Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

They report that serious talks are progressing with airline delegations, some of whom have already vetted Stansted’s facilities and growth blueprint, about plumbing Europe’s fastest growing technology nexus into these huge trade blocs.

The UK Government’s vision of ramping up trade with India and China before America establishes a monopoly, hinge on Stansted accessing these mega-markets.

Stansted is also talking to three US-based airlines about bringing various direct services into the Essex hub. This is in addition to MAXJet, which now looks certain to start a transatlantic service from Stansted in the very near future.

Business Weekly can reveal that MAXjet Airways has entered the final phase of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) certification process and could be as little as two weeks away from obtaining its Air Carrier Operating Certificate.

At that point it will run the first non-stop passenger service between the US and Stansted since September 11, 2001.

According to MAXjet chief executive Gary Rogliano, the aspiring airline would also become the first international scheduled passenger carrier certificated since 9/11.

MAXjet has made at least two proving runs from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport to London Stansted as well as a number of domestic runs.

MAXjet has also been granted provisional approval to operate to over 15 countries by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and is now awaiting final approval from the FAA.

Though Rogliano said that MAXjet was in a "quiet time" and scheduled passenger flights were not expected for a few weeks at least, the airline has stated its intention to commence charter operations "immediately."

MAXjet, formerly known as SkyLink Airways, is based at Washington Dulles Airport but also has operational facilities at New York JFK and London Stansted, both expected to be the first destinations for MAXjet’s scheduled flights.

Initially the airline intends to use a Boeing 767 aircraft and offer ‘low-cost’ fares. Even the minority percentage of seats reserved for Business Class on the aircraft are expected to be as little as one third the cost of regular transatlantic business flights.

MAXjet has pursued DOT approval in parallel with the FAA certification and has demonstrated sufficient financial backing and trained its flight and cabin crews. The proving runs are needed to show the airline’s ability to operate in accordance with all FAA regulations, the onus firmly on safety.

As well as scheduled and chartered passenger carriage, MAXjet has applied for a cargo license, though it won’t be operating the service just yet and sees cargo as a secondary issue and not a priority.

A Stansted source told Business Weekly: "We are very excited about the progress MAXjet has made and we are talking to two or three other airlines about launching additional American services next year.

"We are also acutely aware of the importance of India and China to the growth plans of companies in the East of England, with all the implications that holds for national GDP – and those regions are very firmly on our radar; talks with airlines that can open up these territories are ongoing and we are very optimistic that these services will come to fruition."

Just as the Middle East has been opened up – indirectly initially – through Cyprus and Turkish airlines, so India and China can be brought online on a similar basis in the first instance, scaling up to direct services once the second Stansted runway comes on board.