More than two and a half years have elapsed since Muk Air started putting a VFW-614 aircraft on the Danish register. With TCAS recently installed, the aircraft is now available for freight and passenger charter but says owner Ruben Werjefeldt, he’d never have tried in the first place if he’d known how long it was going to take.

He said: “It’s been a long and somewhat political fight. Early on, problems which we had to overcome included both support and maintenance issues.

“It took me a year and a half to convince Airbus to cooperate but since then, over the last year and a half, they have been very supportive.

“During the certification process, an educated crew went elsewhere and the loss of revenue went into seven-digit numbers. If I’d known it was going to take this long, I’d never have tried to do it. There are more attractive things you can do.”

Muk Air’s 614 aircraft can be configured to accommodate 18 or 44 passengers or for the purposes of freight. It is the latter which Muk Air hopes to pursue the most. Said Werjefeldt: “There’s less trouble in freight. If you’re delayed, you don’t have to book hotel rooms for 44 passengers; if it is a little bumpy, no one vomits; and if you fly in a turboprop, no one wants a refund.”

With regard to the vip market, Werjefeld says one of the aircraft’s main strengths lies in its ability to land on short runways. He told EBAN: “In an 18-seat configuration fully loaded, I can land at any airport that a Citation II can land at. We can get down as short as 800 metres if we are light – which is unheard of for a 46,000 pound aircraft.”

The incentive for vips to fly in a 614, says Werjefeld, does not end there. “It has a fully stand-up cabin,” he said. Helmut Kohl preferred the 614 a lot more before the Challengers.

“You have a big first class seat, you have a hot oven, refrigerators, large stand-up toilet and big mahogany tables where you could play roulette if you wanted.

“In the business jet market, it’s for people who want the extra space. It’s more than you have in a Dornier 328 JET, it’s larger than the Gulfstream and if you consider the square area of the plane, it’s only beaten by the BBJ and ACJ.”

Asked whether potential charter customers may fret over the safety of an old aircraft, Werjefeld said: "The aircraft has been maintained in the same way as the British Queen’s Flight; everything has been half-normal life-cycle.”

In terms of economics, Muk Air is confident that for the right customer, the 614 could present a huge saving. Werjefeld explained: “If you compare it with business aircraft which offer similar capability and space, and you want to go somewhere where the size of the runway might be an issue, then the price is half what others would ask. A Global Express, Gulfstream or Falcon 900 would all have a challenge getting down on La Maule in St Tropez. I don’t have any problem and I’m half the price.

“Conversely, if you’re considering an international trip, we couldn’t compare with any of these

three aircraft. With 1,300 nautical miles, we’re way too short for intercontinental range but for intra-European trips, we’d be very competitive.”

Muk Air has another 614 which has been on a US register for two years and will soon be added to the Danish register.