Kate Sarsfield/LONDON
Chauffair plans to become one of the largest business jet charter providers in Europe in the next two years, operating a fleet of up to 15 aircraft, including nine Cessna Citation Excels - the largest fleet of this type on the continent.
The aircraft will be phased in from August, with all Excels to be in service by the end of 2002. Chauffair currently operates seven aircraft, including a Citation II/V and Raytheon Hawker 800/700s.
Chauffair, the "largest UK-based operator of business jets for charter", is acquiring the four business jets it leases from UK conglomerate Tomkins. "We have secured the funding for these aircraft as well as for the Excels. Our goal is to have a fleet of 12 Excels and up to three Hawker 800s by April 2002," says Nick Probett, owner and managing director of the Farnborough-based company.
Chauffair's tie-up with major US fractional ownership provider Flight Options, offering business jet flights for US customers wishing to fly in Europe, will account for around a third of its business. Probett says: "Flight Options is predicting [its European operation will account for] 500 occupied hours a month within three years [from start-up]. I conservatively predict around 150h a month."
Chauffair offers ad hoc charters and a fractional leasing programme dubbed Chauffair Share. The concept - adopted by Flight Options for its European programme - offers customers a minimum annual commitment of 25h pre-purchased in blocks. There are no acquisition costs and customers are charged monthly management and occupied flight hour fees.
Probett predicts that within a few years the European charter industry will become concentrated, with a few large companies operating fleets of 12 to 20 aircraft.
Probett says the total European business jet fleet is likely to remain unchanged. As companies are forced to comply with the European technical requirements such as RVSM, he argues, ageing aircraft will gradually be replaced by new generation hardware. This will "raise passenger appeal" and could boost the aircraft's use to more than 800h a year.
Source: Flight International
