Executive helicopter charter operator PremiAir Aviation is to launch an aggressive push into the business aviation market as part of a drive to quadruple traffic in the UK over five years. The company will offer block hours to large corporations in an attempt to reduce its dependency on the cyclical leisure market, which leaves its 25-aircraft fleet running at around 25% utilisation at off-peak times.
Denham, UK-based PremiAir was founded last November after the merger of ex-BBA Aviation Services subsidiary Signature Helicopters, Air Hanson and McAlpine Helicopter Services (Flight International, 10-16 December 2002).
David McRobert, PremiAir group managing director, says the company is to target around 100 multi-site UK companies during the second half of the year to push the business case for helicopter charters "at a time when the UK's public transport infrastructure is getting more and more blocked". PremiAir suffers from extreme seasonal differences, with December's 100h utilisation of the mixed Agusta, Eurocopter and Sikorsky fleet around one-quarter of the July average of 370h, says McRobert.
Source: Flight International
