The new-look Manx Jet Centre at Ronaldsway Airport has been officially opened following a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The ribbon was cut by Department of Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston, who also provided a speech stating that his department will do all they can to support the new venture.
The Jet Centre is now under the management of Megacorp Aviation Ltd, which owns it own business aircraft for charter and has a base at London’s Biggin Hill Airport.
Currently, the Jet Centre has a modernised reception and waiting area, a lounge for pilots to relax in and a number of offices upstairs.
The 20,000 square feet hangar is also located towards the rear of the building.
However, as part of the expansion scheme, a dedicated team of experts will be brought to the island to create an aviation technology park at the site.
A new ‘flagship’ private jet terminal will also be created at the site, including new offices, an enhanced business centre and a 10-bedroom boutique hotel for passengers and crew.
The move will also double the current Jet Centre hangar space to 40,000 square feet, creating up to 20 jobs in the process.
Passengers using the facility will also have access to a dedicated concierge service once the scheme is complete.
The planned new-look jet centre will also focus on sustainability practices.
This includes a proprietary carbon calculator which will give aircraft staff the ability to calculate and offset carbon emissions, access to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and recycled apparel for all employees and crew.
Harry Ackerman, chief executive of Megacorp Aviation, said: ‘The Isle of Man has long been underserved for private aviation.
‘We are confident that the investment we are making into the Private Jet Centre and other aviation facilities at the airport will stimulate further economic growth for the Island and attract more traffic, as well as supporting aircraft coming on to the highly popular Isle of Man Aircraft Registry.’
According to project bosses, aviation traffic in the Isle of Man is expected to increase exponentially in the next two years.
Megacorp Aviation say the island is regularly used by the film industry, which relies upon on-demand aviation and the private jet terminal is ‘ideally positioned’ to provide rapid access to key destinations and events.
This could be useful in the future for the likes of Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum, who are among a group of producers that have signed a deal with the Department of Enterprise to produce a new docuseries about the TT.
Mr Ackerman continued to say that he was ‘privileged’ to be joined by Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and to officially open the site under new management.
He said: ‘We’ve had a lot of support from government and from both the Department of Enterprise and the Department of Infrastructure. We will continue to work closely with them.
‘We'll be employing more people and buying more products from the island, so for certain it will be beneficial to the economy. Different clients will also be coming here to invest in houses and the wider community.’
In Mr Johnston’s speech before the ribbon cutting, he said: ‘I’m delighted to be here today and it’s a fantastic facility.
‘It’s a really exciting plan for the future, as connectivity is really important for our island. Both physical and digital connectivity is the aim, as we wish to have a diverse economy and our ability to service this economy is only helped by this centre.’
