Sorven Limited has chosen to step up from its Falcon 50 to a Falcon 900EX, which will be managed by Executive Jet Charter (EJC). According to EJC md Barry Johnson, it is the first DA900EX EASy to be registered in the UK.

Sorven took delivery of the aircraft in January and operated it privately to enable the crew to become familiarised with it, before EJC added it to their AOC in August. The owner of the aircraft performs his own private flying and EJC charters it in order to offset costs.

Said Johnson: “The owner had moved up from a Hawker 800 to a Falcon 50 in 2001 – which, incidentally, was the first Falcon 50 on a UK AOC – and we had it for two years. The DA50 is a great aircraft but the owner just wanted to have slightly more range and space.”

Operating from the short runway at Gloucester, the company cites landing performance and enhanced safety features of the EASy flight deck as key features. “It’s a completely new method of operating and we were attracted by that,” he commented.

The company had considered taking on a Global Express but, as the owner was so fond of his Falcon 50, the 900EX was the natural step up.

The aircraft will be used both by its owner and EJC for worldwide operations and the company expects it to achieve about 200 to 250 flight hours per year.

“I think within the current charter market this figure is achievable. Because we’ve operated DA900s before, we have a ready-made clientele and customer reaction to the aircraft is always favourable,” Johnson added.

“The charter market is picking up and it’s going very well. I don’t know about businesses that operate Citations and Lears, for example, but Falcon-wise it’s good. People are carrying more baggage these days and the luggage itself is bigger, so the cabin room of Falcons and Globals is becoming more important. In my opinion, people now want longer range and they want more cabin volume, there’s no doubt about that.”

A three camera Satcom system is one of the extra features of the aircraft, which also has Airshow and DVD players fitted as standard.

EJC also operates a Leeds-based BBJ2, on behalf of Multiflight, a Luton-based Global Express and a Hawker 800.

The company is not actively seeking to manage additional aircraft but is open to offers. “I’m happy with what I’ve got at the moment,” said Johnson, “but obviously if the right aircraft came along we’d look to manage it and add it to our fleet.”

EJC was founded in 1995 by Johnson and captain Chris Follows and since then the company has enjoyed strong support from its clients. “A lot of loyal customers have supported us and it’s worked very well. Repeat business has been a major feature of our operation.”