The new breed of air-taxi operators in the USA flagged their intentions to expand their businesses rapidly with a flurry of orders at NBAA. Connecticut-based start-up Magnum Jet signed for a further batch of Adam A700s, taking its firm orders to 101 and making it the largest customer for the very light jet (VLJ).
Magnum - which is also buying Embraer Phenom 100s - expects to take delivery of the first A700 in April and have as many as 24 aircraft in service within the first 12 months, with that number doubling by mid-2009. The first A700 for Magnum, aircraft 4, will make its first flight in January.
In another deal, SATSair, which has been flying Cirrus SR22 piston-single air taxis for a year, agreed to buy an additional 50 SR22s, with 50 options, as part of a plan that will see the Greenville, South Carolina-based operator expand into the lucrative Florida market.
The first of 239 Eclipse 500s ordered by the best-known air-taxi start-up, Florida's DayJet, was on display at NBAA. But DayJet will not begin service for another two months because Eclipse has still to achieve approval for Part 135 operation due to delays at avionics supplier Avidyne. Another air-taxi customer, Massachusetts-based Linear Air, will get the first of its 15 Eclipse 500s in January 2007.
Air-taxi entrepreneurs were bullish about drawing people into business aviation. "I don't think any of us can really see just how big this market is going to be," says SATSair founder Steve Hanvey.
Source: Flight International