Oxford Airport offering alternative to London

Oxford Airport has recently opened a new terminal for business aviation, and the Reuben Brothers, owners of the airport, are moving ahead with expansion plans that will see Oxford Airport marketed as a cost-effective alternative to London airports and as a new gateway for the southern-central region of England.

As a part of the strategy for developing an aviation engineering hub at Oxford, the PremiAir Group is relocating its maintenance division for fixed-wing aircraft to the airport later in October. In addition, in May of next year, FlairJet, an air taxi start-up, will establish a base at Oxford.

The Reuben Brothers, a property development group, and the Dawnay Day investment group purchased Oxford Airport jointly in July of 2007 from BBA Aviation, at a price tag of £40 million. The prior owner had already widened and resurfaced the runway, and installed an instrument landing system.

The 7,000-sq-ft facility operates under the name Oxfordjet, and offers travellers three lounge areas, meeting rooms and facilities for crew members, including showers and a kitchen. In the near future, an Enterprise rental car outlet will open on site.

According to the head of marketing and development for the airport, James Dillon-Godfray, landing fees for small business jets at Oxford average 30-50 per cent less than at similar airports, such as Farnborough Airport and London Biggin Hill. He also added that handling charges at Oxford are approximately 20-25 per cent lower than at the other airports mentioned.

www.oxfordairport.co.uk