Oxford Airport is open for business - that is the message from bosses as worked started on a new commercial centre. The £2m business aviation centre is designed to help the airport make the most of growing traffic from business travellers along with associated aircraft crew.

The move marks the first phase of major investment at the site by private equity company Aldersgate Investments which bought the airport last July from BBA Aviation for £40m.

Airport managing director Steve Jones said: "Business aviation is the most buoyant sector in the market right now and we are well placed to build on activity we are generating."

A new airport manager is being recruited to start later this year with the retirement of current manager Doug Roberts along with a customer service manager and five customer service representatives.

Bosses say a further 20 positions will be created over the next six months in administrative and operations positions as it focuses on expanding its business aviation market.

Business-related aviation at the airport has doubled over the past three years, currently bringing in about ten visits a day.

But aircraft movements have declined by more than two thirds over the last ten years due to a drop in pilot training traffic.

Oxford Airport has the capacity to handle up to 160,000 movements a year but in 2007, it only saw 50,000, the lowest on record, of which 36 per cent was flying school traffic from Oxford Aviation Academy.

Airport head of marketing and development James Dillon Godfray said: "We have explored where we can plug the gap and we are catering for the business market."

The centre will feature conference facilities and break-out rooms which will be mainly booked by airport users, although will also be available to businesses generally. There will also be VIP facilities along with police, customs and immigration facilities.

Mr Dillon-Godfray added that future plans focused on providing more hangar space and office accommodation to draw in more aviation companies and take advantage of overcrowding at similar-sized London airports.