Archived news

Bertrand d'Argoeuves, charter account manager ACS Dubai, recently performed a flight for a large group of religious followers to the grand opening of their new place of worship in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Initially Bertrand was asked to move 55 passengers on the route but, as news of the opening spread, the figure eventually reached 200 people, along with 4 tons of cargo. By this time Bertrand needed to use all his experience and knowledge to find the right aircraft - particularly difficult as some of the cargo was quite large. He located the ideal choice in a Boeing 757-200.

The next challenge was coordinating the schedules of the entire group as most of them were arriving from either Europe or the United States. Bertrand commented: “My biggest challenge was creating the perfect schedule - one that didn’t make passengers wait too long, and that was in time for other connecting flights”. Finally Bertrand and the airline had to liaise with the French military (who control Dushanbe airport traffic) for the landing permit, and to open the airport especially - despite it being closed to all other flights due to runway maintenance.

To ensure everything went off without a hitch, Bertrand sent an ACS flight representative to coordinate the complicated operation. Everything ran perfectly smoothly, and the grand opening was great success.

For any charter requirement please contact our team of experts: passenger@acs.ae

Claudio Lietaert , senior account manager ACS Dubai, recently dealt with a stranger than usual charter. The CEO of a leading European oil company was visiting some of their sites in the UAE. The customer flew to the region on his own private jet, but because of the tight schedule that he was on, he needed back-up aircraft on standby.

Claudio sourced two different aircraft – a Hawker 850 waiting in Bahrain, and a CL604 on standby in Yemen waiting to fly back non-stop to Europe should it be needed. The operators obtained permits in advance so that they were able to depart within three hours of notice being given – one of the client’s numerous requirements. Claudio also assisted the security personnel of the CEO to search the aircraft, and obtained airport permissions for them to guard the aircraft whilst the flight crew rested at hotels between routes.

For any passenger enquiries, please contact us passenger@acs.ae

ACS Dubai Account Manager, Claudio Lietaert, had to act fast recently to arrange a medivac flight to Oman. He received a call from a medical team in Iran where a patient had a very serious back injury and had to be transported to Muscat as soon as possible. With excellent coordination by ACS, the medical team and the operator  the aircraft arrived to Masshad, Iran over one hour ahead of schedule. Through ACS’s network of contacts, the Iranian flight permission was granted at “lightning speed” according to Claudio. 

Ambulances were prepared at both airports so it didn’t matter that the aircraft arrived into Muscat 90 minutes earlier than planned. It did however mean that the patient received earlier treatment.

He was successfully operated on and, we’re pleased to say, is rehabilitating well. Claudio was in constant communication with his family throughout the operation, prompting them to comment: “The credit for this marvellous job goes to your professional set-up, business like approach with a humane touch, and military precision like efficiency in bringing the passenger to the destination”.

For any passenger enquiries, please contact us passenger@acs.ae

Claudio Lietaert, Charter Account Manager ACS Dubai, recently helped to avert a crisis. First thing in the morning Claudio received a phone call from an oil company who had a major opening ceremony in Northern Iraq in less than 48 hours time.

There was a technical problem however, which meant that they needed to get an engineer to Erbil as quickly as possible to fix the fault before the grand opening. Claudio raced into action, and within four hours of the initial phone call, the engineer was boarding a Citation III at Dubai airport. All necessary permits had been granted, including the potentially tricky Iraqi clearances. Less than three hours later the engineer was on the ground in Iraq and ready to start his work.

Thanks to Claudio’s fast reactions the problem was fixed in plenty of time, and the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Please contact Dubai passenger sales on passenger@acs.ae

Paul Hoatson, Charter Analyst at ACS Dubai, recently provided a B737-800 to ‘evacuate’ some passengers from a cruise ship nearing Somalia’s pirate-infested waters.

Hoatson received a request to fly 80 passengers from Salalah in Oman on to Luxor in Egypt, whilst the cruise vessel passed through the Gulf Of Aden and into the Red Sea. Hoatson commented: “there were a number of passengers aboard the ship that preferred the thought of a tour around the Pyramids, rather than pass through the troubled waters around Somalia!” He added: “the passengers then met up with the ship in Egypt when it passed through later.”

They had a lovely, relaxing time in Egypt away from worrying about pirates.

Contact a member of the Dubai passenger sales team: passenger@acs.ae

Paul Hoatson account manager at ACS Dubai received an urgent call for a ‘go-now’ flight on a Sunday evening. Despite difficulties with Europe being closed as it was a Sunday afternoon, working with the London office ensured that the aircraft was positioned within two hours and thirty minutes of the call being received.

