The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

 The Central Weekend to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee takes place from Saturday 2 June to Tuesday 5 June 2012, with celebratory activities throughout the UK and across the Commonwealth.

 The Jubilee Weekend features an extra Bank Holiday for the Diamond Jubilee, with the late May Bank Holiday moved one week later, thereby making a 4-day long weekend. 

Cannes Mandelieu Airport has become the benchmark business airport with a premium quality approach and is continually searching for new services to offer its clientele. Its surface area totals 115 hectares, a large part of which has been intentionally retained for green spaces. The 1500m², fully air-conditioned terminal building houses many services which are available 7 days a week, such as a restaurant-bar, car hire services, meeting rooms, offices, a VIP area and rooms reserved for pilots and crew.

In order to offer a sufficient operating range in low season, the airport is equipped with night runway lighting and remains open until 8.00pm. Airport control is managed by a local DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) service and a central approach control manages the IFR (Instrument Flight Regulation) for Nice Côte d’Azur and Cannes-Mandelieu Airports.

The airport is equipped with a main North/South runway of 1620 x 45 metres and a secondary East/West runway of 760 x 30 metres.

It is authorised to receive aircraft up to a maximum weight of 22 metric tonnes. This limit relates to Challenger CL60, Falcon or ATR72 type aircraft.  Thirteen hangars representing a total of more than 18,000 m² of available space, have also been created in order to enable companies that wish to do so, to set up on site or pilots to leave their airplane under cover.

The parking areas immediately next to the airport terminal allow an extremely quick transfer of private jet passengers to their vehicles, taxis or limousines.  Cannes airport offers easy access to the Mediterranean South coast of France whether for business or pleasure.

source web & Cannes Mandelieu Airport

The games are fast approaching with around 70 days to go the the London Olympics.

Have you arranged your private jet charter flight? With airports such as London Luton, Stansted, Biggin Hill, Farnborough, Blackbushe close to the action and ideal for and alternatives such as Southend, Cambridge and  Oxford all equally great and well matched for private air charter flights. For those interested in the sailing events being held on the South coast of the United Kingdom you will have a choice of Bournemouth International Airport or Southampton, both with great road links to the events.

Whatever your sporting interest there is sure to be a local airport to make use of on your private jet flight with good road links to the various venues whether the Olympic park in London, where the field & track events will be held along with the swimming, basketball, BMX Track, the modern pentathlon or Greenwich Park to witness the equestrian events or on to the South coast for the sailing events!

London Oxford Airport is the only commercial airport you will find between London Heathrow and Birmingham International. It is concidered the Thames Valley area’s primary regional and business charter airport.  Located in the heart of one of Europe’s fastest growing and most prosperous regions, Oxford lies just 40 miles to the north-west of the Greater London area, halfway to the UK’s industrial heartland of the Midlands. The airport is the fastest growing for business aviation in the UK.

Businesses based at the airport also provide a variety of aircraft for private air charter whether fixed wing or rotary.

London Oxford is open from 06:00 to 22:30, seven days a week. Handling is provided through its oxford jet terminal, all aircraft and passenger handling along with peripheral services such as fuel, valet and ground support services. There are no third party handling agents or fuelling companies operating at the airport. Accordingly, pilots and operators enjoy a true one-stop-shop at Oxford for all operational support. Oxford provides surprisingly comprehensive FBO (handling) services whilst landing, parking and handling fees are at ‘GA’ rates well below the London norms for business aviation.

In September the airport will be holding the ‘Fly to the Past’ air show. A unique event celebrating the history of flight … http://bit.ly/JC9VlH

A real alternative London airport with good link roads South to London and North to the Midlands.

source web

Qatar-headquartered Rizon Jet’s new London Biggin Hill base extends the boundaries of what customers can expect from a fixed base operation (FBO), according to FBO director Allan McGreal.

With the Biggin facility’s new capabilities, said McGreal, those who use aviation specifically to do business will find that it is not only the crew and the aeroplane that gets full backup, but support for the business task is taken to “an entirely new level”, which Rizon clearly intends to make its distinguishing characteristic.

Rizon’s Biggin complex – it went fully operational only a couple of months ago – includes all the standard components of an FBO, such as hangarage with engineering and operations backup, but McGreal explains the difference comes in the passenger facility. This provides more business options than an FBO terminal would normally offer.

