These past few months, activity has been feverish here in the EBAN offices. Mail shots amassing, telephones and fax machines smouldering, keyboards straining to breaking point and paperwork piling up... such is the daily routine as we drive towards sending our first Handbook of Business Aviation in Europe to the printers.

When we launched the project last September we had decided to produce a single, compact and definitive reference book for the business aviation industry throughout the continent.

We would list, and cross-reference, every charter operator, every maintenance company, every suitable airport, FBO and handler. We knew it would be a challenge, but were confident that a decade of publishing EBAN and gathering subscriber data would stand us in good stead.

So perhaps the biggest surprise has been just how difficult it has been to extract the latest data from companies eligible for free inclusion! Despite the mailings, faxes, emails and telephone calls, it is still somewhat like pulling teeth.

I have penned similar laments in this column in years gone by, and I despair that things have changed so very slowly. Most air charter businesses now have websites; but certainly not all. Most maintenance companies

still do not.

In the EBAN editorial department we still receive very little unsolicited news from the majority of operators and suppliers at the coal-face, only from the major players.

So many times our journalists hear the same reaction: “Oh yes, we have just introduced a Whizzprop 4000, appointed a new chief pilot and opened a new base at Bigport. We didn’t realise anyone would be interested.”

Every business needs the oxygen of publicity. Why not take a look at your own efforts in this regard today?

Take a few moments to plan how you can achieve press coverage locally and nationally, in the general, business and aviation press. Think about the impression visitors will gain from your website, and whether you have been effectively telling your potential customers who you are and what you do.

Why not make a start with our Handbook? It will be an important resource, and you owe it to yourself to be included...

Are you a charter operator?

If so, then you can be listed free of charge. All you have to do is return the form we sent you a

few weeks ago. Or visit www.ebanhandbook.com/entrycharter.lasso and fill in the form online.

Are you a maintenance provider?

If you have hangar facilities for whole-aircraft maintenance then you can be included free of charge. Fill out the form, or enter your data online at www.ebanhandbook.com/entrymaintenance.lasso, or call us on 44 1279 714512.

If you provide specialist maintenance, such as for avionics, engines or equipment then you can still advertise to the 4,000 aircraft owners who will receive the Handbook. It only costs from UK£50, and can be booked at www.ebanhandbook.com/entry.lasso. This form is also good for all those companies who provide goods and services for business aviation (aircraft sales, modifications, fuel, flight operations et al).

We’ve extended our deadline to April 15th – but after this date it will be too late to take advantage of one of the best publicity opportunities of the year. Talk to us, and your customers, today!

David Wright, Publisher