With the help of account manager Anthony Haries , ACS London was on hand to contact the relevant people at Cannes airport to ensure they could reposition the Challenger 300 before the airport closed at 2000 local time. The aircraft arrived at Le Bourget with one hour left to get the relevant permits for Saudi Arabia before the aircraft left Paris and to get the passengers there.

By working together Paul and Anthony ensured that this flight went as planned, using their excellent relationships they have with people in the industry to get the relevant permits on time. This is just another example of how ACS’ worldwide coverage and intra-office co-operation ensures our customers receive the best service in the industry that is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Please contact Dubai passenger sales on passenger@acs.ae

This month, ACS was called into action in the early hours of the morning to assist in an urgent medical evacuation. When ACS charter executive Claudio Lietaert received a call at 3am he immediately got to work to find the quickest solution.

The patient had life threatening injuries so it was important to get him to the hospital without delay. An aircraft, equipped with medical equipment was found; the ACS team worked quickly with the airports own medical authorities to ensure that the necessary landing permits were obtained promptly. 

Within 25 minutes of the aircraft landing the patient was on his way to a hospital in Beirut which was ready for his arrival. ACS co-ordinated with the hospital to ensure there were no delays and the transportation was completed as quickly and as comfortable as possible.

Three weeks later the patient was discharged from hospital and reunited with their family.

Claudio worked quickly to find a solution and with the help of Maya an Arabic speaker, got the patient out of a potentially life threatening situation. Many of ACS’ brokers are bi-lingual, breaking down the communication barriers, and with experienced account managers on call 24/7 365. You are in safe hands knowing there will always be someone at the end of the phone in an emergency.

Contact a member of the Dubai passenger sales team: passenger@acs.ae

The Gulf Cup 2009 held in Muscat- Oman in January 2009 was the highlight of the football crazy sporting calendar in the Middle East. Also known as Khaleeji it is a tournament held every two years for the Arab countries. 

ACS Dubai had a request to move nearly 2000 Saudi and Qatari fans to Muscat, no easy task.

Dmitry Korshunov director of ACS Dubai said

“The biggest challenge was securing available aircraft, when we managed to do this nearly every aircraft in the region was booked by our Dubai office due to the scale of this operation”

Over a period of 4 days a B757-200 and a DC-9 were used for a total of 16 flights with up to 5 rotations a day, moving fans from Doha-Muscat-Doha. The entire team at ACS Dubai were kept busy ensuring all of these flights arranged with as little as 2 days notice went off without a hitch.

Claudio Lietaert charter account manager secured a B737-200 for Saudi fans so they could support their team. Paul Hoatson ACS flight manager was on board the flight to ensure that everything ran smoothly.

“We are very proud to say that the operation was a success and we look forward to handling similar requests in the future” Dmitry Korshunov

The passenger department in Dubai worked as a team to bring this large operation together, using their combined knowledge and expertise. ACS are charter experts with experience of chartering aircraft in the football industry, catering for both the fans needs and those of the players.

The Dubai passenger charter team can be contacted on passenger@acs.ae

It’s the beginning of 2009 and wide spread economic downturn is high in the headlines. The glittering shores of the oil rich Arabian Gulf is yet to feel the full force of this economic crisis.

The Dubai passenger department is growing rapidly with two new appointments this month, bringing the passenger department in Dubai up to 7 account managers. With large amounts of money being invested in the Middle East private jet charter is increasing in popularity as an important business tool.

Air Charter Service can give the control back to the user, chartering a private business jet ensures that business executives spend as little time as possible out of the office. Travelling in private and comfort allows the business traveller to arrive fresh, many of the larger jets have onboard communications with internet access, allowing work to be done during transit. The flexibility of private charter means that even if the meeting over runs the aircraft and crew will be waiting for your arrival, after a swift and smooth transit through private terminals you will be on your way.

For all your private charter needs contact passenger sales Dubai passenger@acs.ae

A group of 8 VIP passengers were disappointed when an aircraft they had booked with another company was unable to fly because of a technical problem. They called ACS Dubai on a Saturday morning and spoke to Dmitriy Korshunov to see if he would be able to find them a replacement aircraft.

The client had been let down by another company on the morning of their flight from Dubai to Moscow, which meant an inevitable delay. However Dmitriy managed to find a replacement Gulfstream 300 which limited the delay caused to the passengers to 6 hours. Although the delay to the passengers was not brought about by ACS they acted as quickly as possible to source the heavy jet that the passengers had requested. The aircraft was positioned at the correct airport and with the help of the customer was able to obtain traffic rights. Within 3 hours of confirmation Dmitriy was waiting at the airport with the passengers until they had departed, making sure there were no other problems.

