Island Aviation has changed names and is applying once again to start charter services from Bermuda.

Island Aviation, which was set up in 1999, stopped charters last year following problems with an American partner.

The company changed its name to Longtail Aviation last September, and yesterday it posted a legal notice stating it wants to set up a new charter company AirBermuda Ltd.

The notice states the company plans to own, lease, charter or manage aircraft, transport passengers and freight on scheduled and non-scheduled routes, and to act as contractors or agents for other airlines.

The directors of Island Aviation, Mark Byrne and Anthony Philip, said last summer they wanted to restart their charter operations on an independent basis and hoped to get air operator approval from the Department of Civil Aviation by last autumn.

Mr. Byrne said last summer the company hoped to be responsible for two or three aircraft.

The company was planning to drastically reduce the amount of time needed to take patients to the United States on medical emergencies.

Mr. Byrne, who owns West End Capital, was off Island yesterday and could not be contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, Leopold Kuchler, who is planning to start new flights to Britain, Germany and the United States under his new company Bermuda Star, said yesterday he was still confident his airline will begin operations this summer.

The company is still going through the process of receiving regulatory approval.

Bermuda Star was incorporated on the Island in May 2001 and it has sought permission to fly to Manchester, England, Cologne, Germany, Newark, New Jersey, Orlando, Florida, and Chicago.

If the service gets off the ground, Bermuda Star will challenge the monopoly on UK services enjoyed by British Airways, which flies to London Gatwick.

Mr. Kuchler, the honorary Austrian Consul, told yesterday: ?Absolutely, (we are aiming for) June.

?There were no objections (to our application) and we have got to complete the regulatory requirements, and based on that get permission.

?You can never predict ahead of time what the future will bring, but we anticipate success. It will bring a direct boost to the economy.

?The Ministers of Transport and Tourism are looking to put up new gateways and new traffic ? and we can provide that.?

When asked about AirBermuda, yesterday, he said: ?They should go ahead. I do not stop them from doing that.?

And when questioned about whether there was enough business for two new airlines, he said: ?That is to be seen.?