City based group in multmillion pound aviation deal
COVENTRY-BASED Rigby Group has bought the corporate aviation facilities at Birmingham in a multi-million pound deal.
The deal was secured by XLR Jet Centres, an arm of Rigby Group, which already operates executive jet centres at Coventry Airport and Exeter Airport.
The acquisition reflects XLR’s rapid growth plans and will see it take possession of the Marshall’s custom built facility, which includes a 27,000 sq ft hangar, with immediate effect.
It means corporate customers can fly in to Birmingham Airport to access long-haul destinations around the world, including New York, Dubai and Delhi.
Rigby Group founder and chairman Sir Peter Rigby said: “The establishment of a new XLR Jet Centre at Birmingham Airport marks a huge step forward in our plans for the company, placing its operations at the heart of one of the UK’s busiest and most accessible airports and opening up significant opportunities not only in domestic executive travel, but also in servicing the growing market across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“Following our most recent investments in Exeter and Coventry, the Birmingham acquisition leaves us superbly positioned to execute our strategy of leveraging the group’s expertise and commitment to excellence to create a new major player in the corporate aviation market.”
XLR has experienced considerable growth over the past 12 months in a buoyant corporate aircraft market.
The Coventry centre has built a growing reputation as an alternative to London for private flights, while Exeter’s access to the South West has seen the number of private jets arriving grow steadily.
Though XLR already has an extensive client list of brokers and operators, individuals and aircraft owners, the addition of Birmingham’s 27,000 sq ft hangar, multiple large parking ramps, and a 3,052m runway capable of taking the giant A380 significantly boosts its offer.
Chris Beer, XLR director of corporate aviation, said: “While we have already built an excellent reputation within the industry based on an extremely customer-centric focus, this latest acquisition will enable a significant step up in terms of the both the markets we are able to compete in and our operational scale.
“With a prestigious base now fully operational at Birmingham and ready to fly, XLR is ideally positioned to capitalise on Rigby Group’s accelerating expertise across the aviation sector to create a new force in executive jet travel.”