Branson's advice for teen's Southampton airport based airline
24.10.05
An entrepreneur who is to launch his own airline at the age of 19 has received valuable advice from Richard Branson. Martin Halstead has become Britain's youngest airline owner after setting up Alpha One Airways.
When the man behind the Virgin empire heard of Martin's scheme to fly scheduled flights out of Southampton Airport to Edinburgh, Blackpool and the Isle of Man, he gave him a call. Martin said: 'It was totally out of the blue. Richard said he thought what I was doing was great and I couldn't believe it when he asked me to accompany him on Virgin's inaugural flight from Heathrow to Mumbai in India.'
'I spent the next three days with him as he gave me invaluable financial and business advice. I am very grateful for all the advice Richard gave me. We still speak regularly and he is tremendously supportive.'
Alpha One's fleet boasts three Jetsream 31 turboprop aircraft. Martin, who lives in Fulham, London, is a qualified commercial pilot and will be at the controls of some of his aircraft next year when he completes his airline pilot certificate.
The teenager started the new airline with £500,000 he received after selling a flight simulations company he set up when he was 15. He said: 'Last year I was joking with a friend that as my chances of getting a job in the airline industry were almost nil I might as well start my own airline.'
Halstead previously planned to fly between Oxford and Cambridge, starting earlier this year, but the plans failed to take off. Lets hope these new grander plans are more successful.
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