Air Hamburg, whose international air charter profile has been raised by fashion and music events, has brought a BN2A-21 into service.

The German operator also operates two XLS+, two Citation Bravos, two CJ1s and a King Air 200 and is bringing a CJ3 on stream (order reported in EBAN September 2010). Capt Alexander Lipsky, md, says: "The company has enjoyed a number of high profile events and charters but we take great satisfaction from the underlying trend of increasing business from new and established clients."

The American band Metallica used Air Hamburg for its 2010 tour. Lipsky and first officer Daniel Buron picked up the band leader James Hetfield at his summer residence on Crete.

Together with the flight attendant Manuela Witt, they flew the lead singer to his band colleagues for a tour that encompassed Bucharest, Sofia and Athens. "The tour was a huge success," Lipsky says.

Air Hamburg also co-sponsored a fashion show at the city's airport that included model Heidi Klum and 1,000 guests who enjoyed a visit to the runway. The Marc Anthony fashion show featured models from the Germany's Next Top Model show and Air Hamburg trolleys provided refreshments to guests.

Lipsky says of the BN2A-21 acquisition: "We already had one BN Islander for observation flights with biologists flying over the North Sea and Baltic Sea. These experts are checking the numbers of birds and whales to analyse the effects of the offshore wind fields. We need this type of aircraft due to the STOL characteristics for our flights to Helgoland which has extremely short runways. Since this summer our flights, demand was such that we needed to double capacity with a second Islander."

Air Hamburg raised €18,500 for the Phoenikks Foundation which helps children and families suffering from cancer with a charity fund-raising drive at Cafe Himmelsschreiber adjacent to Hamburg's GAT.