Austrian company Tyrolean Air Ambulance has recently begun offering charter services on its latest fleet addition – a Citation VII.

The aircraft arrived was delivered last October, along with a Dornier 328 Jet.

Managing director Martin Lener told EBAN: “The interior needed refurbishment and we had the exterior custom painted – also it took longer to achieve the commercial certification than expected.”

Based at Innsbruck, the Citation VII has been flying missions all over Europe.

Explaining the choice of the aircraft, Lener said: “We have operated Citations since 1977 and had been looking for an aircraft in the so-called mid-size category. We made a decision to choose the Citation VII over a Learjet 60 as it has a stand-up cabin (nearly) and has an appropriate baggage compartment.

“In comparison with the Excel, which we also considered, it has more than double the payload and because of our location in the middle of Europe with occasionally hot temperatures and our short runway, we felt more comfortable with the Citation VII.”

The addition is part of a fleet renewal programme for Tyrolean following the sale of two Citation 500s last year.

The company now operates two Dornier 328s and one Falcon 900 alongside the Citation VII.