The Virgin Group has joined forces with the McCarthy leisure-investment group to form Virgin Executive Aviation, a corporate-jet and helicopter charter company aimed at exploiting European business and leisure-travel markets.
The new company also plans to offer feeder services into London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports for Virgin Atlantic's premium Upper Class passengers.
McCarthy is transferring its holding in McCarthy Helicopters Services, which operates two Eurocopter AS355 Twin Squirrels, two Bell 206 Jet Rangers and four Robinson R22 trainers, into the joint venture.
The operation will be renamed Virgin Helicopters, and be based at Wycombe Air Park in the UK. Also at Wycombe will be the Eurocopter SA365N Dauphin which is operated as the London Air Ambulance helicopter, recently acquired by Virgin Executive Aviation.
Virgin Executive Jets, meanwhile, is to be launched in mid-1997, with one Cessna Citation V and one Raytheon Hawker 800.
Source: Flight International
