Gulfstream Aerospace and TAG Aviation have signed an agreement which should heighten the profile of Gulfstream’s G200 business jet aircraft in Europe.

The agreement is due to start in December, with TAG Aviation leasing two G200s. These will be available for charter throughout Europe and the Middle East. The aircraft will also be available to Gulfstream for customer demonstration flights. They will be based in Geneva, Switzerland.

President and chief operations officer of TAG Aviation Europe, Robert Wells said: “Gulfstream had an interest in the G200 getting more exposure in the European market,” he said. “They approached us with the idea of leasing two aircraft and it happened to fit with our plans as well, because we were phasing two Falcon 20s out of our fleet and these are a perfect replacement.”

Wells believes that the aircraft will be very popular with new and old customers alike. “What it gives us is relatively low operating costs, which translates into what I believe will be very competitive charter prices. But what the passengers will gain, other than reasonable prices, is a wide-bodied aircraft,” he explained.

“The Falcon 20 is what I would call a conventional corporate aircraft. The G200 is more like a Challenger or a Falcon 2000 in terms of how it feels in the cabin,” he continued. “So we believe that we’ve got something which delivers a lot more value to a customer. What Gulfstream gets out of it, is that our charter customers are exposed to the aircraft every day.”

The first G200 is due to enter operation in the middle of November. The second aircraft is expected to begin operations within 30 days following that.

Has there been a lot of interest from current customers, we asked? “We haven’t had any,” Wells admitted. “The only people who know anything about this are in the industry. As you can imagine we’re going to promote the aircraft pretty heavily, but you don’t want to do that too soon,” he added. “We want to make sure that it’s done at a time when we’re actually about ready to go into operation.”

Wells feels that the aircraft is perfect for the European market. “The G200 can fly essentially anywhere within Europe non-stop. It is ideal as an intra-European aircraft,” he said. “It can go into the US and it can go deep into the Middle East. However, in most cases that involves a tech-stop, but the eastern seaboard of the United States is well within its reach.”

He expects former customers of the Falcon 20 aircraft to express an interest in the G200s. “It would typically be customers who have flown on our Falcon 20s who opt for this aircraft or customers who have looked at Challengers or Hawkers,” Wells added. “It would be priced where it’s not a lot more expensive, but it delivers a lot more room.”

Each aircraft will have a slightly different interior. One will have eight seats in a double-club, with two sets of club seating arrangements. The other aircraft will possibly have a divan, which increases the seating to approximately ten seats. They are both large-cabin aircraft.

Wells explained: “It’s really a question of how much room you have and that’s where the G200 has a real advantage, as there is a lot room for each seat.”

Wells told us that because the G200 is a fairly new aircraft, TAG anticipates less technological difficulties. “I think that probably the biggest factor going for it, is that it’s an aircraft that was designed on the drawing board in the 1990s, so therefore it’s a relatively late-technology aircraft,” he said. “We believe that we will have good reliability and from a technology standpoint, it gives us and our passengers everything they’re looking for.”

TAG Aviation currently operates a broad variety of aircraft. “We have everything from Global Expresses to Falcon 900EXs, 2000s, Challengers,” Wells said.

“Like most large management companies, we have a wide range of aircraft. Certainly if you look at TAG from a global perspective, you’re talking about 150 plus aircraft.”