Syltair has added a pre-owned Citation CJ2 to its fleet, operated on behalf of its owner, and expects to have this included on its AOC within the coming weeks.

The company mainly flies twin prop aircraft, but also has a Citation 501SP which will be retained. "The CJ2 is much newer, faster and more fuel efficient and the customers do like a modern jet," says ground operations manager Juergen Meyer-Brenkhof. "As for the pilots, we have crews that fly both aircraft."

Most of the fleet comprises Cessna models: "We fly them because the view for the passengers is simply better than from low wing aircraft," he says.

The view is especially important as the company flies a small-scale scheduled service to the popular tourist island of Sylt, which has been in continuous operation for almost half a century. "Fifty years is correct," says Meyer-Brenkhof, "but the names of the airlines have changed over the years. It used to be Nordseeflug, thereafter Friesenflug and since 1998 it is Syltair.

"The equipment was mostly small types, Cessna 172, 182 and Cessna 207, and we have used Partenavias, Senecas, and Cessna 404. The average occupancy is three to four passengers per flight. It is not cheap but to operate the 100 miles cost effectively we must fly with one or two passengers in the worst case, for the price of a regular ticket which is €235.

"It is a good connection for passengers to go to Hamburg and then on to wherever they need to go. We only run it in the summer time, of course, daily."