Solid Air has added a sixth aircraft, a Falcon 900, to its ad hoc charter fleet in the Netherlands. The aircraft joins a Falcon 20, CJ1, Bravo and two Citation VIs – one of which was acquired in February.

The company will operate the privately-owned Falcon 900 from its bases in Eindhoven and Amsterdam. The aircraft is expected to make approximately 500 flight hours per year, 25 per cent of which will be made by its owner.

EBAN spoke to Solid Air md Huub van den Hout about the selection of the aircraft. “We have a few customers who want long-range flights, and a major customer is going to fly to Dubai 10 or 15 times this year. We have a lot of customers who want to go to the Caribbean and the US.

“The Falcon 900 is perfect for 10 to 12 passengers to fly mid- and long-range distances. It can fly more than 4,500nm, which makes the US, Africa and Asia within reach, non-stop. The stand-up cabin provides you with all luxury you can imagine, such as sleep cabins, a fridge, mini-oven, TV, toilet and refreshment area. It is the crème de la crème of aircraft.”

The acquisition of the sixth aircraft makes Solid Air one of the fastest growing private jet operators in the Benelux region.

“We added this aircraft to our fleet under very good conditions, so we can keep the rental price low. Of course, it’s an expensive aircraft, but if you divide the cost between the number of passengers on board, then a first class ticket would actually be more expensive in most cases.”

Solid Air began operating a CJ1 at the beginning of 2003, and since then the company has enjoyed steady fleet expansion. Despite this, van den Hout believes that business aviation in the region is yet to reach its peak.

“We are just starting; we expect continuing expansion in the coming years,” he said. “Things like privacy, time saving, safety and cost reduction mean that more and more companies and individuals have started flying their own aircraft, because they

have become aware of the advantages. That’s why we are optimistic about the future.

“After the bad period from 2001, a lot of companies went bankrupt and a lot of aircraft went back to their lease companies or owners. In Holland, the industry is just beginning to reach the same size it was four years ago.”