London Oxford Airport, ranked the fifth busiest UK business airport in the UK and amongst the top 20 in Europe, is among a handful of UK business airports that have seen consistent growth post the financial crash of 2007.
According to Eurocontrol figures published last month, London Stansted (with its five FBOs) leads the ‘most recovered’ with a 35% 10-year growth. But London Oxford is a close second with an overall 32% growth.
London Luton Airport retains its crown as the number one airport for business aviation movements, but it and a few other London-centric airports have become “increasingly squeezed for slots, to the benefit of airports like us,” said James Dillon-Godfray, Head of Business Development, speaking at London Oxford Airport’s pre-EBACE 2018 media briefing last week. “With night flights constrained at key peer airports we can still operate to midnight seven days a week.”
The uptick in the number of large cabin business aircraft movements it saw last year continues, while the 20% increase in helicopters handled in 2017 shows no sign of reducing. Rotary activity will increase further when the Children’s Air Ambulance moves to Oxford in May.
London Oxford Airport is responding to upped demand for more home-based and visiting business jets with the imminent completion of a brand new 16,000 ft².-sized hangar (Bombardier Global 7000 compatible, plus offices.) “With the continuing demand for hangarage we are working on plans for the next major expansion to the north of the current site fulfilling the need for aircraft residency (there are some 25 business jets residing at the airport) and on-site MRO capability is provided by Gama Aviation, Excellence Aviation, Volare Aviation, P3 Engineering, A2B Aero, Airbus Helicopters and CAE OAA.”
Further infrastructure enhancements confirmed early this year include a brand new 101-room Premier Inn hotel which will be built at the entrance to the airport, catering for air crew; owners and pilots bringing aircraft in for maintenance and friends and families visiting air cadets at resident pilot training schools CAE Oxford Aviation Academy and Airways Aviation. The hotel is scheduled to open summer next year.
