Only the fourth Gulfstream IV to enter charter service in Europe, has been placed on Jetclub Spain’s charter certificate. The aircraft was bought by one of the company’s private owners in place of a Challenger 601-3R which he previously owned and was previously available for charter with Jetclub Spain.

Jetclub’s Anthony Rivolta told EBAN: “It’s just a simple replacement exercise. We have been operating a GIV for about seven years, so we’ve built up a very solid client base of charter for GIV aircraft. To be honest, we were desperate for another aircraft to meet demand. The addition of a second GIV is excellent news and will mean we have an extra aeroplane and more capacity.”

Jetclub Spain’s news does not end there. The company has a Falcon 50 coming online in February – to be based in Geneva – and will be getting a third GIV in March. Both belong to private owners and will be available for charter.

Said Rivolta: “We’ve operated the Gulfstream, Falcon 900 and Challenger all alongside each other, so we have a very good idea about which aircraft is chartered for which purposes.

“In our experience, the GIV is the aircraft that people want to use for transatlantic or Far East flights. We do carry out long distance work with the Challenger and Falcon but its considerably more on the GIV. We are averaging two or three transatlantic flights a month in the Gulfstream and once every couple of months, we’ll go out to the Far East.”

The Challenger, says Jetclub, was primarily deployed for charter trips within Europe although the owner sometimes used it for transatlantic purposes. As regards the Falcon 50, that will also have its charter uses within Europe. Said Rivolta: “There is one distinguishing factor on the Falcon 50 which puts it above all other aircraft: It is certified to fly into London City.

“We see a lot of potential in that alone; in fact, we’ve got quite a lot of demand from one client in particular, who wants to go in there fairly regularly, in this size aircraft.”

The Falcon 50’s owner, it appears, is not looking to set any records in terms of the amount of charter the aircraft attracts. Rivolta added: “In this instance, he’s bought a Falcon 50 specifically because he wants that type of aircraft, not because it is the best aeroplane for charter revenue.

“If I were advising a client who was interested in generating revenue through charter, I probably wouldn’t advise them to buy a Falcon 50. Why? Simply because the aircraft is expensive for the cabin size, and you can’t sell that cabin size for the right kind of price to bring in the returns.”

Jetclub Spain is also selling a King Air 200 on behalf of a private client who no longer has a requirement for this aircraft.