ACS don’t do voice mail or call centres so no matter when our clients call they will always get through to an account manager. This personalised service insures we can arrange any flight at anytime. You can rely on us to get you to where you want to go.

24/7, 365 days a year contact our passenger sales team: passenger@acsfzco.ae

Air Charter Service Plc (ACS), the worldwide passenger and cargo air charter broker, today announces the opening of its latest office in Hong Kong SAR, China.

ACS has positioned itself to benefit from the growing Asia-Pacific and Australasian market which has seen exceptional growth in private jet usage with official figures showing that since 2003 Hong Kong International Airport has seen steady year on year growth of between 35 and 40% in executive jet movements through it’s Business Aviation Centre, a trend which is set to continue throughout Asia.

Heading up the Asia-Pacific team is Mike Walsh with 12 years aviation experience, who has relocated from the firm’s London office and is to be supported by charter brokers, trained by ACS in London to handle both passenger and cargo enquiries. Yan Fang, Thomas Chan and Stephen Fernandez join the Hong Kong team bringing the languages needed to provide the highest levels of service, namely Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Korean. Soon to join the team is office manager Money Cheng who is also tri-lingual and has worked in aviation for five years with Chinese carriers.

Mike Walsh, Director, ACS Hong Kong said: "Serving the Asia-Pacific region from Hong Kong see’s the realisation of a long term dream for ACS and the opening of the office here has been driven by our analysis of customer demand. This is a huge opportunity for ACS and we have now secured a permanent office in the Central district of Hong Kong. Business in Hong Kong, China and the region in general is undertaken face-to-face so it was vital that we established a key team here in China.”

Tony Bauckham, Managing Director, ACS said: "This is a significant move for ACS, our established global offices network in London, New York, Dubai and Moscow have seen an overall increase in flights consisting of both passenger and cargo of  285% over the last four years and we know that by expanding our presence into Asia these growth figures will be sustained.”

When a patient needed to be moved from Iraq to The United Arab Emirates, Director of ACS Dubai Dmitriy Korshunov had to find a solution.

Despite it being a Medevac flight it was not an emergency and Dmitriy had a couple of days to organise the flight. It was however vital that there was a good understanding of the patients medical needs. The aircraft had to have the capacity to accommodate the patient, the escort, medical crew and medical equipment they would need. Dmitriy sourced a King Air 200 which had the capacity and was capable of making the two and half hour flight.

Everyone involved needed to know about the patients medical condition as this would determine the medical equipment needed on the aircraft. There also had to be excellent communication between the departure and arrival hospitals to ensure the transfer ran smoothly.

Dmitriy Korshunov said “after a lot of careful planning to ensure every eventuality was considered, the flight went very well and ACS transferred the patient successfully.”

Air Charter Service has a huge contact base from which they are able to source a medevac aircraft in both emergency and non emergency situations.

Contact one of our passenger sales team: passenger@acsfzco.ae

On the 16th January 2008 ACS’ Moscow office received an urgent request for a private jet to be positioned at London Heathrow airport the very next day to take two passengers to Moscow’s international Sheremetyevo airport in Russia.

The businessmen were due to arrive in London on a flight from Africa but one of the passengers was unaware of the need for an entry visa into the UK to transit through the airport. ACS was able to obtain a permit to allow the passenger to transfer to the executive jet whilst the second passenger could travel through the immigration process and collect their luggage.

The passengers requested a one hour window between their flight from Africa arriving and the private jet departing to Moscow; landing permits at London Heathrow are extremely hard to negotiate. LHR is one of the busiest airports in the world and landing slots for small private aircraft are few and far between.

Sergey Vekhov, General Manager ACS Russia, said:

“It is testament to the hard work of the ACS team in Moscow that landing rights at London Heathrow airport, the third busiest airport in the world were secured at such short notice! The aircraft departed exactly on time and the businessmen were delighted with the service they had received from ACS.”

Contact: Passenger Sales team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Service (ACS) one of the leading names in cargo and passenger air chartering, organised a Boeing 737-200 to carry a group of 19 passengers from Dubai (DXB), UAE to Sana’a (SAN), Yemen on Sunday 23rd September to sign a deal for a Nuclear Power project. And all this was successfully achieved with just three days notice.
The project to fund five nuclear power reactors over the next 10 years is estimated at a cost of $15 billion, and aims to generate electricity and desalinate sea water in order to meet the needs of Yemen’s growing urban population and boost the country's industrial development.
The VIP passengers included American and Canadian investors who had originally requested the use of a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), but due to the limited notice given an alternative aircraft had to be found.

