Norwich-based air charter operator SaxonAir reports that its business has increased significantly since it began a campaign to promote business aviation to local businesses. Now it plans to build on this success by co-operating with the one-day business aviation event BGAD to continue this advocacy throughout East Anglia.

The company has seen a record increase in air charter use during the first six months' trading of 2013. Fixed wing charter hours for the first half of the year increased by over 65 per cent against the same first six months of 2012, with helicopter charter hours at its Norwich base up by 41 per cent in the same period.

Christopher Mace, group commercial director, believes this positive news is a further sign of increased business activity from the UK as companies see the value in optimising travel time for key staff away from the office environment and family life.

SaxonAir's campaign promotes private air charter to the business community and highlights the time saving benefits, flexibility and potential boost in productivity that can be gained by using the service.

“Air charter is not necessarily about living a luxury lifestyle, being served champagne and caviar on-board,” advises Mace. “The majority of our clients are, in fact, businesses that appreciate that air charter enables them to make the very best use of time with pre-cleared check-ins, the ability to undertake work on-board in private and secure surroundings as well as landing at private airports closer to their destination not served by the airlines.

“There is no substitute for meeting face to face,” he adds. “A major contract could be in the balance, presentations to be given or multiple sites to visit. These are many of the reasons when our business clients use the service as part of their overall transport solutions. The increased use of our aircraft in the first half of this year is down to a better understanding of air charter, our staff's commitment to customer service and the varied, modern aircraft fleet that we can offer.”

This surge in interest is timely, ahead of the Business and General Aviation Day, BGAD 13, which will be held on Tuesday 17th September at Cambridge airport. SaxonAir will be exhibiting on the day, alongside more than 60 other business aviation organisations. Seminars will also be delivered in an alliance between the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) and the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA), which between them represent operators, suppliers and brokers. Visitors will also be able to see inside the cabins of various business aircraft on display, such as the King Air 200 and Phenom 300. Meanwhile, PrivateFly will be running a ten-pin bowling challenge especially for BGAD.

Mace emphasises how crucial the day can be in generating business for companies like SaxonAir: “There is a great focus for BGAD to present itself to the local business region in terms of advocacy for air charter. It is also a good opportunity for us to see the brokers. We like the fact that it is on a single day as well.

“Last year we brought the Hawker 900 on static display and it was one of the first opportunities we had to show the aircraft off to a lot of the brokers. We were busy all day with people continually going in and out of the aircraft. Most of the major brokers were there and it was a good opportunity just to catch up with everybody. This time I'm hoping to continue in that vein in terms of the industry but also hope that we will have some potential clients and businesses from the region who will be able to attend. It gives us an opportunity to put ourselves in front of them so they can understand more about the values of air charter.” Full details about BGAD can be found at www.bgad.aero