Fifteen new jobs are being created as Oxford Airport expands its private jet facilities.

Aviation company PremiAir is moving its fixed-wing maintenance operation from Blackbushe, in Surrey, and by the end of the year, its Oxford base will have a workforce of 25 to 30, including PremiAir Group managing director David McRobert and director of maintenance Barry Stone.

Five have recently joined the company and a new base maintenance manager should be announced shortly. Oxford will be the authorised service centre for Hawker Beechcraft business aircraft.

Oxford Airport was last summer bought by Swiss-based property developers David and Simon Reuben, together with finance house Dawnay Day, from BBA in a £40m deal.

Since then it has been positioning itself to offer business high-flyers a private jet alternative to the London airports, where landing costs are higher, with the new owners investing £15m.

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 both new business, as well as the number of high-quality licensed aircraft engineers we will need in order to expand our services."

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.