Dmitriy Korshunov, General Manager of ACS Dubai commented:
“The customer was looking for a particular executive aircraft, but due to the extremely short notice the requested BBJ was unavailable. ACS continually monitors in excess of 50,000 aircraft worldwide, so we were able to more than satisfactorily cater for our customer’s needs by recommending the B737-200, which they were delighted with.”

Not only was the flight a complete success, ACS additionally on request provided an exceptional VIP arrival and departure service, which is convenient and can be arranged for groups of any size.

ACS prides itself on quality service with great flexibility to suit the customers’ needs. Once again ACS was able to deliver a full service and leave another of their valued customers satisfied.

Contact the ACS team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Aberdeen Executives take the rain to Spain…
Executives from, one of Scotland’s 100 largest companies, chartered a private jet from Aberdeen to attend the launch of a ship in San Sebastian last month. The Aberdeen based company has a shipping arm with a fleet of offshore support vessels, predominantly serving the North Sea.
The journey would have taken the executives fifteen hours had they used scheduled flights, as opposed to the two and half hour direct flight from Aberdeen that ACS was able to arrange for them, saving considerable time. For senior company Executives the ability to decrease the amount of time spent traveling is seen as a significant cost saving and enables them to spend more time in the office.
Passenger charter analyst at ACS, Mark Christie, said:
“The customer’s immediate thought was to call ACS for this flight as they knew we could provide a service at very short notice that would be tailor made to their needs. We were asked to look for an aircraft on 24th September, booked the flights on the 25th and they flew the next day.
 “We chartered a Citation Excel for the team, a medium size executive jet that suited the flight and passengers perfectly and they were able to use the executive terminal at Aberdeen.”
Contact Mark Christie, Passenger Sales Co-Ordinator at ACS and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

A Silverstone British Grand Prix will draw crowds of 100,000 people, many of whom will want to avoid the inevitable train delays and motorway congestion out of London which often accompanies such a popular event – our perfect solution, a helicopter charter from Central London’s only heliport – Battersea.

Our regular clients are used to experiencing the best service, flights that are chartered well in
advance as well as last minute solutions operated with absolute precision. The British Grand Prix of the 7th and 8th July 2007 left ACS with a large number of helicopter charters to book into slots out of Battersea, which are like gold dust and into Silverstone which operates a strictly ‘subject to slots’ operation so the ACS team had to find slots that corresponded with both locations.

Andrew Summers, Passenger Charter Analyst, ACS said:
“Helicopters were sourced matching each client’s exact requirements for both the qualifying on
Saturday and race day on Sunday. At ACS we offer each and every client the best possible service but when the stakes are so high with regular customers requiring aircraft for a time when slots are so hard to come by it makes our team go the extra mile. I am proud of the way we handled each and every charter this weekend and our 100% on time record meant that all our customers were completely satisfied.”

Contact: Andrew Summers and Joel Fenn, Passenger Charter Analysts at london@aircharter.co.uk

During May, June and July this year the music industry and its fans have enjoyed some brilliant shows such as The Big Weekend, T in the Park, Naas Oxegen Festival , Live Earth and of course Glastonbury with each event welcoming one or more ACS charter.

Given the music industry is a primary market for ACS, the infamous summer festivals and
beginnings of World and European tours have kept ACS on their toes delivering some of the world’s best selling artists to countless shows so far. Unsurprisingly, ACS was called upon to charter a variety of executive jets and helicopters for the artists headlining some of the biggest festivals in Europe.

With ACS's expertise at choosing the ideal aircraft types, one of the charters involved a unique 19 seat helicopter to get the artists as close as possible to the crowded festival sites, avoiding the traffic and getting them on stage on time. Some of these flights have been planned since the beginning of the year, with countless changes and updates - some enquiries were even received within 24 hours of being airborne! No matter the timeframe to get the bands in the air, ACS have continue to provide the winning service that ensures the crowds see their favourite artists perform.

Production Manager for a best selling number 1 artist said:
“Despite having worked with other brokers on music charters, ACS has proven to be the most
professional, delivering unbeatable service 24/7. Finding a supplier who fully understands the
demands and often temperamental nature of this industry is difficult, however working with ACS has proven that their dedicated Account Management is 100% tuned in with what we need. I would not contemplate going back to work with anyone else.”

Carmen Vanegas, Passenger Sales Manager, ACS said:
“Having specialised in VIP and music charters, I find that arranging these flights can be rather like a complex jigsaw puzzle with the added pressure of a tight schedule. Our team has the resources and experience to help the bands put together all the pieces of the puzzle within some very tight deadlines and budgets! In the end when the customer is happy there is a great sense of satisfaction among the team. Despite the bad weather this summers’ music festivals have been tremendous fun and a great success for ACS.”

