US, German and French air charter was seriously diminished by the terrorist attacks of last September, says charter broker Air Partner. The effect of this was lessened, however, by strong demand in the UK, Switzerland and Austria, according to David Savile, group managing director.

Overall Air Partner announced sales for the year ending in January which were only marginally lower than the equivalent period a year previously, while profits actually increased. "Not only have we survived the worst incident that the aviation industry could have imagined but we have emerged with very creditable figures which clearly demonstrate that Air Partner is a robust and financially strong company," said Savile.

Forward bookings at the end of February were up by 27 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Especially popular following recent world events have been the company's Charter Plus performance guarantee insurance programme, as well as its emergency planning division which provides rapid air support for multinationals. This two-year-old venture is now expected to become profitable this year.