Nearly one year since the opening of its £2.2 million business aviation terminal ‘oxfordjet’ last July, Oxford Airport is continuing to invest and enhance its facilities for an expanded base of tenant customers.  In May it will complete on a new 21,000sq ft hangar, large enough to accommodate an Airbus ACJ, Boeing BBJ or Embraer Lineage.   Later this year it plans to commence work on the south side of the airport to develop a general aviation park for the increasing number of GA and entry level jets that are making Oxford their home.    It proposes a 17-bay arrangement to be ready for 2010, similar to that offered at US business airports, in what would be a first for the UK.
Also, this summer, the airport is scheduled to be DEFRA-approved for the private transportation of pets. 
The airport will be one of the first in Europe to welcome Embraer’s new Phenom 100 aircraft, with both Hangar 8 and private jet operator FlairJet introducing the aircraft this year.  Hangar 8 will receive the first of its three aircraft in July.  Oxford Airport will also be the home of new air taxi business Oasis Flight, which acquires its UK CAA air operator’s certificate this month, ready to start operations with two Cessna 303 Crusaders, seating up to five passengers.
Oxford Airport also welcomes Dornier 328 Jet operator Icejet, which is basing two of its five aircraft – one in 14-seat VIP configuration and another in 19-seat corporate shuttle configuration – at the airport for ad hoc private charter.  From July to September the airport will welcome its first ‘scheduled’ charter service to Jersey, operating every Saturday.  Marketed by Channel Islands Travel’s Discover Jersey brand, flights will be by a 50-seat Bombardier Dash 8-300 from Air Southwest.  Initial flights are already full. 
Further niche business shuttles, with aircraft in the 20-50 seat class, are anticipated with Oxford Airport now on the radar of several business-focused regional airlines owing to slot availability, cheaper landing fees and parking costs, attractive terminal facilities and the region’s sizeable catchment area.  Oxford Airport’s position, just one hour’s drive from west London via the M40/A40 also makes it a viable alternative to the busy London airports. 
“We have come a long way in a year since oxfordjet opened and whilst we have not been immune to the decline in business aviation movements these past few months, which has seen UK airport traffic generally fall off 25%, we have not been as affected as others,” said Steve Jones, Managing Director of Oxford Airport.  “Indeed, in the year to March, we actually saw a 33% increase in business aviation activity but the last half year saw that slow down to 10% growth. 
“On the upside we are seeing more business aircraft owners choosing to base their aircraft here, including a brand new Legacy next month, which can now operate commercially with our upgraded fire and rescue capabilities (Cat 5 RFF).  After a decade of flying school movements in decline, 2008 saw a stabilizing of flight training activity.  Indeed the first part of 2009 saw that pick up a little.”     
Bucking the trend of economic gloom, Oxford-based Hangar 8 has added six new business jets to its fleet in just the past two months – one Hawker 900; three Citation Excels, a Challenger 601 and a CRJ 2+.  It has another Hawker 900 and 750 to follow, plus the new Embraer Phenom aircraft. 
Hangar 8 Managing Director Dustin Dryden commented:  “Oxford is a flexible base for us, with longer opening hours than most of the other non-commercial airports around London.  Although most of our clients are London-originating or destined, there is little difference to drive times compared with alternative options, especially for the west-central London area.”
Other recent highlights these past six months include the extension of opening hours at weekends to offer 0630 hours to 2230 hours seven days a week, giving Oxford Airport better accessibility than other London-centric business airports and the progression of fire and rescue service from Category 3 (Hawker aircraft) to Category 5 (ATR-72, Embraer Legacy) in March this year. 
In October PremiAir opened a brand new fixed wing maintenance facility for Hawker Beechcraft aircraft, culminating in a £1 million full refurbishment of Hangar 1, previously operated by CSE Aviation.  

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