By Kate Sarsfield in London
The aftermath of the thwarted terrorist attacks on airlines flying from the UK to the USA has seen demand for business jet travel rise significantly from disgruntled and time and safety conscious passengers faced with airline flight cancellations, hefty queues and heightened security measures. "We have had a myriad of requests from travellers," says one operator, "but we don't have enough aircraft to satisfy the demand."
Brian Humphries, chief executive of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), says the key strengths of business aviation are time, privacy and particularly safety and the operators are also working closely with the EBAA to review the best operating practices for the industry in the light of recent events.
Following this latest terrorist threat, operators of aircraft weighing over 10t and flown commercially from the UK must impose security measures similar to those of commercial airlines, including increased screening of passengers and baggage and confiscation of liquids in the cabin.
Ramp access at fixed-base operations has also been restricted. "Although passengers undergo a stringent pre-screening process, we have begun to ask more questions of brokers where they are introducing passengers unknown to us," says Patrick Margetson Rushmore, chief executive of UK charter operator London Executive Aviation.
Source: Flight International
