Germany’s Air Traffic recently added an Astra G100 to its AOC after Cologne-based GMA Logistics bought the aircraft. “It’s really a pilot’s aircraft, it has good speed, it’s very economic on fuel and is

always reliable,” said the G100 captain Stefan Grouven.

The charter company’s fleet also consists of two Lear 31s, a 35 and a Citation III. “The G100 has already been on quite a few trips to Norway, Finland, Sweden, North Africa and Moscow. Its range is around 2,500 nautical miles, so it’s best suited to flights of three hours plus and this is where it should really make money,” said Grouven.

The aircraft holds six passengers comfortably and customers have been made up of 70 per cent business and 30 per cent private. “The G100 is based in Cologne, which is fine as a business aviation base and the customers have easy access. Sometimes Air Traffic uses handling agents and other times we handle ourselves,” he added.

Demand for the aircraft has not quite met expectations though: “For the time being the G100 is slightly on the expensive side of our charter fleet and our customers are used to the Lear and Citation prices. This makes them a little hesitant to book it.

“Although the Lear may not be as comfortable, customers prefer to save a few thousand euros. So at the moment it’s not running as the company would like, but I think that more customers will become attracted to it because they’ve reacted very positively. Everyone has said it’s nice to see a change of aircraft in the fleet and an alternative to the Lear,” said Grouven. The company has found a general slow down in the charter market after a busy beginning of year, although this it puts down to a seasonal demand shift.