Maxjet, the first all-business class airline to fly transatlantic services, will list in London today, valuing the company at more than £100 million.

The Alternative Investment Market listing will allow Maxjet, which is owned by a number of wealthy investors, to start new routes to the United States.

The company flies from London’s Stansted airport to New York, Washington, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Rather than operate aircraft with the traditional economy, business and first-class layout, the airline offers only business class. However, its prices are considerably lower than business-class tickets offered by airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines.

Maxjet flights to New York start at £350 — about a tenth of the price of a business-class flight on a leading airline.

Bill Stockbridge, the chief executive of Maxjet, said: “The premium sector is growing and we are benefiting from that. We are also attracting people from the major airlines, particularly the small businessman or affluent leisure travellers who don’t get corporate discounts given by the majors to big corporate clients.”

Maxjet launched its Stansted to New York service in November 2005 and since then has been joined by Silverjet, which flies from Luton, and EOS, which charges more and offers a first-class service.

The all business-class model pioneered by Maxjet is still a small part of the overall market, but Mr Stockbridge believes that there are growth opportunities.

The airline leases five Boeing 767s, which seat 102 business-class passengers. Maxjet plans to add at least a couple more jets and additional routes, possibly to Miami and San Francisco.

The airline is also considering flights from London to the Middle East, India, Asia and Africa in future.

Business big shot: William Stockbridge

As a keen aviation historian, William D. Stockbridge, Maxjet’s president and chief executive, is likely to enjoy winning his own place in the history books when the company lists in London.

The American, who has nearly 20 years’ experience in the airline industry, headed Centurion Air Cargo and founded Gemini Air Cargo before helping to set up Maxjet, the low-cost transatlantic business service.

Mr Stockbridge, based in Leesburg, Virginia, is a regular user of the airline he heads, flying to Europe about 50 times a year on business or visiting his house in Ireland. He was involved in forming Maxjet’s business plan and raising funding, but was chairman until November, when he took executive control after the departure of Gary Rogliano.

A licensed aircraft engineer and pilot, Mr Stockbridge was — before joining Gemini — president and chief executive of Potomac Capital Leasing, an aircraft-leasing group with $1.4 billion (£702 million) of assets, and senior vice-president and chief operating officer of Presidential Airways, a US passenger airline. A keen golfer, he has three adult children. (Sarah Butler)

Times Recommends

• Minister in talks with Saudis to protect creditors
• Premier Inn hits back in £29-a-room row
• Bankers hit back at 'populist' bonus supertax