Martin Halstead with a Piper Chieftain aircraft Teenage aviator Martin Halstead says his scheduled air shuttle between Oxford and Cambridge will take off on October 31.

He told the Oxford Mail: "That is pretty well definite. I plan to announce details of the service at an airline conference I am going to in Copenhagen at the weekend."

Budding tycoon Mr Halstead, 19, announced lift-off of his airline AlphaOne Airways -- offering 20-minute flights between the two university cities -- in April. Then it was delayed till June, then to the end of September.

Mr Halstead will also feature on Live Now, Pay Later, a series beginning on Channel 4 on Monday. In an episode to be aired at 9.30am on Thursday a camera crew follows him as he attempts to launch his business.

He said: "The Civil Aviation Authority has made us jump through hoops before we could start. I have financial backing in place and we have spent about £200,000, apart from the cost of leasing the plane, on meeting its requirements."

Mr Halstead added that his PA 31 aircraft would now offer 10 UK destinations in all. Four will involve flights originating in Oxford.

AlphaOne is now advertising the launch of its inflight magazine on the Internet. Here it says that there will be flights between the Isle of Wight and London, Bristol and Birmingham.

Mr Halstead added: "The conference in Copenhagen is a big routeing conference which will be attended by bosses of many of the major airlines."

Live Now, Pay Later director Lana Salah said: "I thought he looked a character, which is what I was hoping for.

"I got a lot more than I'd expected. He was a brilliant, great character, really inspiring and so unusual for his age.

"The episode follows the highs and lows of his business and how he felt emotionally doing what he does."

The series looks at the attitude young people take towards money and asks whether the 'spend, spend, spend' culture is causing them financial and social problems.

Mr Halstead is billed as a 'budding Branson' with reference to Kidlington-based Virgin tycoon Sir Richard, who set up the company aged just 20.

Mr Halstead has ploughed thousands of pounds into his aviation venture and has several investors relying on it being a success.