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Eurocontrol said that according to the statistics of the last few months, the number of business aviation flights in the EU countries decreased by 16-17% compared to last year. However, air taxi companies are claiming that their business services will be the most in demand …
Eurocontrol said that according to the statistics of the last few months, the number of business aviation flights in the EU countries decreased by 16-17% compared to last year. However, air taxi companies are claiming that their business services will be the most in demand …
Despite the “global crisis”, Blink (UK), based at Farnborough Airport, has expanded its fleet with a fourth Citation Mustang from Cessna. Starting operations in June last year, Blink ordered 30 Citation Mustang light jets, becoming the largest customer for the aircraft. By the end of 2009, the company expects to receive five more such aircraft. “The current economic conditions have led to increased interest in our services from companies seeking to reduce their costs by abandoning large corporate business jets. But people still need to fly, and they are looking for the cheapest ways today. Our company was lucky to find the $ 30 million we needed back in 2007, when the economic environment was stable, ”says Peter Leiman, managing director and co-founder of Blink. At the same time, Blink plans to open a base in continental Europe in the first half of 2009.
Another air taxi operator JetBird (Ireland) plans to receive its first Phenom 100 aircraft (VLJ manufactured by Embraer) in April this year. Accordingly, JetBird expects to become the largest “low cost” air taxi in Europe. The airline's fleet is to be 100 Phenom 100 aircraft. Flights are scheduled to begin in June 2009. At the first stage, the route network will focus on the Rhine-Ruhr region in southwestern Germany. “Whenever there is an economic crisis, people are looking for lower cost alternatives. We already have clients, although we haven't even started a marketing campaign, ”says Stefan Vilner, CEO of JetBird. The company has already paid for the delivery of 25 aircraft. At the same time, nine more aircraft were transferred to a firm order from the option of 50 aircraft. The commercial operation of the Phenom 100, as anticipated by European customers, will begin in June 2009 as it takes time for this type of aircraft to be certified.
The air taxi company Bikkair (Netherlands) began its work in Rotterdam in March 2008. The company currently has two Citation Mustangs in its fleet, although an order has been placed for four such machines. The management of Bikkair announced that at the moment it does not have the economic opportunity to operate more than two jets, but in June it expects to replenish the fleet with a third aircraft.
In southern Europe, it is preparing to start commercial transportation on its own aircraft TaxiJet (Spain). Initially the choice was made in favor of the Eclipse 500 and was scheduled to begin operations in the third quarter of 2009. However, TaxiJet Managing Director Conor Neill says: “We are still supporters of the Eclipse 500, but if the situation does not change, we will have to turn our attention to aircraft such as the Embraer Phenom 100 and the Cessna Citation Mustang. “
Among the variety of VLJ models with both one and two jet engines, all aircraft are land-based variants. And only Maverick Jets offers a very unusual SeaJet project – a seaplane made according to the design of a flying boat. It is a five-seater twin-engine VLJ that, if built, would be a breakthrough in light seaplane aviation.
Type VLJ Developer Project site Main construction material Number of seats
(including pilot) A700 AAI Acuisition, Inc. www.a700jet.com Carbon Fiber6-7 D-Jet Diamond Aircraft www.diamondaircraft.com Carbon Fiber5 Eclipse 500 Eclipse Aviation www.eclipseaviation.comAluminum5-6 Eclipse 400 4 Elite Epic Aircraft www.epicaircraft.com Carbon Fiber6-8 Victory 4-5 HondaJet Hondahondajet. honda.comComp./Aluminum6 Independence S.33 Spectrumwww.spectrum.aeroCarbon Fiber6-9 Mustang Cessna Aircraft www.cessna.comAluminum6 Phenom 100 Embraer www.embraer.comAluminum6 PiperJet Piper Aircraft www.piperjet.piper.comAluminum6-7 SmartJet Maverick Jets maverickjets.comComp./Aluminum5 SoloJet 5 SPn Grob Aerospacewww.grob-spn.comCarbon Fiber6 Sport- Jet II Excel-Jetwww.exceljetair.comComp./Aluminum4 Stratos 714 Stratos Aircraftwww.stratosaircraft.comComp./Aluminum4 Vision SJ 50 Cirrus Designwww.the -jet.comCarbon Fiber5
This small overview of the prospects for the development of air transportation in Europe using Very Light Jet clearly shows that the need for aircraft of this class remains. In addition, the potential for the acquisition of such aircraft in corporate or personal ownership as jets of a lower price category cannot yet be discounted.
At the beginning of 2009, of all the world-famous VLJ developers, only one company announced the closure of the aircraft creation program – Aviation Tech Group with a two-seat Javelin model. The rest are in various stages of the life cycle. At the same time, there are a number of suspended projects resold to new owners, and information about some is simply irrelevant, because does not go to open sources and is not updated on official sites.
Source: AeroJet.su
