Lufthansa has taken delivery of the first two commercially operated Cessna Citation XLS+ for Europe.
The aircraft received its full European certification in early March and will lead the offering from the Lufthansa Private Jet business, which will be operated by its Swiss subsidiary, Swiss Private Aviation.
Lufthansa and Swiss will be the first airlines in the world to offer the private jets as a first-class ticketed bolt-on to their international long-haul flights. The service will also be available for single point-to-point routeings.
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Lufthansa Private Jet product manager Michael Fuchs says: "Our passengers will be able to have a seamless service flying first class into Frankfurt, Zurich, Munich and Düsseldorf and then transferring by limousine from the aircraft to a first-class lounge for customs and immigration clearance and then into the private jet for the next leg of the journey."
They will have a fixed-price first-class ticket for both journeys that includes limousines, positioning fees, flexibility and frequent flier miles. Already the private jet service is attracting interest from customers in the USA, where ownership of business jets has been criticised by the US government. "These flights are charged as first-class tickets. The customer has the whole aircraft and so can choose to take other passengers with them at no extra cost."
Lufthansa Private Jet will include three of the four-seater CJ1+ and two CJ3 light jets. A fourth CJ1+ could join the fleet next year.
Source: Flight International