Contact: Carmen Venegas, Passenger Sales Manager and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

With thousands of fans descending on the small islands that make up the West Indies, the local security forces needed some outside help. Assistance arrived from all over the world with forces from each of the 16 competing nations sending representatives. Due to the nature of some of their equipment and the difficulty in getting large groups on the same scheduled flight, a private aircraft charter provided the perfect solution.

One of Air Charter Service’s account managers, Tim Rees, was contacted to arrange such a charter to take 75 passengers and 5 tonnes of equipment from South Africa to Granada, with a strict schedule and a stricter budget. Tim quickly got to work finding the most cost effective charter solution. A larger aircraft would have flown direct, however with only 75 passengers this would not have been financially viable. So Tim sourced a Boeing 737-800 to take the passengers to Granada with quick fuel stops in Libreville and Sal all within the budget dictated by the client. Tim recalls,

“Due to the long sectors over water we needed an aircraft not only with the range required but also the legal requirement of an ETOPS certification and the 737-800 I sourced had both. It was the best aircraft for the job and despite high demand I managed to secure it for the dates required.”

Tim was on hand to make sure everything went smoothly and to answer any questions there may have been on the day. Being a cricket fan, Tim was more than happy to do his bit to ensure the World cup was a fantastic event for all involved.

Contact: Passenger Sales team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Picture this: 300 people, located in different parts of the UK, all need to attend an event in southern France. Do you really believe that any airline will have scheduled flights departing and returning at convenient times, with that many empty seats? If you do, you might also consider that these people have to be made to feel special.

This was the scenario facing Joel Fenn, ACS passenger charter executive, recently. Schneider Electric, the globally respected manufacturer, was hosting its annual company event in Nice. It needed 300 of its UK staff to attend, to help with serving the 4,000 potential customers it was expecting from across Europe.

Joel arranged for flights from Manchester and Luton, on separate Boeing 737 aircraft - one of which was brand new, making its first commercial flight. Schneider's staff received personalised ticket envelopes, were greeted by special signs at check-in and boarded their aircraft to find that even the head-rest covers carried the Schneider branding. Departure times were arranged to suit the customer, with high-quality catering enhancing the journey. For the return flights, the Schneider personnel were treated to more top-class food and drinks in their own reserved room at Nice airport, before taking off again in style.

Contact: Joel Fenn Passenger Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

It was a typical English winter's day when 38 people turned up at Farnborough: overcast, gloomy and not notably warm. There was, however, anticipation and curiosity in the air. Even top managers from a global leader become a little excited at the prospect of a mystery trip.

Tim Rees, passenger charter analyst, had ensured that the events company booking the trip had everything it required, which meant keeping the destination a complete secret from the passengers. While they enjoyed a champagne reception in the private lounge, one or two did try to quiz the ground staff, but - as with everybody else capable of giving away the secret - they had been thoroughly briefed.

They boarded a Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet, only to find that the crew would happily answer any of their questions except 'the big one.' It was, therefore, still a complete surprise a little over three hours later when the VIPs landed and emerged into the warmth of Marrakesh. Discretion is an everyday attitude within Air Charter Service so, while this level of secrecy is a little beyond the norm, keeping the secret was never a problem.

Contact: Passenger Sales Team at london@aircharter.co.uk

When you plan a special event, everything about it has to be special. Carmen Vanegas, senior charter analyst, happily agreed when a customer said this to her recently. He intends to celebrate his 50th birthday by hosting a weekend party in Venice for his closest friends and family, but was finding his plans blocked by commercial carriers.

"He wants the whole party to fly together," explains Carmen, "but, even with months of advance notice, the airlines are unable to help. Although his birthday is not until June, everyone is already saying that they just do not have the seats available at the right times. It should be a celebration, but was beginning to turn into a nightmare."

The gentleman was equally unhappy at the thought of arranging the logistics for his guests to travel to different airports, taking different flights and not arriving at the same time. Knowing that everyone would have to check-in two hours before departure, then queue for baggage collection in Venice, was also a dispiriting prospect.

He liked Carmen's answer - and a booking was swiftly confirmed. The customer will meet all of his guests at the exclusive, newly refurbished London Farnborough Airport. They will have a terminal to themselves, where drinks and refreshments will be available during the 30 minutes between check-in and take-off.

Once aboard their stylish, 46-seat Canadair Regional Jet, they will enjoy a three-course "Business Class" style meal, before arriving in Venice. Upon arrival, bags will be off-loaded immediately, so that everyone will be leaving the airport within just 30 minutes of arrival. The return journey will be equally smooth, helping to ensure a hassle-free party for all concerned.

