Aravco, based at Farnborough, UK, has leased two 56-seat Fokker 100s to Calgary-based Platinum Jet Charters, which will be operated between Calgary and Toronto. A third Fokker 100, in 33-seat configuration, will be based at Farnborough and operated by Aravco.

One of the 56-seat Fokker 100s will be on display for the duration of the Farnborough Air Show in July. The aircraft will have undergone a full D-check at Field Aviation in Calgary and will return to appear at the show and to have its UK CAA inspection.

According to Aravco, the aircraft will then return to Canada for DAT approval and operations are expected to commence on September 1.

The company is currently working with Fokker Services on an executive version of the aircraft with long range fuel tanks and a vip interior. Operations manager Mike Palmer told EBAN: “By the end of the year, Aravco will have a UK registered aircraft with 33 seats and a vip interior for corporate travel.

“Fokkers are ideal for conversion. When you look at the BBJs and similar, like the A319 CJ, while the Fokker doesn’t have the range of those aircraft it is certainly a cheaper alternative and the configurations that they can lend themselves to make it an ideal platform,” he added.

Aravco aims to offer a variety of configurations within the aircraft’s cabin, which can be tailored to the individual needs of the passengers. “We’re working very closely with Fokker Services and their engineering partners, who have come up with various different configurations and have shown us some simulations which look very good,” Palmer said.

The seats in the Farnborough-based 33-seat Fokker 100 will be sold en-masse, directly or through

a broker.