PremiAir, part of the Sir Robert McAlpine Group, has taken over the management of the London Heliport at Battersea. The contract was awarded by von Essen Hotels, who acquired the freehold site from Weston plc. The deal includes an exclusive new seven-storey boutique hotel with 70 rooms under construction adjacent to the heliport that will also house the heliport”s new terminal, reception and business meeting room areas. This news follows the recent announcement by von Essen that it was taking over the former Rocco Forte Ch”teau de Bagnols near Lyon.
PremiAir managing director David McRobert commented: ”We are absolutely delighted to have secured the contract to operate the London Heliport at this ground breaking stage in its development. Since 1959, ”Battersea” has offered vital helicopter access to the UK”s capital city for business, leisure, police and air ambulance uses. Following many years of uncertainty at Battersea, this move demonstrates that the new London Heliport owners are committed to maintaining this capability long term and we are proud to be associated with the operation of such an important aviation asset. This is excellent news for UK aviation and the London business community and is an exciting development in the growth of PremiAir.”
Located on the south bank of the River Thames between Wandsworth and Battersea bridges, the London Heliport provides landing, parking and refuelling services and is the capital”s only commercial heliport.
PremiAir is the largest and most comprehensive business helicopter charter service in the UK. With over 140 employees it operates from South-East bases at Denham near Uxbridge and Blackbushe near Camberley. Its charter fleet includes a mix of Sikorsky S76, Agusta 109, Bell 222 and Eurocopter Twin Squirrel aircraft. All PremiAir business helicopters are equipped with similar instrumentation to airliners, enabling them to fly in most weather conditions and at night.
One great beneficiary of the new tie-up is Von Essen”s Lower Slaughter Manor exclusive property near Cheltenham in the Cotswolds. 90 miles from central London, well over two hours away along not the best of roads, it can now be reached from Battersea in about 40 minutes, no hassle day or night. The group also owns Cliveden, on the Thames near Maidenhead, with its own helistop.