I N T E R V I E W
live by the aircraft owners and what they do.
You have to mold the business according to
their needs.”
Jensen sees the industry as offering
both competition and opportunities for
partnership. Although Sundt tries to keep as
much work as possible within its own group
of companies, when it does outsource it
has very high standards for its suppliers to
adhere to.
One of the few areas Sundt Air works
with suppliers is operating systems and
software for documentation and flight
planning operations, where it works with
Collins Aerospace for example. “We use
ARINC FOS now as our operating system,”
says Jensen. “We have a paperless cockpit
and use iPads. Everything is done via them.
We have a 24-hour dispatch department that
handles all flight coordination and support,
approvals and other tasks. We use Avinode
as a charter tool.”
It will also call on maintenance and
engineering support when there is a large
amount of work to do. “For maintenance
we might go out of house sometimes
depending on the workload. We have a fleet
and if there is a big six-year inspection on
an aircraft it makes sense to outsource,”
says Jensen.
Growing professionalism, technology
and sustainability
The numerous businesses make managing
Sundt Air a challenge but diversity also
has its benefits, believes Jensen. “I like
to be hands-on but it’s a lot of travelling
and meetings,” he says. “Normally in an
organization there is charter operations or
a maintenance department, or a special
missions and modification side. When you
have all of that inhouse, it makes everything
a little more complex, but also more fun.
“It’s important to have a great
management team in each area to be
effective and also to be on hand if there is
a challenge.”
“To use a Norwegian expression being
diverse ‘give us more legs to stand on’.”
Jensen is a qualified pilot and is doing
some of the test flights on the modified
Latitudes himself. He sees parallels with
the impact software and digital tools are
having on the aircraft and the impact they
are having on back-office operations. “Most
people are moving to a paperless cockpit
and you can run the financial side of the
operation much better than you used to be
able to. The software will tell you where best
to fuel, how much to fuel, where to fly, what
altitude, temperatures, wind speed.
“Onboard the aircraft the flight deck
is becoming more digital. There is more
information and more tools, and it’s the
same in the office. There are more tools to
help you make decisions and plan more
effectively. I’m sure this will evolve further
with new software to track operating costs in
detail with more automation.”
Another area Sundt Air is active in is
mitigating the environmental impact of its
business. The company is involved with the
Heyerdahl Climate Parks project. Every year
Sundt Air pays for the planting of Mangrove
trees in Myanmar to offset the company’s
emissions. This year the firm has decided
to double the number of trees it is planting.
“The previous few years we have been
carbon neutral. This year, for everything we
burn, we give twice back,” says Jensen.
“Biofuel is coming but is expensive.
Offsetting is the best way to being
environmentally sustainable. It has an
immediate effect
“There will always be a focus on the
environmental impact of flying, but we are
very proud of being better than carbon
neutral through the Heyerdahl project.”
Jensen has been in business aviation for
20 years and has seen the industry mature
considerably over that time. “I started as a
student than an instructor and examiner. I fly
fixed wing and rotary. It’s a fantastic industry.
Airline flying wasn’t for me. I like the diversity
of private aviation.
“There has always been a focus on
safety in the sector. That has evolved and
we see the management of AOCs and
suppliers use standards and qualifications to
meet requirements.
“You don’t have to be a pilot to have an
interesting job in aviation any more. There
are many more varied roles compared
to 15 years ago, in marketing, business
development, quality, finance. For better or
for worse the sector is growing up.”
At its core though, Jensen believes that
although aviation may be a demanding job,
it is a fun one. “It’s 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, 365 days a year and it’s difficult to
get into the sector. But once you are in it’s a
lot of fun.” ●
70 | BU S INE S S A I R P O RT INT E RNAT I ONA L J U LY 2 0 1 9
Top & middle: Sundt
technicians modified the
King Airs for use in
coastal surveillance
Above: Sundt has managed
aircraft for more than 20 years
Far right: The King Air operated by
Sundt for the Danish government
Right: Executive handling is core
to Sundt’s business
“There are many more varied
roles compared to 15 years
ago in marketing, business
development, quality and
finance – for better or worse
the sector is growing up”