Ocean Sky quadruples Prestwick premises

A Prestwick-based aircraft handling company has this week moved into spacious new premises which have quadrupled the size of its facilities while going from zero to £1m turnover in its first year of trading.

"The sky really is the limit for us," says Director of Operations Eddie Allison.

Ocean Sky started with three employees last April and now has eleven.

The Prestwick company is part of Ocean Sky, the London-based private jet company whose customers include leaders in business, politics, stage and screen.

And this week local MSP John Scott was the first VIP to see over the new premises and get alongside some of the sleek executive jets which Ocean Sky handles at Prestwick.

"It's all about quality and service," says Allison who for nine years was a senior manager with Prestwick Airport and Infratil Airports Europe. He led the planning for Prestwick's handling of aircraft flying in for the G8 summit in 2005 and latterly took his department's turnover from £100,000 to £6m.

Last year he was headhunted by Ocean Sky's Chief Executive Kurosh Tehranchian to set up the new Prestwick handling facility.

"We handle celebrities flying into Scotland in private jets and recently we've welcomed Hugh Grant, Ian Botham and the Canadian Prime Minister.

"Or it might be medical emergency flights taking heart and lung transplants down to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.

"Or a 747 needing a specialised Flying Loadmaster service to ensure its cargo is safely loaded here and unloaded in Israel.

"We provide individually-tailored luxury travel for elite travellers who can't be tied to a scheduled airline's timetable. Time is their most irreplaceable asset, so we offer them our premium fleet of aircraft, a fast service, and a choice of 7000 airports worldwide.

"We have everything from Piaggio P-180 Avanti and King Air B200 turboprops to Gulstreams, Falcons and Raytheons jets and the most opulent Airbus A319 or a Boeing Business Jet. Businessmen are using them to fly from here to destinations such as France, Rome, Sardinia, Moscow and the US."

And Eddie insisted: "Here at Prestwick we aim to set new industry standards. Watch us go!"

John Scott said: "I am delighted at Eddie and his team's success so far in the quadrupling of the business in just one year, and I wish them every success.

"His infectious enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit are reminiscent of the early pioneers of the aviation industry with which Prestwick is so much associated, and will allow him to take Ocean Sky from strength to strength in the future."