BMI Regional flew over 260 charter flights this year, more than double the number for the whole of 2013.
The carrier is flying entertainment artists, car manufacturers, football and sports clubs, businesses and private individuals across Europe and beyond on a weekly basis using 50-seat Embraer jets.
Charters have operated to Keflavik in Iceland, Malaga, the Canary Islands and Ukraine.
Charter flying now represents an important complementary business, operating alongside Bmi Regional’s primary scheduled route network of 20 destinations.
Business development director Graeme Ross said: “There were small business jets and 180-seat jets available in the charter market but not much around the 50-seat mark.
“Our aircraft fit that largely un-catered for size and are the ideal fit for a football club and its support staff, for example, or a company that needs to move 30 or 40 staff for an event or contract.
“When you compare the cost of achieving this via scheduled flights with overnight stops and hotels, plus the time involved, the charter option is very cost effective and time efficient.”
He added: “Our charter client base is diverse and includes everyone from football and ice hockey clubs to pop groups, corporates, film directors and private individuals.
“We have built good relationships with many charter brokers and individual clients. We also get phone calls out of the blue – there’s no single source for the charter work.
“We now aim to have an average of two aircraft available for charter but they do tend to book quickly as we see continuing demand in this sector.”