The UK’s Multiflight Limited has entered one of business aviation’s most elite clubs by taking delivery of a BBJ2 for both corporate and charter operations. The aircraft will be operated commercially for charter via UK-based management company Executive Jet Charter.

The aircraft is the first to be certified on the UK register and says Executive Jet md Barry Johnson, is set for a busy time ahead. “In the first year, we aim to get 400 charter charter hours on it,” he said, “with 250 hours dedicated to the owner and chairman of Multiflight, David Hood.”

“I’m very confident that there’s plenty of charter custom out there for this new aircraft. We’ve carried out a number of broker flights in the past few days and the feedback from them has been exceptional.”

When deciding which long-range aircraft to buy, owner David Hood says there were a number of possibilities to consider. He said: “We looked at the GV and Global Express but obviously there’s no comparison in size and in fact, they weren’t too dissimilar in price to the BBJ.

“We have been operating a Falcon 900 up until now – which I’ve been delighted with – but I was really looking for a lot more room and a lot more comfort.”

So it all came down to a decision between the BBJ and the BBJ2. Said Barry Johnson: “David has been very much involved in the whole process and has analysed every stage of the project with a meticulous eye for detail. Before choosing the BBJ2, we went to see a total of five BBJs.

“We flew to air shows, had meetings with various owners and we built up a general concept of what worked for them and what didn’t. Our starting point, in fact, was where they had gone wrong and what the limitations were with their aircraft.”

Said David Hood: “The BBJ is a great aeroplane, has ample room for passengers but with the extra fuel tanks it’s very tight on baggage space. Also, they couldn’t quite cope with the layout we wanted to have and I didn’t want to have to scale it down.”

With those thoughts in mind, the more baggage-friendly BBJ2 was purchased and the next job was to find a designer who could work hand-in-hand not only with Multiflight but also Lufthansa Technik, who were to be responsible for outfitting the corporate beast.

Said Johnson: “From the very first conversation David had with designer Andrew Winch, it was clear that they could work well together.”

The only unusual thing about Winch was that his area of expertise was luxury yachts. Never before, in fact, had he carried out an interior design on a corporate aircraft.

Winch told us: “The first thing I realised was that there were great similarities between the two areas

of work. The key to both is that you have to understand lifestyle and you have to pay attention to huge amounts of detail.

“From the outset, it was clear that David wanted understated elegance, nothing glitzy.

“He wanted to be able to relax in the aircraft, sit on the floor if he wanted to, put his feet up and feel that the quality was there but not the ostentatiousness or stuffiness.”

Which is what the two of them designed. To the tune of $22 million, the interior was soon to take shape. The cabin of the aircraft is split into two main sections, each able to seat 12 people for meetings. Design features include walnut wood tables and fittings, fully customised sofas, lamps, bookshelves and vases.

In terms of entertainment, the aircraft is outfitted with a hi-tech audio-visual and entertainment system, with speakers running the full length of the aircraft for continuity of sound.

Television pictures are provided around the cabin on two 42-inch plasma screens and two 28-inch LCDs, using Video over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which ensures signals are immune to 440Hz interference and therefore able to provide high quality pictures at all times.

And so, in July of this year, Multiflight’s dream became a reality. Said Barry Johnson: “We took delivery on July 1 and by July 3, it was up in the air. David took it on a family trip for a month and since then, we’ve just been attending to his personal flying needs.

“We’ve also been working very hard to get the charter certificate and in fact, all the manuals are with the CAA right now and the crew have done their initial training.

“In terms of ETOPS [extended twin-engine operations], we’re hoping to have 120-minutes by Christmas, with an extension to 180 minutes about six to eight months after that.”

Multiflight’s BBJ2 can seat 19 passengers and has sleeping room for 14. It has its own bedroom, complete with en suite bathroom and stand-up shower. In the galley, there are facilities for chef-quality catering with three ovens and a microwave available.

Based on the long-body Boeing 737-800, the aircraft has a range of 5,400 miles and boasts turned up wings for improved performance.