Private jet maintenance and handling will land in Ponte de Sor

The already extensive list of entities present at Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome will increase with the arrival of two more private jet service companies : Gestavia, specialized in ground handling and logistics, and MAC Aviation, which operates in the maintenance area.

The two companies submitted a request to the municipality for surface rights to install hangars at the airfield, the vice-president of the Ponte de Sor City Council, Rogério Alves, told ECO.

Gestavia provides ground handling services for executive aviation, passenger mobility at Lisbon and Ponta Delgada airports , and equipment rental and maintenance. It began in the Azores with assistance for military flights at Lajes Air Base and now operates at 12 airports and airfields on the mainland and islands, with a turnover of approximately €12 million in 2024.

João Noronha Leal, the company's director, confirms that the Ponte de Sor airfield is part of Gestavia's investment plans . A hangar measuring approximately 2,000 square meters is planned for the Alentejo city to handle private jets on-site. He justifies this investment by citing "the lack of parking space in Lisbon and Cascais" and the "attractiveness of the Ponte de Sor airfield," both in terms of cost and runway conditions, which feature an ILS approach system.

These features were also highlighted by Fábio Machado, manager of MAC Aviation, which will invest five million euros in a 4,000-meter hangar to maintain executive jets and regional aircraft. The Trofa-based company operates in several European countries with mobile teams, but intends to "have a location to accommodate aircraft and perform maintenance for current and new customers," he explains. A contract for the maintenance of 10 Embraer 145 aircraft has already been secured.

Fábio Machado believes there's an opportunity in the market. "Over the last 30 years, the private jet market has grown exponentially, and the availability of maintenance hangars hasn't kept pace with this growth," he says, emphasizing the need to strengthen engineering training to ensure workforce availability. Operations in Ponte de Sor are expected to begin in the summer of 2026.

Maintenance services are already available at Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome, operated by Aeromec, also focused on large aircraft. A White Airways Airbus A320 and a Bombardier CRJ 1000 from Spanish airline Air Nostrum entered the company's 8,000 m2 hangar in October 2024, and in January, a Bombardier CRJ 1000 from Spanish airline Air Nostrum. Another company, Avionicel, specializes in electronic and electrical maintenance for small aircraft.

With the arrival of Gestavia and Mac Aviation, the airfield will now have 17 companies and entities , adding to a list that includes the unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturer Tekever and the pilot training academy Sevenair.

This summer, at the beginning of July, a new hangar was opened by LD Helmet, which is dedicated to the production of state-of-the-art helmets for civilian and military pilots , with an investment of three million euros.

"The Ponte de Sor aeronautical cluster is growing and transforming the region," says Rogério Alves, adding that 600 people already work at the municipal airfield . This number is expected to grow next year.

The licensing application for the assembly plant for the LUS-222, the Portuguese light aircraft for civil and military use, has already been submitted to the City Council, as reported this Monday by ECO.

The LUS-222 is a twin-engine high-wing passenger or cargo aircraft designed by the Portuguese company Aircraft and Maintenance, the Center for Engineering and Product Development (CEiiA), the Portuguese Air Force and Geosat.

The factory, which will occupy a covered area of ​​18,000 square meters, will create 150 to 300 direct jobs at the Ponte de Sor airfield, depending on whether it operates in one or two shifts, explains Rogério Alves. Latest figures indicate a total investment of €220 million. The factory alone will invest over €30 million .