Since 1958 when the first Gulfstream was introduced, the Gulfstream I, as the worlds first purpose built business jet there have been more than 1,800 aircraft manufactured. With a long standing reputation for comfort, performance, reliability & safety it has put the company and its aircraft in a prominent position.

 The Gulfstream G650 was introduced in 2008, it will carry 8 passengers and 4 crew nonstop for 7,000 nm. It can link Dubai & New York and London & Buenos Aires. It is powered by Rolls Royce BR725 engines allowing the G650 to cover short distances at Mach 0.925, near to the speed of sound!

The G650 is the fastest purpose built business jet with the longest range, becuase of its advanced highly swept wing, airframe and powerful engines it makes the worlds most remote destinations more accessible. Performance is not lacking, it can take-off in as little as 6,000 feet.

The ultra-large cabin and the aircraft’s ultra high speed makes it the gold standard in business aviation. It is the companies flagship of the fleet with it flying faster and further than any other business aircraft allowing its passengers to travel in a level of comfort far greater than any other aircraft in this range.

information sourced from Gulfstream Web.

The 2011 Autumn Fiscal Event confirmed the decision to extend APD to business jets and other smaller aircraft. These changes will take effect from 1 April 2013, and this guidance will be updated to reflect implementation in due course.

At this time the tax is paid by anyone flying from any UK airport on an aircraft with 20 or more seats or is in excess of 10 tonnes.

Larger airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have criticised the fact that private jet travellers are exempt from the tax and are now given a further tax break by having the introduction of the tax pushed back until 2013. They argue that it as unfair especially as the airlines will be subjected to the tax increases next year.

Through this tax the treasury recieves £2.4 billion each year and this is expected to rise by £400 million next year.

The tax on private jet owners in 2013, which will also effect private jet charter companies too may see hundreds of small companies in the UK will now become more expensive once this tax comes into force. This in turn may lead to business jet passengers, who wish to fly by private jet, looking abroad for a cheaper charter company instead of a UK based company. We would recommend using a broker such as ourselves if this situation does arise, Aviastra Flight Charter has access to many aircraft all over the UK and Europe to bring our clients the best rates when travelling by private air charter whenever and wherever you may wish to fly.

information from HMRC & web … http://bit.ly/9en6BH

London Biggin Hill Airport is just 12 miles from Canary Wharf and 15 miles from Central London, and it has three full service FBO’s to cater for all the different wants and needs of business Jet Charter user. It is home to around sixty based business jets ranging from small four seat citations to ultra long range Gulfstream, global, and Falcon jets, and has convenient opening hours. To compliment this, the Airport is a Port of Entry with full border control facilities during all opening hours which is complimented by no runway slots making it a very user friendly airport so close to the centre of London and in the heart of the South East of England. The Airport is constantly improving facilities for the business aviation user, such as the building of the new 4 star airport hotel due to open during the first quarter of 2012.

London Biggin Hill Airport is the first and, currently, the only general aviation airport in the London area to accept pets on the Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Pet Travel Scheme. DEFRA approved charter operators will be able to fly owners with their pets directly to Biggin Hill for clearance, rather than to Heathrow or Gatwick. We have specially trained pet handlers, the SkyPets Team, who will meet the aircraft on the main apron. A member of the SkyPets Team will board the aircraft and check the pet’s passport and micro-chip in the presence of the owner. If the documentation is valid the pet will be free to disembark the aircraft with its owner and, once the passengers have cleared Immigration, they can all continue their journey in the UK.

The clearance time at London Biggin Hill Airport is considerably shorter than at Heathrow and Gatwick, and a great advantage of the service we offer is that pets (up to a maximum of 5) travel in the cabin with their owners. SkyPets must receive all documentation for the pet(s) by fax at least 24 hours prior to arrival.

Any pet which arrives with incorrect documentation will be transported from the aircraft to the SkyPets Animal Reception Centre where the team will endeavour to solve the problem. This may cause a delay or the animal may have to be sent to quarantine. Pets can also be cleared at London Biggin Hill Airport before proceeding to any other UK airport.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Only authorised carriers which comply with the requirements of the Biggin Hill Pet Travel Scheme and hold an approval for the route issued by DEFRA will be accepted.

information sourced from Biggin Hill Airport.

A UK charter operator has added a second Challenger 300 business jet to its managed fleet. The super midsize jet is available for charter from its London base.

The eight seat Challenger 300 has a 5,796km range, it has impressive performance being able to operate from airports with runways as short as 1,300m.

soucre: Flightglobal