Highland Airways has ordered two Jetstream 41s to facilitate rising demand for corporate and ad hoc charter services. The aircraft will replace two leased smaller Jetstream 31s and will represent a significant upgrade in the company offering and result in a corporate fleet of 12 aircraft.

A 12-month contract is lined up for one aircraft to provide a corporate shuttle linking Scotland and the English south west. "The other will initially be used for ad hoc work, although some existing customers will no doubt re-examine the aircraft's virtues in the light of their evolving needs," says Basil O'Fee, commercial director at Highland Airways. "In the last few years we've seen significant growth in our corporate shuttle and charter business. We provide services for a number of blue chip clients as well as the oil industry."

He adds: "The J41s provide an incremental enhancement to our current offering and we are confident there is enough demand to keep them both in the air. We also know the aircraft type well, as we maintain J41s on behalf of other operators, and we have long experience of its smaller sister - the J31."

Headquartered in Inverness, Highland Airways has bases in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Lancashire, Cardiff and in the Western Isles. O'Fee says the company enjoys a diverse customer base, including the Royal Mail and Scottish Daily Newspaper Society, delivering post and newspapers to the Western Isles. It also operates three public service obligation routes in Wales and Scotland and provides aerial reconnaissance for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency.

Highland Airways is already planning to order additional aircraft in the near future. O'Fee says: "Highland Airways is in a very strong position and the business continues to grow across a number of sectors. As a specialist niche aviation supplier we can satisfy customers ranging from multi-nationals to the public sector, and have the flexibility to react speedily to customer demands." The aircraft are scheduled to enter service in the early summer.