Contact: Passenger Sales Team at london@aircharter.co.uk

If you were in charge of catering for an airline, what would be your worst nightmare? High on the list might be an aircraft full of world-class chefs, all waiting to see what you are going to serve them. Fortunately for Matt Purton, in the ACS London office, this was not a problem when Practical Travel Agents contacted him to arrange just such a flight.

The Icelandic Chefs Association needed to get to Lyons for the International Chef of the Year competition. As well as their competing chefs, they wanted to take guests and well-wishers. With approaching 150 people all travelling together, scheduled flights would not have been an attractive option even if it had been feasible.

Matt arranged for the party to fly to Lyons and back in their own Boeing 737-800, cutting out check-in delays and waiting times and ensuring that take-off times were convenient for the Association and its supporters. As for the catering, everybody was thrilled by the standard of the in-flight menu: ACS happily arranged to take delivery, store, load and serve food prepared by ... members of the Icelandic Chefs

Contact: Matt Purton Passenger Sales Manager and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Services Senior Charter Analyst Carmen Vanegas flew a series of 5 return flights to Munster from various destinations around the UK.

With up to 50 pax on each flight Carmen really had a huge job on her hands. The flights were for an international agricultural event, chartered from a British based customer and took over two months of planning.

The specialist aircraft used for these flights was a Saab 2000-Regional Turboprop, and with every flight going exactly to plan, both customer and passengers were delighted with the service they received.

Air Charter Service provided flexible flight schedules allowing the trip to run smoothly and swiftly without the executives having to worry about missing flights. The company thanked the New York office for the fantastic service and informed them the flights were a great success.

As specialists in charter travel, and with offices in London, New York, Moscow and Dubai, Air Charter Service works round the clock to provide an unrivalled, fast response whether for the individual executive or large groups.

Contact: Passenger Sales Team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Service's London office arranged a private aircraft charter for a party of ex-professional football players, TV football pundits and press reporters to fly down to Sardinia for a two day golfing break last month.

The aircraft charter was requested by a big sports sponsor client who was treating the VIP group, which included Sky and BBC presenters, to an all expenses paid trip to play one of Europe's best courses.

Andy Christie, who specialises in sports event flights, laid on a Saab 2000 commuter turboprop aircraft for the charter from London to Sardinia. The Saab 2000 aircraft allowed the celebrity party to fly as a single group, and the use of VIP airport terminals kept the group away from the chaos of busy airports.

Contact: Andy Christie Senior Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Service's sports charter specialist Andy Christie was this month delighted to be asked to arrange a helicopter charter for a prominent member of the England football team the day after the Euro 2008 qualifier against Macedonia.

The star was needed for a promotional event in central London so his agents requested a helicopter to pick him up from his clubs training ground on the outskirts of the city and fly him directly to the Battersea, South London.

Andy arranged for an AS-355 Twin Squirrel to fly the player high above the traffic gridlock down below. In a helicopter with a capable cruise speed of 224 km/h the flight was completed within minutes and the star was transferred to the event by limousine.

For more information on chartering a helicopter contact Air Charter Service.

Contact: Andy Christie Senior Charter Analyst and team at london@aircharter.co.uk

With winter only just round the corner we thought now the perfect time to announce our new partnership with Elemental Adventure - specialists in providing customised heliskiing packages to some of the most exciting destinations around the world - including Canada, Alaska, Russia, Turkey and Greenland.

The role of Elemental Adventure is to provide you with the experience that you want, tailor made to your requirements and taking care of the planning of your trip down to the last detail.

In order to minimise time spent travelling and maximise your time on the snow, Air Charter Service can arrange for your private aircraft to take you directly to your destination with speed and comfort. With so many destinations only a short flight from your local airport an exclusive weekend heliskiing becomes both easy and practical.

Whether you are an experienced skier looking to pioneer first descents in the Himalayas, or a confident intermediate who has never been heliskiing before; Elemental Adventure and Air Charter Service make it happen with minimum planning and hassle on your behalf.

Visit www.eaheliskiing.com for more information on heliskiing.

Air Charter Service have seen a sharp rise in demand for private charters since August's terror alert as VIP and executive travellers try to avoid crowded airports and scheduled flight security scares. The dramatic rise in business came during what is usually the slowest time of year for private aircraft charters.

The new security measures and flight delays caused serious difficulties for the business community, with routes to key European cities and transatlantic destinations heavily affected at the height of the problems.

In addition to business traffic, executives who normally hired private jets only for business trips were using them for family vacations as well.

Gavin Copus, passenger sales manager at Air Charter Service, revealed that his team had been working around the clock with business almost double the normal levels for August due to the scare.

