BBGA at 50: How charter is evolving

Experienced charter brokers are revered in times of crisis. An app can’t navigate sudden airspace closures, liaise with trip support companies, as ongoing unrest in the Middle East has flagged.

Executive helicopters are more in demand than ever. There are fewer business jets / operators positioned out of northern UK and as far as obtaining permits to operate G-reg aircraft intra Europe - 'We don’t always get what we want' a charter panel at last week’s British Business and General Aviation Association annual conference highlighted, sponsored by Hunt & Palmer.

Hunt & Palmer is marking 40 years of operations this year. Reflecting on the early 1990s, a standout decade, Sandy Boyer, Head of Executive Aviation Sales, commented: "Life was a lot simpler then. We used the telephone - a lot. We built long term relationships and clients were prepared to wait. They also paid the appropriate price for a premium service. It was a boom time and we were busy supporting a lot of emerging dot com businesses.

Talkin Charter: Oliver Smith, SaxonAir, Vince Essex, above.aero, George Galanopoulos, Luxaviation UK and Sandy Boyer, Hunt & Palmer.

"In contrast, we’re now seeing (corporate) clients reserving a back-up charter aircraft - just in case the primary one has an AOG - supported with standby crew and approved permits. In my whole time at H&P I can count the number times that’s happened on one hand, yet we have been asked to make such arrangements, three times this year, already. It illustrates that for time pressed companies, it’s not cost, it’s the need to get there in the quickest, safest way, working with a broker they trust."

"I’ve been in the business for 35 years and there have aways been challenges, adds Luxaviation UK CEO George Galanopoulos. Predecessor LEA (London Executive Aviation) is marking 30 years in 2026. He highlights 2022, as the best year, straight after the pandemic. “A golden year. We widened out our customer base, attracted new, younger clients, happy to share their travel experiences on social media. Business aviation played a big part helping the recovery effort, reconnecting cities that lost connections," he added.

"The pain points we have today don’t go away and if anything, they are getting worse, he noted - with increased regulations and higher taxes. If only we could get back into EASA."

George, who also dreads the rising popularity of the Green Party and its hatred of aviation. Don’t think you will be immune forever, he cautioned Vince Essex, who is restoring VLJ operations (under the APD threshold) with his first Embraer Phenom 100 out of Birmingham under new company above.aero. He is looking at adding further two more aircraft providing an on-demand model that can also complement longer range business jets, as well as support airlines with displaced crew, AOG incidents.

SaxonAir is now the largest commercial helicopter operator in the UK. This AW139 is their latest.

We look forward to working with you, said George, noting it doesn’t make sense for an owner to operate a larger business jet on a one-hour trip. SaxonAir, now the UK’s largest (on shore) helicopter operator, with 15 in the fleet, also welcomes the new arrival. The lack of light jet capacity in the UK has led to more demand for helicopter charter, mainly for leisure, highlights Oliver Smith, Head of Sales. We have steady demand for helicopters, echoed Sandy, equally across the Pond, where it has already taken bookings for the upcoming World Cup. SaxonAir has benefited operationally from the restrictions of Brexit, added Oliver. It is now operating two Citation XLS’s on behalf of VistaJet – under the G reg, based out of London.

Back to the Middle East. Demand for repatriation flights out of the UAE has been high, but it has been challenging obtaining slots and permits, reported George Galanopoulos and Sandy Boyer. On demand charter activity has been focused out of Saudi and Oman (Muscat). Hunt & Palmer has assisted a few departures for corporates positioning there from Dubai, but it has been a very dynamic situation with airspace closures. On one occasion the handling agent just had to stop, because the pressure got too much, Sandy shared. Thank goodness they had humans to talk with!

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 19th March 2026 | Issue #834