Despite experiencing increased charter sales in almost all divisions for the year ended July 31, 2000, Air Partner has revealed that in Germany, this was not the case. Group manager David Savile told EBAN: "We had a very good year last year in Germany, on the back of a two-year business. This year we've had internal managerial problems and I terminated the contract of the managing director. This allowed me to reform the team.

"The drop in sales in Germany was on the large aircraft side and was purely a market blip. If you're chartering Airbuses and 747s as we do, it relies on the local market being weak. If you're a German business like Audi or Mercedes and you're going to charter a 747, you will use Condor, Lufthansa, LTU for example, if they are readily available. If they are not, you come to us.

"Normally they are not readily available but last year they got all their fleet planning wrong, their sales were down and they still lost the service capacity. They were desperate for business so any customer who rang them direct, got an instant answer.

"That damaged our business a bit but Germany has in fact recovered now and current trading in our Cologne office is good."

Looking at Europe as a whole, Savile believes there is good growth potential for executive aircraft. He said: "This time last year, we had four sales offices in four countries, nine business units. A year on, we have seven offices around the world - having opened up in Zurich, Vienna and New York - and 18 business units.

"We're not in Spain, Italy or Benelux yet but if you find the right person there who wants to build a business on the back of our brand, then we have an awful lot to be able to support someone.

"We're now getting to the stage where people are approaching us because of the quality of the Air Partner name. That's what happened in Austria before we opened six months ago and already we are in profit."

Air Partner describes itself as the world's largest corporate air charter broker, with European offices in the UK and Germany, as well as Switzerland and Austria. One reason why the company has also been successful over in the US, says Savile, is because of long-established relationships.

He said: "It is because the Air Partner brand goes across boundaries. We network our client accounts into Europe, across into the States and back again, and this works very well."

Meanwhile, for any companies or individuals in need of speedy evacuation from world hot spots, Air Partner has pumped further investment into its Rapid Air Support scheme. Said Savile: "Our job is to do all the pre-planning for international companies. They subscribe to us and we have a team of people - including military experts, aviation professionals, security people - all ready to perform any one evacuation.

"The client might ring up on a Friday night, tell us that Nigeria is mightily uncomfortable at the moment and ask for ten key staff to be got out quickly. We're very good at finding aircraft quickly and are very professional in this area."Air Partner 'airlifts' people in their hundreds, as well as twos or threes, depending on the client's needs.

Another area of significant investment for Air Partner has been the internet. However, Savile is very quick to point out that as a sales tool, he has, as yet, very little confidence in the computer highway. He said: "I think the internet confuses the hell out of people. I can't see how anyone is going to spend $50,000 or more on an executive jet by clicking on a few screens.

"You want to know: Does the company exist, is the aeroplane going to take off, will I be instantly recognised at the terminal, is it safe. Any hesitation in these areas will lead to a vote of no confidence.

"The internet is a great research tool but Air Partner On-line! is not about pure e-commerce. On-line is dipping our toe in the waters of e-commerce."

As regards potential future areas of business expansion, Savile remarked: "There's a big hole in the Far East, which at some stage will have to be looked at."