He added: "Executives and their families feel reassured by the reliability and security that companies such as ours can offer, which is why we have seen such demand in recent weeks."

Contact Air Charter Service to charter a private aircraft

Air Charter Service's VIP sales team were recently able to enjoy a familiarisation flight on an 18 seat Boeing Business Jet from London to New York. The aircraft had originally been chartered into London by a royal guest and needed to reposition to New York for another flight.

A group of twelve Air Charter Service brokers from the London and New York offices were given the chance to fly on this most famous of VIP aircraft. Familiarisation trips are so valuable as they give the brokers first hand experience of the product they are selling, allowing them to better serve their clients.

The BBJ - a modern, ultra-luxurious version of the Boeing 737-700 - is considered to be at the absolute top-end of the VIP market - essentially a full scale self contained home and business centre, complete with meeting room, dining room and a bedroom for the passengers.

Contact:  Passenger Sales Team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Service have played an important role in both evacuating foreign nationals and transporting aid cargo to Lebanon as the crisis in the Middle East unfolds. Large scale operations continue in order to help alleviate the suffering of civilians caught up in the conflict.

Air Charter Service's passenger department arranged four MD-82 charters from Larnaca carrying a total of 646 Scandinavian evacuees back to their homeland. The flights were completed within 24 hours of receiving the request.

In the first three weeks of the crisis Air Charter Service's cargo department have also been involved in flying relief aid to the region. As the aid effort got underway ACS arranged five AN-12 charters with cargo of food and essential goods into Larnaca (LCA).

With new aid routes now opening up ACS are also working on charters into other airports including Damascus (DAM) - where an ACS chartered DC-8 has delivered a consignment of relief goods from Copenhagen (CPH).

Air Charter Service took its clients up the river in style this month. The river in question was the River Thames, where ACS had charted Raven's Ait, a leafy island right in the middle of this famous stretch of water, and converted it into the Wild West for the evening.

ACS Managing Director Chris Leach said a big 'thank you' was due to all those who made the past two years a success period for the company - and that included its clients, staff, 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly', service providers - and even the media.

Guests were treated to live country and western music, entertainers and line dancing on tap for the 200 guests, and a 'Clint Eastwood' lookalike. They feasted on a dinner of ribs, barbeque chicken wings, corn and more while card sharps, knife throwers, stilt-walkers and a guitar and banjo duo entertained the revellers.

Contact:  Passenger Sales Team at london@aircharter.co.uk

Air Charter Services Senior Charter Analyst, Ros Shergold jumped into action and arranged a last minute trip on an Embraer 120 aircraft for some avid Australian football fans who work for a large asset management company in London, to watch Australia v Italy on Monday 26th July.

Despite a tight time schedule Ros even managed to arrange 5 star hospitality onboard the 20 passenger aircraft and secured a VIP coach to transfer the passengers from Saarbrucken Airport to the Kaiserslautern Stadium. The company thanked Ros for the fantastic service and enjoyed the trip despite the disappointment of Australia losing what proved a very close game.

Air Charter Service's Dornier 328 propeller aircraft (pictured right) has also proved a resounding success with fans travelling to the World Cup in Germany, notching up 9 charters before the quarter final stage.

The 31 seat aircraft, based in the UK , has proved especially popular with corporate groups travelling to the biggest games. Other key players involved in Air Charter Service's World Cup campaign have included Citation, Challenger 604, Hawker 800 and Fokker 50 aircraft.

Contact Air Charter Service for more information on chartering aircraft to sporting events.

With summer holidays in full swing Air Charter Service flew a top city banker and his family to Palma De Mallorca on a Citation Excel for a yacht holiday. However, in a problem all too common for business executives, the office called during the break and urgently required the banker for an important meeting.

The PA for the banker called Air Charter Service again to see if they could get him to the meeting in Frankfurt quickly and without fuss so as to cause minimal disruption to the holiday.

Gavin Copus and Joel Fenn immediately provided a Citation II aircraft to whisk the banker to Frankfurt, where at the VIP terminal the banker was able to change into a business suit his PA had made available for the meeting.

Following a successful meeting and business dinner in Frankfurt the banker was able to return to the waiting private jet and fly straight back to Palma De Mallorca to join his family on the yacht.

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Air Charter Service recently had the opportunity of flying the music band Razorlight and Record Company officials who were performing to Radio 1's Big Weekend in Camper Down Park, Dundee. The production team called Carmen Vanegas in the build up to the event to request the charter for the stars who were working to a tight schedule.

