Eddie Davies, owner of Bolton Wanderers Football Club, is one of the first businessmen to registered his aircraft, a 560XLS, on the new Isle of Man register. Commenting on his decision to stop using the Bermuda register in favour of the Isle of Man, he says: "With other registers outside of Britain the time difference makes it very difficult to communicate successfully, thus holding up the speed at which one can progress. The Manx register will provide much more support for operators and owners as they are only a phone call away and are very willing to meet in person."

Long-time Isle of Man resident and owner of the first jet, a CJ3, to be registered, Jim Mellon says: "The Manx register offers substantial competitive advantages in terms of flexibility, security and costs. My 'plane will be registered as M-ELON and, unlike on the U.K. register, this will be transferable to any new 'plane I buy in the future."

Director of Civil Aviation, Brian Johnson says: "The small scale of the register will enable a more user friendly and less bureaucratic service to be provided. The register, like all services on the island, allows clients a high level of service, beneficial financial arrangements and the convenience of operating within easy reach of the U.K.

"The register will offer the same high international standards as the familiar U.K. "G" prefix. It will benefit from operating from the Crown Dependency, an established international offshore financial centre and will have a competitive scheme of charges."

New jets will be the island's primary focus. "Although the register will be open to all non-commercial aircraft, it is expected to be of particular interest to professionally flown corporate aircraft, which are increasingly popular with business travellers wishing to circumvent commercial airline travel where delays are often caused by security related issues."

Johnson adds: "All users of the register will be able to benefit from the Isle of Man's favourable tax regime. In addition to a zero rate of corporation tax, there is no Manx insurance premium tax (usually 5 per cent), significantly lowering the cost of operating aircraft from the island. Aircraft financing can be easily arranged as many of the island's corporate service providers are active in the aircraft sector, and already have experience working for the super yacht registry."

The Isle of Man is not part of the U.K. or a member of the European Union. Johnson says: "The island and its aircraft registration are seen as politically neutral. This is likely to appeal to many users in the post 9/11 environment. To complement the aircraft register,

the Isle of Man has established an aircraft mortgage register, identical to the U.K. legislation.