TAG’s UK charter and management arm has recently added a second Falcon 900EX to its AOC. The management deal works in co-operation with a first time owner, who purchased the aircraft primarily for its range. “The EX will fly to the US and the Caribbean non-stop, or incorporate one stop to California. It has a 4,500 nautical mile range, which equates to around ten and a half hours,” said director Neil Gibson.

The company currently operates two other Falcon 900s (a 900B and the other EX). “The EX is a very versatile aircraft and perfect for flying both long and short haul, and it’s proved very popular since its introduction in January, like our other Falcon 900s,” he added.

“TAG is delighted with the aircraft, we love the Dassault product in general. We do a number of hours on our 900s, but this is mainly because the trips are longer than what something like a Citation II would do,” said Gibson. The aircraft, which is two years old, has not become fully available on the company’s AOC, but he added: “It’s too early to predict what the ratio will be between owner and charterer use at the moment. The owner’s only had it for a couple of months, so the availability for charter has not been very good, but we expect this to improve in the future.”

The company is currently discussing other management deals and says it is constantly looking to increase the size of its fleet. Speaking of the general charter market, Gibson said: “Compared with previous years, it’s been a relatively slow start to the year, although the aircraft are flying. For most operators this has been the case, but we see signs of it picking up.”

Meanwhile, TAG Farnborough Airport’s commercial director Len Rayment explained the current stage of the developments at the airport: “The development is an ongoing process. But TAG can confirm that it is underway with the reconstruction of the airport, working towards a CAA licence for the fourth quarter of 2002. A recent major move towards this was the commissioning of the ILS system on runway 24.”