PremiAir – Helicopter supplier to The Ryder Cup

Monday 22nd February, 2010

PremiAir, the UK’s leading executive helicopter charter company, has been appointed as the supplier of helicopter services to the 2010 Ryder Cup. From October 1st to 3rd, golf’s most prestigious and fiercely contested golfing tournament, now in its 38th year, returns to the UK and for the first time, the magnificent Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.

Celtic Manor’s dramatic 2010 course has been specifically designed to host the Ryder Cup with the best players from Europe and the United States meeting the challenge for this, the most passionately contested trophy in golf today.

PremiAir will be running daily helicopter transfers from airports throughout the UK and Ireland with the four-seat Eurocopter AS355 Twin Squirrel and the Sikorsky S76, which seats up to eight passengers. Helicopter transfers from the Bath and Bristol area will take approximately 10 minutes, with prices starting from £370 per person including VAT. US visitors can be transferred to Bristol or Cardiff by private jet from a variety of locations throughout the UK, or alternatively travel by helicopter from the all new London Heliport in Battersea in a journey time of just 50 minutes and enjoy the stunning aerial views of the course along the way. Prices from The London Heliport start from just £730 per person including VAT.

In May 2009 PremiAir was selected as the first international member of prestigious global helicopter partnership, Aurion, together with US-partner and fellow Sikorsky S76 operator AAG Global. The Aurion Network is unique as the first and only global network of best-in-class executive helicopter operators, embracing professional and established operators providing consistent and unparalleled levels of safety, service and reliability.

PremiAir is delighted to be appointed as the supplier of helicopter services for the 2010 Ryder Cup. Established for more than 30-years, PremiAir recently scooped the ‘Best Executive Aviation Provider’ accolade at the 2010 Business Travel Awards. The company’s reputation as a world-leading supplier of helicopter travel solutions encompasses the entire journey, point-to-point. PremiAir will be working with ground handling partner Simtech to secure all Ryder Cup landings and ground handling requests.

All enquiries should be directed to:

PremiAir Charter Sales

Tel No: +44 (0) 1895 830900

Email: charter@premiair-aviation.com

www.premiair-aviation.com

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Editor’s Notes:

Established 30 years ago, PremiAir is the UK’s largest Executive Helicopter Charter and Management company. It has bases at Denham, Blackbushe, Oxford and Farnborough Airports in the UK

PremiAir is privately owned by the von Essen Group and is a sister company of von Essen Hotels, which owns and operates 28 luxury hotels throughout the UK and Europe.

PremiAir also manages and operates The London Heliport at Battersea, which remains the UK capital’s only commercial heliport. New ultra modern business aviation terminal facilities will be opening in 2010 connected to a luxury 5 star hotel development.

PremiAir flies approximately 4,000 charter hours a year with its modern fleet of Sikorsky S76s and Eurocopter Twin Squirrels. It has 18 Executive Helicopters on management programmes, providing turnkey services to their owners.

PremiAir’s maintenance business is also an FAA, EASA, CAA Part 145-approved organization; it is a Sikorsky Service Centre for the S76 (all models), a Bell Customer Service Facility for Bell 222, 230 and 430 and is a Hawker Beechcraft Authorised Service Centre for their Beechcraft Model range. PremiAir is one of the largest Eurocopter maintenance centres in Europe supporting EC155, AS365 Dauphin and AS355 Twin Squirrel. The company also provides support services on the AgustaWestland 109 model range and is a Pratt & Whitney Canada recognised maintenance facility and a distributor for Honeywell, Rockwell Collins and numerous other equipment vendors.

PremiAir boasts Part 21J and G design and manufacturer approvals for aircraft modifications. With a large and experienced design office team, the company provides full refurbishment and upgrade services on most executive helicopter types and a wide range of fixed wing aircraft, including the full Beechcraft model range. Fixed wing aircraft are maintained at a new facility at Oxford Airport, which opened in October 2008.

PremiAir is a leading player in the provision of pilots to the UK Police Forces with contracts with UK / Ireland Police Air Support units.

PremiAir Global is the company’s aircraft sales and brokerage business. It specialises in acquiring and selling new and used helicopters and business jets and is based at Farnborough Airport, UK.
Buying Business Travel Diamond Award Winner 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Best Executive Aviation Provider. Luxury Travel Winner Best Private Charter Company 2008.