Europe's big charter operators, including DC Aviation, are investing in large private jets as the growing market in big music and sporting events complements buoyant corporate demand.

DC Aviation, together with its charter brokerage partner, Premier Aviation, flew Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band aboard DC Aviation's Airbus 319 CJ from the U.S. to Europe for their current tour. Premier Aviation and its partner Airworks Inc., charter brokerage partner companies specialising in music business clients, arranged the band's full tour on an A319CJ throughout Europe during June and July. "In the future DC Aviation and Premier Aviation are planning to strengthen their partnership for further engagement," Jonas Kraft, DC Aviation's vp sales and marketing, says. The aircraft's 48 seat configuration is ideal for bands and sport teams, he says. "The ACJ is perfectly designed for flights during the European Football Championship this summer or for road shows and concert tours. We are in the tender process and discussing for some flights for the European Championship. Due to the play-off format in the preliminary round, there will be also an additional short-notice demand for flights to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and of course the final."

A convertible Boeing 757 'Combi', created by independent UK-based airline Astraeus, has completed its world tour with the rock group Iron Maiden, whose lead singer Bruce Dickinson is a pilot for the airline (EBAN March 2008). For the Iron Maiden tour it featured 20 business class seats, 54 premium economy seats and a cargo area where the last ten rows of seats would have been in the rear compartment of the aircraft.

Capt. Bruce says: "It cut days off the turnaround time between concerts on the tour, because the band, crew and essential equipment - up to 12 tons of it - all travelled together, meaning a two day road or sea trip was despatched in hours or even minutes." The tour visited India, the Far East, Australasia, the Americas and Europe in February and March 2008. "But the conversion is not something that's going to be Iron Maiden-only. It is designed such that we can convert the aircraft one way or the other from Combi to 100 per cent passenger aircraft in three days," says Shaun Monnery of Astraeus. "That opens up a whole new area of opportunity for other touring bands, as well as orchestras, for product launches, company events and conferences."

However, big events also bring in business for smaller aircraft including helicopters. Paris and French Riviera-based Aviaxess has built up a raft of private aviation services dedicated to the international circuit of Formula 1. "Over the years Aviaxess has successfully developed solutions to meet the exacting demands of the Formula 1 business world," says Steve Whittell, organiser of the Motor Sports Business Forum in Monte Carlo. "Aviaxess looks after all the details that drivers, team principals, sponsors and VIP guests are so sensitive about. Aviaxess removes the stress of travel where time is at an absolute premium." Aviaxess is working with the organisers of the Motor Sport Business Forum to offer its services to the executives and vips attending this year's event in December in Monaco. Formula 1 also provides business for airports. A Dassault Falcon 7X owned and operated by the Formula 1 Management Team, touched down at London Ashford (Lydd). The aircraft's pilot and crew carried out 'touch and go' flight training, completing six circuits before returning the aircraft to its base at Biggin Hill.

Meanwhile Eurocopter has fulfilled its pledge to deliver EC135s in time for the UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2008). Austria's minister of the interior, Gunther Platter inaugurated the first three of four new EC135 helicopters destined for the country's air police at the flight operations base in Innsbruck on 5 May. The new EC135s were also publicly presented in Salzburg, Vienna and Klagenfurt: each city is an important venue for Euro 2008.

The sheer volume of vip and official travel needs will ensure heavy business for charter operators. Around 120,000 guests including vips and sponsors will be welcomed, fed and entertained by the hospitality team. And every day about 2,700 journalists and photographers will be reporting via TV, Internet, radio, e-mail and telephone. Some 5,000 Euro 2008 volunteers have already attended events in the host cities. Almost two-thirds come from Austria and Switzerland, while over 75 nations are represented in all, with many from Germany, some from Italy and France and a few from as far away as Costa Rica, Togo, Uganda, Indonesia and Nepal.

Air Charter Service (ACS) organised a 'fleet' of private aircraft to fly to Moscow for the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea. To save on hotel accommodation, Chelsea fans chartered a 148 seat B737-300 from ACS to fly to Moscow, wait at the airport and return post match. Four Chelsea and eight Manchester United fans together chartered a 14 seater G4 to get to the match.

But ACS reported: "The Russian location made this event a logistical nightmare. Landing and parking permissions as well as traffic rights were difficult to obtain, aircraft parking slots at Moscow airport were restricted and the actions of the authorities and local hoteliers were seen by some as 'an excuse to make money'." The volume of calls received by ACS for quotes to fly to Moscow was extremely high for over three weeks.

Charters operators and brokers reported that the Heineken Cup in Cardiff brought so many enquiries and bookings in for all aircraft types that Cardiff and Bristol airports were virtually full. But the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester had a lesser impact because of Glasgow's proximity to Manchester although scheduled travel options sold out fast and private charter operators benefited.

Music and sport events, says analysts, will continue to be big business for small as well as large private aircraft operators.