Gama Aviation launches FBO operations at RAF Northolt, adding fourth network location
Why It MattersBusiness aviation FBO expansion increasingly targets military and government-linked airfields close to major cities, where operators pair facility investment with the operational discipline such environments require.
What happened
Gama Aviation has commenced fixed-base operator operations at RAF Northolt, an active Royal Air Force station in West London located approximately six miles north of London Heathrow Airport. The move establishes a new London gateway within the company's FBO network and makes the station the closest business aviation airport to Wembley Stadium, with access to Central London, the West End, and the capital's commercial, financial, cultural and leisure destinations.
Gama Aviation Group CEO Marwan Khalek described RAF Northolt as a "strategically important addition" to the company's FBO network, saying the company's experience across business aviation, government and defence provides the operational discipline required for the military environment. Tom Murphy, Managing Director of FBO Services at Gama Aviation, said the addition "represents a significant next step" in strengthening the connectivity of the wider network. Group Captain Wales, Station Commander at RAF Northolt, called the partnership "an exciting new chapter" for the station.
Gama Aviation plans to invest in facility improvements at the site, including refurbishing client lounges and dedicated crew facilities. RAF Northolt becomes the fourth location in Gama Aviation's FBO network, joining operations in Glasgow and Jersey in the UK, and the Business Aviation Centre at Sharjah International Airport, which opened earlier this year and features a 3,000 sq m VVIP terminal, a 12,000 sq m climate-controlled hangar and a 36,000 sq m self-manoeuvring apron. In Jersey, a new FBO and hangar development is currently in its final design phase and is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Industry impact & what to watch
Adding a military-run station to a civilian FBO network is one way operators solve the problem of scarce slots near major cities: RAF Northolt's proximity to Heathrow and Central London gives Gama Aviation a gateway that a conventional commercial airport in that corridor might not offer. The Sharjah build-out shows the same network logic applied at a larger scale, with purpose-built VVIP and hangar capacity added where the company already had a presence.
Running an FBO on an active military station requires the operator to work within the base's own rules and schedules rather than a purely commercial one, which is why Gama Aviation frames its government and defence experience as the qualifying credential rather than treating this as a routine lounge-and-ramp opening. The facility upgrades planned for Northolt, and the parallel Jersey project targeted for 2028, both take time to complete, so the near-term signal is the access itself rather than the finished amenities.
What happens at Northolt in practice, and how quickly the promised lounge and crew-facility refurbishments are delivered, will show whether the fourth network location performs as advertised for operators routing into London ahead of major events at nearby venues.
