Jan Peter Veeneman, ceo of Polyplastic, which manufactures and markets acrylic windows for campers and caravans, agrees with those that are convinced VLJs will be in corporate demand in coming years. He is a VLJ enthusiast particularly, he says, since a Bikkair Mustang saved a contract for his company. "We had an emergency situation in Pisa and needed to act immediately," he explains. "That same afternoon we were able to solve the problem on site which turned out to be of crucial significance. The quick response eventually led to the extension of our contract with our customer."

Bikkair launched a VLJ service more than six months ago and reports it has since expanded its staff and range of operations while London Executive Aviation (LEA) has identified a VLJ favourable trend in the charter market as economies in Europe slow.

"At the top end, there continues to be strong demand for large cabin private jets by very high net worth individuals, whose lifestyles appear unaffected by the economic malaise," says ceo Patrick Margetson-Rushmore. "However, in the corporate market, many businesses are downsizing to a new generation of small, four passenger jets in order to conserve travel budgets. What stands out in particular is that, rather than stopping flying, businesses are downsizing to smaller, greener jets. Customers are rightly choosing not to pay for jets larger than they need - the average group size is two to three people, so why waste money on acres of empty seats?" he says. "Companies don't want to spend Rolls-Royce money on BMW journeys."

To those that question whether VLJ fleets have a bright future, Margetson-Rushmore says the economic slowdown has actually proved positive. "A Mustang can fly up to four passengers non-stop to virtually any European destination, at speeds approaching 400 mph, at charter prices 30 to 40 per cent below those of conventional mid-size jets."

Polyplastic's Veeneman says: "The Mustang, in comparison with a Boeing is, of course, a small aircraft but the noise level in-flight and the comfort on board are of the same levels as those in a large aeroplane. The only difference is that the pilot helps out with the baggage and pours you a drink as well."

He recalls: "Given that 99 per cent of our business is export, we searched for new solutions to visit our customers, who are located all over Europe, faster. We also wanted to be able to visit them more effectively; many of our customers are located more than a two-hour drive from the main airports. For meetings that used to take us heaps of time travelling, we now use Bikkair air taxis to regional airports located only minutes drive from the final destinations. This truly makes a difference. Before we used Bikkair it was not possible to visit two customers in one day. Now it is possible and it is also possible to return home the same night."

Polyplastic also uses Bikkair to transport its development team. "In the end it was more affordable than using a regular airliner and flying back the next day with all the consequential costs."

Bikkair founder Leendert Bikker says: "After two years of preparation, our air taxi service has been used intensively since the launch in March. Not only are our air taxis frequently used for day returns, they are also popular for multiple day trips to several destinations."

London City has been added to the list of more than 1,200 destinations to which Bikkair flies. "We can now fly you to eight airports in and around London," says Bikker. "At the same time Bikkair has a rare official approval to take clients to La Mole in St. Tropez. With the addition of La Mole to destinations such as Cannes Mandelieu, Nice and Le Castellet, the entire Cote d'Azur is now directly accessible within two hours from any airport in the Netherlands." Bikkair says it is expanding its staff and adding more Mustangs to its fleet this year.