The private aviation sector is still battling to raise charter levels depressed by the global recession but operators report that the luxury large aircraft sector is holding up well. Governments and multinationals find chartering such jets cost-effective compared to owning and maintaining their own aircraft.

Tony Farmer, Cello Aviation marketing and sales manager, confirms: "Our view is that the resilience at this level in the market still provides some good opportunities for aircraft of the size of our ABJ."

The 46-seat aircraft is owned and operated by Cello Aviation, the charter arm of the UK's Birmingham headquartered Gill Group, which conducted considerable planning and research before investing in the conversion of the aircraft sourced from BAE Systems (EBAN June 2010).

Farmer explains: "If some of the market segments are a little quieter, the sports team and product launch sectors are certainly delivering sizeable requirements across both UK and Europe even against the background of this not being peak season."

A growing number of established charter operators have identified and now service the demand for quality charter for groups of dozens or more.

London Stansted-based Titan Airways has introduced a 265-seat wide-bodied 767-300ER. Commercial director Alastair Kiernan confirms that around 60 per cent of the company's business is outsourced airline services but says that corporate demand for private charter has been a good source of business. "They are still spending money. If executives have to travel, they will. Airlines have been cutting back because, generally, the public have not been travelling as much, but the charter market has actually been picking up."

Kiernan says the 767 has a phenomenal range, flying distances of up to 6,000 nm in around 13 hours, enabling non-stop travel from London to Singapore or Los Angeles.

The potential of the large aircraft market segment is underlined by Bizliner Aviation which plans to open offices in support of consultancy operations in the Middle East and Asia. The company, which has bases in Washington DC and Dallas, Texas, says there are currently more than 200 airliners in business service worldwide and hundreds of existing airframes with conversion potential.

"A 'bizliner' is defined as a corporate airliner or an aircraft type that can serve as an airliner as well as a corporate or private jet," says the company's Roger Pierce. "They are a very attractive alternative for a select group of owners."

Investment in larger private charter aircraft takes courage as well as forward planning. James McBride, ceo of the Athens-based GainJet Aviation SA, says the operator braced itself for a difficult business climate from the end of 2008 just as its new 757 flagship was introduced. "If the new 78-seat vip airliner flopped, it would have been a very expensive mistake indeed," he says. "But there were a succession of high-earning charters which lasted throughout the summer. Initially the flights were mainly to and from Africa for various heads of state, and then in July a real bonus arrived with a two-and-a-half week tour of Asia for a major football team."

"The configuration of the interior was well chosen with just 20 seats in the forward cabin and the other 58 seats well spaced in the mid and rear cabins," says company president Capt Ramsey Shaban. "Bookings continued to flow through to the autumn and GainJet were already looking for a second big Boeing by the end of 2009. This airliner was going to be introduced into service in mid-2010 but another opportunity arose and we focused instead on a 48-seat B737-300 which had just finished a complete refurbishment by European Skybus in Bournemouth."

The vip 737 was destined to be delivered to Multiflight, the Leeds, UK-based helicopter operator and major flying training company which was looking for a management company. GainJet will operate the aircraft on its Greek AOC. Shaban says: "It will be a familiar sight in Europe during the summer and latter part of 2010 - we have got the attention of some English premiership football clubs and there is likely to be a major European band tour too."

Shaban says: "Such aircraft are easier to operate than some of the smaller jets. Air traffic always makes space and time for you when you arrive in something like our 757. We have seen a growth at the high end of the market which seems to have been unaffected by the general malaise which has affected the private jet world. Chartering a large jet is a cost effective option for governments and multinationals when compared with the huge expense of owning and operating these aircraft themselves."