Swiss PrivateAviation – Lufthansa German Airlines’ dedicated business aviation division – is seeking to broaden its range of aircraft to accommodate growing demand for large cabin and long-range aircraft from its sister company Lufthansa Private Jet for whom it provides services.
The move comes as Swiss Private Aviation adds two light business jets to its managed fleet. The Cessna Citation CJ1+ and CJ3 are owned by Swiss medical parts supplier Mathys Aviation.
“With these two aircraft and the CJ3s and XLS+s owned by LPJ, we have filled our requirement for light business jets,” says Claudio Peer, chief operating officer for Swiss PrivateAviation, which also manages a midsize Hawker 800A for a private client. “We are now looking to add large cabin and long-range types to our fleet, such as the Dassault Falcon 2000, Bombardier Challenger 604/605 and Global XRS, which will enable us to offer a broader range of aircraft to LPJ customers.”
Swiss Private Aviation – a subsidiary of Swiss International Airlines, itself a subsidiary of Lufthansa – was formed last year following Swiss’s acquisition of business aviation charter and management company Servair Private Aviation. The acquisition of the 25-year-old company was intended to strengthen Lufthansa’s foothold in the business aircraft arena and reduce LPJ’s reliance on third-party operators – Austria’s Jet Alliance and Germany’s DC Aviation – for back-up when its dedicated fleet of business jets are being utilised.
“Our aim is to provide a one-stop shop for our customers and to limit our use of other operators’ aircraft. We will continue to grow the fleet by expanding [the range of] managed aircraft.”
Swiss PrivateAviation is offering two management options – private management for customers who do not want their aircraft made available for third-party charter, and commercial management, “which is our main focus”, says Peer.
Source: Flight International
