The ExecuJet Aviation Group, which has added seven new aircraft to its European fleet, says tougher EU regulations are driving up the demand for management.

Jean-Louis Cehovic, ExecuJet's Europe director aircraft management sales, says: "Issues such as the new rules on emissions trading - daunting for individual owners - are influencing them to partner with an expert organisation."

The company has brought into service a Challenger 300 and an 850, two Global Express, a Global 5000, a Falcon 2000 and a Gulfstream 100. Cehovic says: "These aircraft are based in London, Moscow, Kiev and Nice. With more Global Express, Gulfstreams and Falcons also in the pipeline for arrival in the next weeks this takes ExecuJet Europe's management fleet to more than 50 aircraft. This will mean more wide-bodied aircraft in our management fleet."

Business jet owners are increasingly looking to earn revenue, Cehovic says. "ExecuJet is also seeing more of its clients commit to full management packages and benefit from the organisation's buying power in terms of fuel, insurance, maintenance, crew training and other economies of scale."

The company, he adds, has developed an aircraft management package that makes the switching of operator a seamless process. "It is important to keep the aircraft flying while we perform all the work required to get the aircraft under a new AOC and maintain the maintenance supervision continuity," says Cehovic.

ExecuJet Europe, Cehovic says, meets the mandatory new OTAR (Overseas Territory Aviation Requirements) applicable to all business jets and turboprops registered in Bermuda which came into force on 1 November last year. It is also IS-BAO certified.

ExecuJet, which offers British, Danish, German and Swiss AOCs, reports an upward trend in activity since the third quarter of last year, especially with wide cabin, long range jets, in regions including the Middle East and Russia.