London-based Ocean Sky Aviation is putting two Challenger 604s into charter service. It is also awaiting delivery of further aircraft as it moves to satisfy growing client demand for medium and long-distance

luxury charter.

"We have seen an incredible increase in demand within our client base for both the management and charter of midsize and heavy jets," ceo Kurosh Tehranchian says. "The Challengers are just right for this. These aircraft will make us the largest charter operator of 604 jets in the U.K."

A Learjet 60 is scheduled for delivery in November and a Global Express will follow in the first quarter of 2007.

Tehranchian says the new aircraft will cater to demand for flights to destinations ranging from the south of France and Sardinia to Moscow and the U.S.

"There has been a large number of requests recently for travel to the U.S. especially to the east coast and, for this, the Challengers are perfect," says Tehranchian. And the Global Express will cater for those who want to travel to the west coast. "It also has the capability to take our clients to Africa, the Seychelles and Mauritius."

The destinations reflect the growing importance of the leisure traveller.

"The leisure demand is heavy," Tehranchian reports. "At any given time it ranges between 50 and 75 per cent of the total with business travel fluctuating between the remaining 25 to 50 per cent.

"In the U.K., for instance, there are a great many high net worth individuals who using private jets for their major holidays. They are no longer considering scheduled airlines as an option."

Private aircraft demand has been rising at a healthy rate even without the added enquiries resulting from security alerts. "The market has been growing at over twice the rate of the rest of the aviation sector in Europe," Tehranchian adds. "That's a nice steady growth pattern."

The company began life as Aircraft Zone in 2005 with a business plan to become an integrated aviation company offering management, sales and charter. "It was always the intention to provide quality charter services and this was emphasised by our rebrand as Ocean Sky at the end of 2005," says Tehranchian.