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FIRM GAINS TOP-FLIGHT APPROVAL

By Clare Wall - Friday, February 2, 2007
FIRM GAINS TOP-FLIGHT APPROVAL
Business Link adviser Graham White, left, with Inflight Peripherals managing director Geoff Underwood.
AN ISLAND company is flying high after gaining official accreditation to deal directly with major airlines like British Airways and Virgin.
Inflight Peripherals, which was started in managing director Geoff Underwood’s garage in 1996 but now has a turnover of £2 million a year, has gained European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval.
The approval means the Newport-based firm, which designs and manufactures electronic systems for aircraft, no longer has to rely on approved distributors to market its products and can deal with major airlines directly.
Mr Underwood said: “Although the pathway to approval was sometimes onerous, we are delighted by the outcome. The accreditation has opened so many new doors for us. We are now able to expand into more complex systems and can also make products to other people’s specifications.”
Business Link guided Inflight Peripherals through the application process, helping them find a specialist consultant.
Mr Underwood said: “It is vital that components destined for aircraft meet stringent standards. For the accreditation process, we had to very clearly outline our processes to ensure there was no deviation from product design drawings.”
Graham White, a Business Link adviser who works with Inflight Peripherals, said: “Directors of companies like Inflight Peripherals can sometimes be so busy running round trying to get orders out that they have little time to plan for the future. At Business Link all our advisers have direct experience in running a business and can offer impartial advice on reaching long-term business goals.”