Romanian air charter operator InterAviation has placed an order for a Hawker 4000, which will join its 900XP in service at Bucharest Baneasa. "We are delighted to have added the Hawker 4000 to our growing fleet as we continue to expand on the range of services and number of destinations we offer to our customers," says Captain Octavian Pita, general manager of InterAviation.

"It is our intention to provide an excellent level of service, comfort and efficiency which is why the Hawker 4000 was the natural choice for us."

Owned by a major Romanian industrial group with interests in agriculture, energy, chemicals and tourism, InterAviation caters for business travellers, government officials and families looking for transportation throughout the Middle East, Europe, Russia and the CIS in particular.

"This is the second jet InterAviation has purchased from us in as many years, having bought a 900XP last year, and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with this fast-growing operator as it continues to capitalise on the demand for business aviation in the region," says Sean McGeough, Hawker Beechcraft president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. "Eastern Europe is a key market for us and this sale reflects our view that the region presents significant opportunities for growth."

Within eastern Europe, Hawker Beechcraft believes that Romania presents one of the best growth markets. "While its business aircraft fleet may still be relatively small, with 20 based in the country, it has already grown rapidly in recent years with a three-fold increase in deliveries between the first half of the past decade and the second half," the company says. "We believe that the size of the fleet will continue to grow quickly. Between April 2011 and April 2012, Romania saw a four per cent increase in business flights, representing the ninth largest annual increase in Europe."