The Swiss have 125 registered business jets, making it the third biggest fleet in Europe. Swiss operator SkyWork has been operating business aircraft for 20 years and has noticed a marked increase in business, and competition, over the past decade.

The company, which is based at Bern, currently operates a Citation V Ultra, two Excels, a Citation Jet and an Eagle. It has recently added a Dornier 328Jet to its fleet in an effort to corner the growing market in Europe for larger business aircraft.

Vice director Nicholas Gribi told EBAN: “We started out with Cessna turboprops then in the mid-80s we got our first jet, a Citation II.

“In 1993 we had two business jets and now we have six in operation. Growth was slow in the first five years but over the last five years we have had 100 per cent growth of the organisation and staff.”

Accounting for SkyWork’s steady growth over the past ten years, Gribi believes that customer loyalty and higher utilisation of business aircraft have enabled the company to expand with the market.

“The market demands this increase; we have a high number of fixed clientele who have flown with us for several years. The market is increasing, – if I compare it to last year, we have more or less 10 per cent more flight hours.”

Of course, more business aircraft in operation means more competition, which can prove fatal to smaller operators who are unwilling or unable to diversify their operations.

To contend with this, SkyWork aims to focus on niche markets and allow the market itself to dictate the direction of the company. Strong demand for charter flights with mid-size aircraft encouraged the company to purchase the Dornier 328Jet recently, which it hopes to incorporate into its business ‘models’.

“We made some collab-oration models with our fixed customers,” said Gribi. “We had to create deals for frequent fliers – we have a special discount structure and we also have a high quantity of customers flying to luxury resorts in the Alps so we are now doing a private club for that.”

Gribi believes that the recent expansion of the EU will further increase the business aviation market in Europe but, when taking into account the small number of aircraft registered in the ten so-called accession countries like Cyprus (five), Estonia (one) and Malta (one), it may take some time for them to prove themselves as contenders in European business aviation.

Although the Swiss charter market is strong, with the third largest fleet in Europe, its progression has been hindered by recent accidents leading to increased security measures.

“The major restrictions I see are in the regulations from the authorities. The philosophy is now really focused on security, especially so in Switzerland,” said Gribi. “Our national authority is very focused

on security.”