New Delhi: A premier British investment firm today announced orders for 10 new Hawker business jets, worth over $70 million, which would be operated on lease for air charters in India by a Bangalore-based firm.

“The UK-based ISIS Group placed firm orders for 10 Hawker 400XP light jets at a business aviation convention in Florida yesterday,” a Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) spokesperson said.

These aircraft would be leased and operated for air charter services by Aviators India Pvt Ltd, whose entire operations would be supported by InterGlobe General Aviation’s HBC-authorised service centre in Delhi.

For the ISIS Group, this initial purchase of aircraft is for their new investment in the Aviators India, which would launch its charter services in the second half of next year. While five of these aircraft would be delivered next year, the remaining five would be delivered in 2010.

“This order highlights the growing demand in India for private aircraft and it further cements Hawker Beechcraft as the superior choice for business travel in the region,” HBC President (Commercial Sales) Brad Hatt said in a statement.

Maintaining that the existing sales of aircraft engines was ‘strong’, he said: “With the surge of orders we have experienced in India this year, we are poised to continue to grow our aviation leadership position in the region.”

The Hawker 400XP aircrafts are the ‘biggest, fastest and most reliable’ light jet in its class, the HBC said, adding that it had a spacious interior and could fly at a maximum cruise speed of 465 knots or 535 miles per hour. The HBC is headquartered in Kansas, USA.