Advantage Flight Support, which operates an FBO at East Midlands Airport in the UK, has experienced an extraordinarily busy few months. “Most FBOs around the UK are seeing a massive increase in traffic, and this is certainly true of our East Midlands FBO business,” reveals operations director Chris Potts. “We’ve got some core business back and during lockdown we were working throughout, acquiring around eight new operators. Operators and brokers are continuing to find us. It is good that East Midlands is one of the few 24 hour airfields left in the UK.”
A few months ago, an opportunity came along to grow the business further. Advantage was approached by Allen Ashton, a colleague who is well know to many who use London Stansted Airport and who had been working for a security company with an aviation arm covering a multitude of services at the airport as well as at London City. These services included tour operator representation, VIP meet and assist service, aircraft access control and special group charters from the north side as well as the main terminal at Stansted.

“Unfortunately during lockdown its business had dried up and the security company decided to close its aviation arm down,” Potts goes on. “We saw a great opportunity there as the industry woke up from its slumber to invest. From 1 September 2021 we started operating as Advantage Flight Support Stansted, maintaining the four staff employed by the previous company. These staff have many years of experience in many areas of the business, and we are currently working on uniforms and other associated needs. This is still very much work in progress, but I’m already seeing some real green shoots, which to my surprise have given us a small marine division at Tilbury with cruise check-ins.”