Carmen from the London office Sourced a 48 seat VIP Canadair Regional Jet, striking the perfect chord with the stars who were looking for a luxurious and relaxing flight before the gig.

Timing was crucial and everything was scheduled to match the bands slot at the show. The flight time from Luton to Dundee was just 1 hour on this VIP jet so the group arrived perfectly fresh for their performance.

Razorlight put on a great show before returning to the waiting aircraft for the flight back to Luton.

In addition to the Razorlight charter, Air Charter Service's Music Broker Carmen also recently arranged another charter for an infamous rock star to a concert in Berlin.

The star contacted Air Charter Service requiring an immediate flight for a gig. Carmen Vanegas supplied a Premier 1 jet for the star who made it to the venue and delighted fans who had waited patiently for a number of hours.

Contact Carmen Vanegas for more information on VIP charter flights

Last month Air Charter Service's executive charter broker Mark Garza received an urgent request from a client late on Sunday looking to charter a private aircraft for a member of a Middle Eastern royal family. The VIP passenger was looking to fly to Paris for an exclusive function that very evening.

Despite the short notice Mark was able to secure a Beechcraft KA200 turbo propeller aircraft seating 8 passengers and it was ready to go within hours of receiving the request.

The aircraft was quickly positioned for boarding before the royal party arrived at Stapleford Airport. Within minutes the aircraft was in the sky and on its way to Paris Le Bourget where limousines waited to take the guests to the event. The red carpet was also rolled out the following day for the return flight back to London.

Contact any of our brokers 24/7 for more information on VIP charter flights.

Another major UK automotive manufacturer has called upon Air Charter Service to provide them with a charter to assist a new product launch in Turkey . The company were delighted with both the CRJ 200 regional jet provided and the use of new VIP facilities at Farnborough.

Ros Shergold handled the group charter, offering the CRJ 200 which is ideal for moving small to medium sized parties at a very economical cost.

Air Charter Service also arranged to route the private charter flight out of Farnborough to make use of it's brand new VIP terminal facility which has only just opened.

The manufacturer was able to further brand the trip with the help of Ros by placing one of the brand new car models at the entrance to the new terminal.

Contact Ros for more information on group charters.

It is months before the first ball is even kicked, but the build up to the FIFA World Cup 2006 is already reaching fever pitch with as many as 95,000 England fans alone planning to travel to Germany during the competition.

With Germany only a short flight away the tournament is ideal for fans and corporate guests looking for a day trip only, and chartering a private aircraft makes that a very real option.Air Charter Service are seeing high demand for their services, as reported in national newspapers such as The Times.

The charter boom is in large part due to their status as a leading provider of private air charters to sporting events.

Included in the aircraft available throughout the World Cup is a Dornier 328 operating exclusively for Air Charter Service. The aircraft, based in the UK , offers quality leather seating for up to 31 passengers and has already received bookings from numerous corporate groups.

In the build-up to the holiday break Air Charter Service's group charter specialist Sam Wood was able to provide a Beech 1900 regional turboprop aircraft to help a group of oil workers make it home in time to see their families for Christmas.

Despite having a well earned holiday in the pipeline, the workers based in Angola were finding it impossible to find a scheduled service out of their remote location.

However, Sam Wood was at hand to arrange a slick charter operation to ensure the workers would not be disappointed. She was able to source a Beech 1900 to fly the workers from an airfield near their base to Lanseria , South Africa.

From Lanseria the delighted workers were able to pick up scheduled services to their home cities in time for the holiday season.

Dubai , U.A.E. The London based charter company - who already boast other centres of excellence in New York and Moscow - were granted an official trade licence by the Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA) earlier this month.

The Dubai office location promises to further enhance Air Charter Service's global reach and was welcomed by both clients and suppliers.

Air Charter Service FZCo will be headed by Peter Sheppard - Director of Middle East Operations - who will lead a team of highly experienced charter brokers at the new office situated within the Dubai Airport Free Zone.

Group Chairman Chris Leach revealed: "Due to Air Charter Service's dramatic growth it has been a strategic plan to open a Middle East office for sometime - and we are delighted with the choice of Dubai"

He added: "We have found the authorities very professional to deal with and we have high expectations for the future"

For more information contact the Dubai office.

Air Charter Service's Moscow office has relocated to larger new offices in the city to further facilitate the growth that the company has experienced in recent years. The new office will allow for the addition of further brokers to the team.

The new office is situated in a prestigious complex on the carriageway dubbed 'Putin Road' due to the fact many of Russia's business elite and ministers use the road to travel to work each day from the west of the city.

The office is also conveniently located on the blue metro line, between Krylaskoe and Molodezhnaya stations.

For the full address and contact details visit www.aircharter.ru