ONE of Hampshire's top aviation businessmen has dispelled the impression that his company is just a sky chauffeur for Europe's rich stars.

Mike Farge has gone on the offensive over what he has described as public "misrepresentation" of Club328. He has now unveiled a fresh agenda at Southampton Airport,

Mr Farge said: "We do not want to go down the road of celebrities. We do not want this to look like a boy's club. It is a very serious business."

Club328 hit the headlines last year when supermodel Jodie Kidd launched a celebrities lifestyle club in Monaco.

Members had to pay 328,000 euros for privileged travel, but there was a poor take-up so it was terminated, the publicity detracting from what the private jet charter company does.

Club328, which employs 50 people at its Southampton Airport hangar and is named after the aircraft, has now refocused.

A frequent flyer club is in place. Clients are able to block book hours on sleek aircraft like the Hawker 125.

The company is concentrating on netting custom from regional blue-chip companies, smaller local businesses and brokers.

"We think there is a big market," said Mr Farge, who carved out a career with aerospace giants Westland, BAE Systems, FLS Aerospace and Meggitt.

He highlighted Club328's successful weekly charter flights to Holland with electronics giant Philips, which has 510 staff at a design base in Southampton.

Mr Farge claimed prices, between £2,000 and £4,000 an hour for up to 15 passengers, compared favourably with scheduled flights. The company will also be tapping into the rich seam of wealthy, security-conscious individuals. As part of a three-pronged approach, Club328 is also diversifying into third-party aircraft maintenance involving a sister business called Jet Engineering Technical Support (JETS).

JETS, which intends recruiting 36 specialist engineers by the end of this year at the airport, is already in talks with at least ten potential customers. It is understood that contracts for three aircraft, including one from India, have already been landed. Mr Farge also spoke of his intentions to double the aircraft fleet to ten by this December.

Mr Farge is the chief executive of the company. He replaced Warren Seymour, who moved to the Isle of Man to run regional air services provider EuroManx, a sister business.