Teenager Starts An Airline In U.K.

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Martin Halstead has loved aviation since his first flight at age 6, and now that he’s 19, he has his own airline. “I was joking with a friend that as my chances of getting a job in the airline industry were almost nil, I might as well start my own airline,” he said. The regional carrier, Alpha One, flew for the first time last Monday, and will start twice-a-day trips between Southampton and the Isle of Man later this month. So far the airline consists of one 18-seat BAE Jetstream 31, with plans to lease another one. Halstead will work as a pilot as well as CEO, and says he has lots of experienced staffers on his team to make up for his own lack of years … but he’s relying largely on his own financing skills. He financed the start-up after selling off a flight-simulator software company he started at age 15. He’s been dubbed the “Baby Branson” in the British press, and says he is honored by the comparison … but he intends to be not the “next” Richard Branson, but the first Martin Halstead.

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