Manchester hub pushes business growth for jet firm

PRIVATE jet firm NetJets Europe has seen a 20% increase in business volumes so far this year, with at least half of that growth attributable to its Manchester hub.

Manchester airport, already the firm’s most popular hub outside London, has been key to the surge in new UK business account wins for the company, it said.

Emily Williams, vice president for NetJets Europe, told TheBusinessDesk: “Business in Manchester is doing well, and we are seeing the benefits of putting more focus on the city.

“We are looking at the regions to grow the business and are focusing on entrepreneurs based outside London, particularly from the construction, engineering, and technology sectors.

“The way businesses are increasingly structuring themselves for tax reasons is also giving us a lot of business, with flights to Gibraltar, for example.”

The company, which also flies to Liverpool, Blackpool and Woodford within the North West, operated around 800 flights in to and out of the region last year but has seen a surge in activity since the beginning of the year, according to Ms Williams.

“Before businesses were either making cutbacks within the company, and so were less comfortable about being seen to be flying around, or directors were more involved in the day to day running, and so were doing less flying. Now, they have done the cuts and got the teams in place to start looking at new business again.”

Manchester, by far NetJets’ biggest regional hub, accounted for more than 70% of North West flights last year.

Around 40% of Manchester fights are for leisure travel but new contracts are coming from entrepreneurs and businesses that previously owned their own jets.

The NetJets Europe fractional ownership model means owners buy a share of an aircraft equal to the anticipated number of hours flying each year, starting from the equivalent of 25 hours flying time.

Ms Williams said: “There is a cost saving for those businesses that owned jets and that market has helped us though the downturn, as people are trading in their private jets.

“An aircraft is designed to fly around 800 to 1,000 hours a year. Even a heavy business traveler would fly around 300 to 400 hours a year. They are realising that they can sell the aircraft and realise the capital.”