OXFORD Airport is expanding its private jet facilities, as mass-market airlines struggle to stay afloat.

Next month, 15 new engineering jobs will be created at Oxford by aviation company PremiAir, which is moving its fixed-wing maintenance operation from Blackbushe in Surrey.

By the end of the year, it will have an Oxford workforce of 25-30, including PremiAir Group managing director David McRobert and maintenance director Barry Stone. Five have recently joined the company and Oxford will be the authorised service centre for Hawker Beechcraft business aircraft.

Last year, Oxford Airport was sold by BBA to property developers David and Simon Reuben, with finance house Dawnay Day, for £40m.

The new owners have invested £15m to offer business highflyers a private jet alternative to London airports, where landing costs are higher.

Mr McRobert said: "Oxford Airport is revitalised with new ownership. The significant ongoing investment in the airport’s facilities and infrastructure played a major part in our decision to go there.

"It’s a great central location for us as a maintenance centre, with a terrific catchment area for attracting new business, as well as the number of high-quality licensed aircraft engineers we will need in order to expand our services."

Up to 80 engineers lost their jobs earlier this year after the new owners failed to sell CSE Aviation.

PremiAir made its name with helicopters and manages The London Heliport. Although the main focus at Oxford will be fixed-wing maintenance, PremiAir is also hoping to attract new executive helicopter owners to its management service. A new company, Flairjet, formed by three London-based lawyers, is due to move to Oxford next February, offering Very Light Jets (VLJs).

Oxford airport's managing director, Steve Jones, said: "Business aviation traffic at Oxford is constantly on the increase, given the slot constraints being experienced at other business airports. We have doubled the throughput compared with last year. "Jet fuel sales are keeping pace too, up over 90 per cent on 2007."

Opening hours increased earlier this year and the airport is now open from 0630 to 2230. A new hangar will be completed by February 2009, big enough to accommodate an Embraer Lineage business jet or Airbus A318.