Milan-based Sirio has taken delivery of the first Challenger 300 to enter service in Europe. The aircraft, which is the fifteenth of Bombardier’s super-midsize jets currently in service, will be joined by a second CL300 by the third quarter of 2006.

The company received the nine-seat aircraft on October 9 and, having trained its pilots for three weeks at Bombardier’s facility in Dallas, began operating it five days later. By the beginning of December, it had already clocked more than 100 hours of flight, transporting Sirio’s clients throughout Europe and Egypt. Sirio expects the CL300 to make its first flight to the Far East before the end of the year and is hoping it will accrue between 500-600 hours of flight per year.

General manager and chief pilot Pier Carlo Busato commented: “We chose this aircraft because we often need to operate from short fields and it is the only one available, along with the Falcon 50, that can perform this well from short runways. Also, it’s much roomier than the Falcon 50 – it’s no Falcon 2000, but that

aircraft cannot operate from such restricted runways.

“The Falcon 50 is an older aeroplane, is smaller inside and is much more expensive to acquire and operate. The Challenger is just a little bit smaller than the Falcon 2000 and the cross-section is like the Gulfstream GIV. It’s difficult to find any fault with it; our clients appreciate it and we like it.”

According to Busato, the key difference between the Falcon 2000 and the CL300 is the price. The Challenger can be acquired for about $17.5 million, whereas a brand-new Falcon 2000 has a price tag of $23 million. “We have also been very impressed by the engines,” he added. “It’s ideal for flights to St Tropez, Florence – any short field airports.

“The speed is also good, as we can cruise at .80 and .82 mach, it is a really fast climber and can accelerate pretty fast too. Its range of over 3,000nm is very good, just a little more than the Falcon 2000.”

Sirio’s fleet of 14 aeroplanes consists of a mixture of Falcons, Gulfstreams, Hawkers and Citations, and the company aims to further expand the fleet, having purchased a second CL300 for delivery in 18 months.