PrivatAir has taken delivery of a BBJ2, which it will operate on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines for a scheduled service between Zurich and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Having operated long range scheduled services for Lufthansa since 2002, the partnership between PrivatAir and Swiss International is, according to ceo Greg Thomas, a natural progression for the Geneva-based company.

“We had been marketing to a lot of airlines and enjoyed success with Lufthansa,” he said. “Swiss needed assistance in serving this route for the increasing number of business class passengers and our product was perfect for them. Switzerland is, of course, an ideal market for us as we already have an AOC here.”

The BBJ2, which is the fifth Boeing in the company’s fleet, was delivered in Seattle at the beginning of December and PrivatAir is due to begin operating the aircraft on January 16, 2005.

Up until now, Swiss has been serving the transatlantic route with an A330, and Thomas believes that the 56 lie-flat seat BBJ2 will prove popular among passengers.

“It’s an industrial route,” he said. “Newark is the gateway to New Jersey, where a lot of industrial and chemical companies are based, and people using this route will be from the same sort of community in Switzerland.”

On the decision to opt for a BBJ2, he commented: “It’s an availability issue, really; we had a choice between this aircraft and the A319LR – two of which we operate for Lufthansa – and there weren’t any Airbus around so we opted for the Boeing.”

The company is keen to maintain its growth in 2005 and is looking to develop its portfolio of smaller aircraft. “We’ve had a very strong year in terms of small aircraft charter in Europe and we hope to consolidate on that next year. We have a very aggressive budget to grow in this sector.”