International air charter provider Air Partner has expanded its North American presence with the opening of a west coast operation in Los Angeles, California.

The office began trading on February 1 and forms part of Air Partner’s global strategy of opening in key business centres. It is the company’s 20th office worldwide and its fourth in the USA, joining those on the east coast in Fort Lauderdale, Washington DC and New York.

Air Partner has a policy of employing local specialists with global expertise and has appointed Tana Lantry to head up the LA operation as Director of Sales.  Tana has an extensive background in aviation and learnt to fly before learning to drive. She gained a degree in Global Security and Intelligence from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, plus a minor in Asian studies, and went on to spend a year in Beijing teaching at the BeiHang University Flight College. On her return to the US Tana joined PrimeJet as a Charter Sales Coordinator prior to moving to Air Partner.

Air Partner has worked closely with the LA entertainment industry for many years, providing private jets for individuals and small groups and commercial airliners for bands and orchestras. Now, following the opening of a local office, more focus will be placed on pursuing business from other sectors and strengthening relationships with regional suppliers. Tana’s Asian knowledge and experience will also play a vital role as the company investigates growth opportunities for travel in Asia.

“We are greatly encouraged by the opportunities available to us in the Los Angeles market," said Phil Mathews, President of Air Partner Inc. “Tana’s background makes her perfectly suited to help Air Partner expand into a region whose air charter needs are more multidimensional than most people recognise.”

Mark Briffa, CEO added: “Air Partner’s most valuable asset is its people.  We recruit aviation professionals who are committed to delivering a first-class service to our customers and suppliers, and place a great deal of emphasis on their on-going learning and development to ensure they progress in their careers while keeping pace with our industry’s continually changing environment.”

Air Partner is the only company in the aviation industry to hold a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II, a recognised mark of excellence. The Group operates year round and has an office-based 24/7 Operations Centre at its London Gatwick HQ. Over the past week the Operations team has played a major role in organising emergency evacuations as Air Partner flew almost 3,000 people out of Egypt as political unrest escalated, including two seriously injured media representatives.