. We take care of what it takes to get you there.
Crew
Your aircraft is flown by crew we select, train and roster, and continuity matters: owners who fly regularly see the same faces in the cabin. Our pilots complete recurrent type training twice a year at FlightSafety International or CAE, with further refresher training through the year, so that the crew on your aircraft is always current on the type and on the technology in the cockpit.
Maintenance and airworthiness
We coordinate scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, manage the maintenance programme and keep the technical records that keep your aircraft airworthy. Work is carried out at an EASA-approved maintenance organisation, and continuing airworthiness is managed through a CAMO, so that your aircraft stays compliant without you having to follow the paperwork.
Administration and cost control
Insurance, registration, invoicing, fuel agreements, budgets and reporting. You receive a clear picture of what your aircraft costs and why, and you deal with one team rather than a dozen suppliers.
How our operation is structured
Swiss Global Jet Management is the management company. Commercial flight operations are carried out under the Air Operator Certificate of Jet Pool Network Luftverkehrs GmbH, our sister company at Vienna Airport, founded in 2004 by the same founder and part of the same family group.
For an owner, this structure has a practical advantage. You deal with one team in Kloten for everything concerning your aircraft, while the aircraft operates within an established EASA air operator framework, with the safety management system, the oversight and the reporting that come with it. You get the responsiveness of a small management company and the discipline of a certified operator, without carrying the cost of a certificate of your own.
If you are comparing management companies, ask each of them under which AOC your aircraft would fly, and who holds it. It is the most important question in the conversation, and the answers are not always as clear as ours.
Why owners base their aircraft in Zurich
Zurich Airport is Switzerland's main gateway for business aviation, with dedicated general aviation infrastructure and direct access to the financial and industrial centres of the German-speaking region. For an owner based in or around Zurich, having the aircraft, the crew and the management team in the same place removes a layer of distance that costs time on every trip.
Our offices are at Oberfeldstrasse 20 in Kloten, minutes from the airport. When something needs a decision, someone from our team is already there.
Charter revenue on your managed aircraft
If you choose to, your aircraft can generate revenue on the days you are not flying it. We market it through our charter operation and handle bookings, pricing and execution, so that ownership costs are offset without compromising your own access to the aircraft. You always have priority.
Positioning flights that would otherwise fly empty are also sold as empty legs, which recovers cost on movements you are paying for in any case. And when your own aircraft is in scheduled maintenance, we can keep you flying on another aircraft from the fleet.
How much does aircraft management cost?
There is no single figure, and any operator who gives you one before seeing your aircraft is guessing. The cost depends on the type, the annual hours flown, where the aircraft is based and whether it is offered for charter.
What we can tell you is how the cost is built. A management agreement separates a fixed monthly management fee, which covers our team and the administration of your operation, from the variable costs of flying: fuel, handling, navigation charges, crew expenses and maintenance reserves. Where an owner opts for charter, that revenue is credited against those costs.
We will build a budget for your specific aircraft before you commit to anything, so that you can see the annual figure and compare it properly against other proposals.
The aircraft we manage
Our
managed fleet operates out of Zurich and has been built up over two decades of owner mandates. It covers everything from short regional hops to intercontinental missions.
Frequently asked questions
Do you hold your own Air Operator Certificate?
No, and we prefer to be explicit about it. Swiss Global Jet Management is the management company; commercial operations run under the AOC of Jet Pool Network Luftverkehrs GmbH, our Austrian sister company within the same family group. Your aircraft therefore flies within an established EASA operator framework, managed by a team you can reach in Kloten.
How is aircraft management different from fractional ownership?
With fractional ownership you buy a share of an aircraft you do not control and fly it alongside other shareholders. With aircraft management you own the aircraft outright and we run it for you. You keep the asset, the choice of interior, the crew and the availability. We take on the operation.
Can I keep my existing crew?
In most cases yes. Where an owner is transferring an aircraft from another operator, we look first at retaining the crew who already know the aircraft and the owner's preferences, subject to our own training standards.
Can my aircraft earn revenue while I am not using it?
Yes, if you want it to. Owners who choose to place their aircraft in our charter operation offset a meaningful share of the fixed cost of ownership, and keep priority access to their own aircraft. Owners who prefer exclusive use simply keep it that way.
Talk to us about your aircraft
Every aircraft and every owner is different, so the useful conversation is a specific one. Tell us the type, where you would like it based and roughly how much you expect to fly, and we will come back with a management proposal and a realistic annual budget.