Xclusive Jet gains Bermuda OTARS 125 approval
05-Nov-2009
Southampton, UK (EGHI) based Xclusive Jet Charter is one of the first UK carriers to have been awarded the new aircraft operations approval from the Bermuda Department of Civil Aviation meeting OTARS 125. This is granted under Article 85 of the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order 2007 and is mandated for implementation on 1st November 2009. Bermuda is the pioneering force with all ICAO contracting states required to implement these procedures when Annex 6 Part 2 is mandated in 2010.
Received on 25th August 2009, Certificate Number BDCA/A85/010-09 is for its Bermudan registered Challenger 604 and Hawker 800XP. The process is advanced to add the Global Express XRS, an example of which is due to enter service in the spring of 2010. Through this new approval it is hoped it will attract new customers who rely on the expertise of Xclusive Jet to manage their aircraft, operationally and maintenance when registered in the Overseas Territories.
Xclusive Jet Charter elected to obtain the Bermudan Approval based on its EU-OPS AOC Approval standards. This means for the company, that a single unified set of procedures is used across its fleet in preference to introducing a different set of standards through the optional IS-BAO process. This meets a safety case justification amongst other beneficial reasons for the selection.
Xclusive Jet Charter’s core activity of ‘European’ chartering through its EU-OPS AOC, License and Part M Subpart G Approval remains buoyant with its Citation II, Bravo and CJ2 returning reasonable revenues in what is one of the harshest trading periods in aviation encountered for many years.
Managing Director Steve Loveridge comments; “Traditional charter remains tough. Margins are being squeezed with the pressures to adopt the ‘one-way’ flight booking, or ‘empty leg’ culture that surrounds us, and with the charter brokers being so aggressive driving down the operator revenues. Rates are as good as they can be at the moment, but with the number of operator failures during this global recession, and no doubt that more are to come ?, it is hoped that charter rates will return to some normality in the near future. Having said that the brokers continue to do a fantastic job, when they work in tandem with the operators”.
He goes on to say that; “business confidence is at the best ‘conservative’, although the summer and autumn seasons were acceptable, we are battening down the hatches for an uncertain winter period. However, we are well positioned to step up as customers return to charter and those with their own ‘private’ aircraft that recognise the potential revenue returns available when utilizing the services of companies such as XJC.
We are planning for the addition of further types to AOC and placing them into ‘revenue’ service before the end of the year and together with the Bermudan Approval now awarded we are confident that better times lay ahead for us”.
For more information contact Xclusive Jet Charter at + 44 (0) 23 8069 6992. Email:
ops@xclusivejet.com or
sales@xclusivejet.com
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