Raytheon Travel Air is adding Bombardier Challenger 601s to its fractional ownership fleet in response, it says, to customer demand for large cabin aircraft. The first of the used Challengers will join Travel Air's otherwise Raytheon fleet by late March to fill the niche for an intercontinental business jet, until Raytheon's super mid-size Hawker Horizon enters service in 2003.
Raytheon Travel Air president, Gary Hart says: "Several of our current and prospective customers have expressed a need for a larger cabin aircraft and longer range business aircraft than we have in our programme."
Travel Air is confident that the introduction of Challengers to its fleet will not heighten customer awareness of rival fractional programmes, particularly Bombardier's Flexjet, which offers shares in the latest Challenger model, the 604. Flight Options, snapping at the heels of Travel Air for the title of the third largest fractional programme in the USA, also sells shares in its growing fleet of 601s.
The Challenger programme is available from one-sixteenth to one-half shares. For example, a one-quarter share in a 1993 model 601-3R costs just over $5 million. This entitles the owner to 200h a year and a guaranteed response time of 6h. Customers are also charged a $37,000 monthly management fee and a variable hourly rate of $2,750.
Raytheon Travel Air operates 93 aircraft on behalf of more than 700 shareowners. The company also holds delivery positions for 343 aircraft including: 27 Hawker Horizons, 71 Premier I entry-level business jets, 62 Beechjet 400A light business jets, 61 Hawker 800XP mid-size business jets, and 50 Hawker 450 light mid-size business jets.
Raytheon Travel Air is the only US major fractional company not to have entered the European market, although it continues to evaluate the possibility.
Source: Flight International
