Vito's vital statistics

ASM was established in the British Virgin Islands in 1998, initially offering consultancy services for aviation companies. The Dubai office was opened in 2004 to cater to the needs of airlines, corporate jets, and private operators.

Based in Dubai, ASM has been serving the commercial and business aviation industry for 25 years. It provides comprehensive trip support services worldwide, such as 24/7 aviation fuelling, ground handling, permits and navigation, route planning, flight tracking and supervision, and flight diversion management.

ASM also owns a fleet of Learjet 60XRs and provides VIP and Medevac charter services. In September 2023, the company received its AOC to operate in the UAE, making it the only company in the region to provide both in-house flight support services and aircraft management services. Currently, the company operates two 60XRs and is in the process of acquiring a Challenger 605 aircraft.

According to Vito Gomes, CEO and founder of ASM, his company provides ground handling, aircraft fuelling, flight planning, and other ground services such as hotel arrangements. “We ventured further into charter flights. We purchased aircraft to provide air ambulance services to different destinations, carrying medevac passengers who need to be transported from A to B in cases of medical emergencies," Gomes said.

Gomes stated that ASM is serving the growing market in the Middle East. “Our head office in Dubai provides flight support services 24/7. We also offer charter flight services.

According to Gomes, new general aviation operators are joining the market in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. “The market is growing, and we need more aircraft of different sizes to operate to various destinations. That’s why we are acquiring long-range aircraft to compete with other operators and ensure we stay in the business.”

In its efforts to consolidate its market in the Middle East, ASM is in the process of opening an office in Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia is a promising market,” Gomes said.

“I visited Saudi Arabia recently and held discussions with various stakeholders to understand how we can develop our market there. Operating from Dubai to Saudi Arabia, you can carry passengers into Saudi Arabia, but you cannot carry passengers out of Saudi Arabia to another destination or within the country due to the cabotage rules of the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority.

The best solution we came up with is to establish a joint venture company with a Saudi local company, allowing us to operate flights within Saudi Arabia. That gives us the opportunity to carry passengers from Riyadh to Jeddah. It took us a long time to put all the necessary procedures in place, and now we are almost there,” Gomes said.

ASM is also expanding its operations into Africa. “Africa is an emerging market,” says Gomes. The company has an office in Nairobi, Kenya, close to the airport. “We provide services like ground handling and aircraft fuelling. We serve a number of international airlines, including Kenya Airways.”

ASM's Nairobi office serves other African countries, including Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, and Ethiopia. “We operate charter flights to Ethiopia and fly Hajj flights from various African countries to Saudi Arabia.”

The air transport market in Africa is growing. However, operators face a number of hurdles that affect their operations on the continent, with high taxes being one of the major challenges.

According to Gomes, passenger and airport taxes are burdensome. “There are various agencies collecting the same tax from the same airport,” he lamented. “We always look for opportunities to develop more destinations in Africa, including acquiring ground-handling companies at airports. I hope things will improve as the market in Africa continues to grow,” he added.

With an annual turnover of one billion USD, ASM has 86 staff based in Dubai.