After experiencing strong private aircraft traffic in Portugal over the past year, business aircraft support provider Omni Handling is looking to expand its operations. According to the latest data from industry analyst WingX, business aviation movements in and out of Portugal grew more than 22 percent in the first quarter of the year, with 500 large jet departures.

According to Omni, the company holds a better than 50 percent market share in Lisbon, Cascais, Porto, and Faro. The latter saw an increase of 10.4 percent in movements, while Cascais grew nearly 20 percent in the same period.

“To boost our growth and maintain our leadership, we believe the time is now ripe to widen our offering,” said Omni CEO Ricardo Pereira. “We have some exciting new projects and territories planned.” He added that a new 1,600-sq-ft FBO is on tap for Faro, as the company, which was founded in 1998, looks to establish new ground handling locations in Santa Maria in the Azores and at Maderia.