French aircraft charter and management company iXAir has stepped up its involvement with Paris air show organisers this year by offering for the first time a dedicated, daily helicopter shuttle between the capital and the Le Bourget show site throughout the event.
The privately owned local operator has for the past 15 years offered exclusive tours of the city for visitors to the show, but this is the first time it is offering a dedicated shuttle for the attendees in partnership with GIFAS.
The 15min service has been introduced, iXAir says, mainly to give visitors an alternative to the often time-consuming journey between the capital and the show site. "The flight also enables you to get an impressive aerial view of Paris and of the air show," it says.
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Early indications reveal that the service - priced at €150 ($210) for a one-way flight - will be a success. "Up to now, an average of 75 people per day have booked in advance for the shuttle and 250 have signed for exclusive helicopter flights. We know that we will double that number before the show begins," says iXAir.
Two helicopters have been assigned to the shuttle from iXAir's 20-strong fleet - which comprises an array of Eurocopter types including the single-engined EC120 Colibri and AS350, and the twin-engined AS355N, AS365N and EC135T2I. Eight machines will service the thriving exclusive charter service for the week.
Created in 2004, iXAir is one of France's largest charter operators with a fleet of 20 helicopters and 10 business jets including the Citation CJ1/CJ2/CJ3 and Dassault Falcon 50 and 900. It says the global recession has "partially" impacted its business, which includes freight transport, firefighting and news gathering, with the corporate VIP charter the worst hit.
Nonetheless iXAir is planning to grow the company and is eyeing fleet expansion with addition of more medium and long-range jets. With seven bases throughout the country iXAir says it is also seeking to expand globally, but remains tight-lipped on its plans for specific regions.
"We would like to develop our aircraft management business at some stage and with our Part 145 and Part 21 technical regulatory approvals, we also have the ability to offer extensive aircraft maintenance and customisation," the company says.
- All the latest news, images and video from the Paris Air Show
Source: Flight Daily News
