Catching Up with Petra Dlabolova and Euro Jet’s OCC Team
Petra Dlabolova manages Euro Jet’s 24/7 Operations Control Center located in Prague, Czech Republic. She leads a team of over 20 aviation professionals who coordinate an extensive array of trip support services for over 15,000 flights a year, including flight planning and scheduling, coordination with airports and ATC as well as passenger and crew support.
We caught up with Petra to ask more about her day-to-day responsibilities, the biggest challenges of her job as well as the most important trends moving our industry. She also pointed out the key benefits of Euro Jet’s services and offered advice for young professionals starting in aviation.
Petra, you have been the OCC Manager at Euro Jet since July 2023. What brought you to your current role?
After studying and enjoying aviation at University, I decided it was only natural for me to seek a job in it. I joined Euro Jet in 2016 when I was hired by our CEO to work in the Operations Control Center. Since then, I worked my way up through several positions before taking my current role.
What responsibilities come with the job of managing an Operations Control Center?
My main responsibility is to ensure that our OCC runs smoothly. I lead and manage Euro Jet’s 24/7 OCC and Dispatch Team, schedule their shifts, oversee the daily activity, and make sure all processes and regulations are correctly followed. This includes making real-time decisions and providing our customers and partners with the best possible service.
What does your typical day look like?
Every day is a bit different. There are typically a lot of regular or ad-hoc meetings with our team at Euro Jet’s Prague office or online with colleagues located abroad. Business aviation is a dynamic field and things can change quickly, so when you work in the operations department, you continuously have to prioritize tasks and adapt plans. Whatever becomes a priority that day, needs to be addressed first and solved quickly.
What do you enjoy most about your job and what is the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is staying up-to-date with all regulations, new requirements, and developments in business aviation. It is forever an evolving environment where keeping up with new rules and regulations is essential. As an aviation nerd, it happens to be what I like best about my job!
I also enjoy meeting customers and vendors, as personal interaction makes cooperation easier and more effective.
What do you think are the main benefits Euro Jet offers to its customers?
It is our unique network. We are the only company that spans Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia with our own teams located on the ground. From the operational perspective, I appreciate how quickly we can react to regulatory changes. Thanks to our operations knowledge and the extensive network of our colleagues around the world, we can quickly get in touch with authorities, solve problems for our clients, or immediately implement new procedures.
I would also like to say that using our services can alleviate the workload for our customer’s flight and ground ops departments, simplify payments and provide a full flight package taking care of every aspect of a flight operation.
What do you see as the most significant trends currently affecting business aviation?
I believe the hot topic right now is working to reduce the environmental impact of private aviation and increase sustainability. Another important item is the digital transformation of the whole sector with new software options, making the operation and communication with our customers much more efficient.
Can you share some advice you would give to young professionals who want to work in aviation?
If you have a passion for aviation, go ahead and get involved. I can recommend aviation because it is such an interesting world. Though keep in mind that it requires hard work, long hours, plus a high level of flexibility and adaptability at every level.
What are the plans for the future of Euro Jet’s OCC department?
We will keep growing by hiring experienced aviation professionals in addition to providing continuous training. We are also working on several development and integration projects which I believe will be highly beneficial for our customers. So stay tuned!
Images: Euro Jet Archive