Las Vegas (October 21, 2024) – Universal Aviation, the worldwide ground support division of Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc., announced today at NBAA-BACE 2024 a strategic partnership with Safeport, Portugal’s leading business aviation ground handler. This collaboration marks Universal Aviation’s first entry into both the rapidly growing Portuguese market and the strategic Cape Verde archipelago, significantly expanding its network and strengthening its logistical position for trip support on key Atlantic crossing routes.
The partnership will see all six of Safeport’s ground handling locations cobranded with Universal Aviation®, including:
- Lisbon Airport (LIS/LPPT)
- Cascais (LPCS)
- Oporto (OPO/LPPR)
- Beja (BYJ/LPBJ)
- Faro (FAO/LPFR)
- Sal Island, Cape Verde (SID/GVAC) – a strategic tech stop at the crossroads of the Atlantic
“Portugal’s thriving business aviation market, coupled with Cape Verde’s strategic importance for Atlantic crossings, presents a unique opportunity for growth, said Greg Evans, Chairman of Universal. “Safeport was the clear choice for this partnership due to their exceptional 30-year track record of top-tier service and deep local expertise. Their proven ability to handle high-profile clients—such as top executives, government officials, and celebrities—aligns perfectly with our commitment to delivering the highest standards of service and safety globally.”
The collaboration brings together Safeport’s 30 years of local expertise with Universal’s global resources and network.
“Forming an alliance with Universal Aviation allows us to elevate our three decades of local expertise to a global scale,” said Paulo Mirpuri, President and CEO, Safeport. “Universal’s worldwide resources, cutting-edge information sharing, and renowned safety standards complement our deep understanding of the Portugal and Cape Verde markets. This collaboration enhances our service capabilities and opens doors to new international customers who recognize and trust the Universal Aviation brand. Together, we’re poised to set new benchmarks in business aviation services across our region.”
“By putting Universal® boots on the ground throughout Portugal and Cape Verde, we’re ensuring better mission lifecycle management for our Trip Support customers,” said Evans. “This means improved multi-city coordination and enhanced intelligence feeding our global network. Whether Portugal is the final destination or operators are using Sal Island as a tech stop, they’ll now experience the Universal Aviation brand they trust.”
For more information about this partnership and the enhanced services now available in Portugal and Cape Verde, please visit https://safeport.aero/ or visit Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. at NBAA-BACE booth 3841.
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Flight departments partner with Universal for one reason – they need their international missions to execute smoothly and successfully. And that’s what we help operators do best. With us, you’ll have access to the industry’s best expertise, global resources, information, and technologies to amplify your flight department’s capabilities, and we’ll work tirelessly with you to eliminate sources of risk and friction from your missions. That’s why we’re trusted to manage more global trip legs per year than anyone else and have been the industry leader in supporting international missions for over 65 years. By partnering with us and adding our capabilities to yours, you will be able to achieve more with your flight department than ever before.
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