Pilatus has obtained type certificates from EASA and the FAA for its PC-24, the first-ever Swiss business jet. Certification of the jet paves the way for initial customer deliveries.

The first PC-24 prototype completed its maiden flight in May 2015 and the three prototypes used in the certification programme have flown 2,205 hours so far. Flight tests have been conducted in extreme environments such as icing conditions and very hot temperatures, and at altitudes and speeds not usually encountered in everyday operations. Other tests have included bird impacts, structural stress tests and noise tests.

Chairman Oscar J Schwenk is delighted with the certificates: “The PC-24 is the first ever Pilatus business jet. Naturally, the requirements associated with obtaining certification for this sort of aircraft are extremely rigorous, and I need hardly mention that we faced some big challenges. In 2013 we announced that the PC-24 would be ready in 2017, and now, shortly before the end of the year, we have achieved exactly that. And all the performance data promised to our first 84 customers has been achieved or exceeded. The PC-24 delivers a maximum speed of 440 kts compared to the contractually agreed 425 kts. That is pure Pilatus, and typical of the qualities that set us apart.”

Pilatus has invested more than 500 million Swiss francs in the PC-24 development programme. A further 150 million francs went into buildings and production machinery at its Swiss headquarters in Stans in order to expand PC-24 series production capacity. The OEM currently has eight PC-24s on the assembly line, with 23 deliveries to customers around the world planned throughout 2018. Schwenk continues: “I'm extremely proud of my workforce, and would like to thank owners, the two aviation authorities and our first 84 PC-24 customers for their confidence in myself and my team. This project involved considerable risk, but we always believed 100 per cent in our PC-24 and were prepared to go to the limits to ensure its success.”

The first PC-24 will be handed over to the American fractional aircraft ownership business PlaneSense in Stans this month. The aircraft will then be flown to the USA in January 2018, for official delivery.