Harmony Jets, which operates on a Maltese AOC, has witnessed a 19 per cent increase in sales in 2017 versus the previous year. “We have had a nice increase in our marketing, and we've got an innovative way of working,” says CEO Pierre Olivier. “We now operate two Falcon 10s and one Falcon 50, and are developing in several areas. We are working a lot around the Mediterranean basin, and are taking a good look at the business market mainly in the south of France and around Italy and Malta.

“The French market has been quite interesting. Our prices are very competitive, largely because we control our own maintenance and do more or less everything ourselves. But our customers are also flying a lot and because of that we can offer lower prices. Most of us have an airline background and using this experience we are capturing markets that never used business aircraft.”

Harmony Jet's two main activities are management and charter, but it also operates its own MRO facility in Avignon, France. “We can fix things on the spot, even if it is a Sunday night,” adds Olivier. “If you use sub-contractors you may need to move the aircraft to Paris and wait because it is Friday afternoon. There is too much time spent in the parking lot; we lose money as does the owner.”

Despite the benefits of an in-house MRO centre, this is not an arm of the business that Olivier advertises. “It is about taking care of our own fleet,” he explains. “I don't want to sell parts; I want my aircraft flying legally and safely. We have 24-hour maintenance available to us, and for that reason we can put a good price on charter flights.

“We are finalising the acquisition of a G100, and I think that I have two Falcon 2000s coming in the next six months, as well as an Embraer 135. We have interesting times ahead; we are able to use more or less any type of aircraft, right up to a Boeing 747.”