Wilmington, Delaware-based Dumont Jets, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dumont Group, has taken delivery of 14 out of a total of 27 Falcon 2000s from NetJets.

The company first developed its charter fleet in the super midsize category using the Falcon 50 platform, and director Dan Piraino says that the Falcon 50 was a solid way into the market due to its size, operating budget and performance capabilities. "The natural evolution of our company dictated that we update the platform," he explains. "The natural replacement was the Falcon 2000. After studying the plane, we knew it was the right one for us. One challenge we had while operating our Falcon 50 fleet of over 20 aircraft was the lack of fleet commonality in the cabin and on the flight deck. So when we set out to transition to the new platform, we were determined to have fleet commonality.

“This set our sights on the NetJets fleet of Falcon 2000s. We were able to strike a deal with them for the purchase of 27 aircraft and have taken delivery of 14 of the 27 so far." The remaining aircraft will be delivered and placed into service over the next 15 months.

According to Piraino, the jets are performing beautifully. "The oldest airframe is a year 2000 and we have been refurbishing their paint and interiors before placing them into service," he continues. "This has also given us the opportunity to get our branding out into the market. The customers absolutely love the type. Its flat floor, 10-passenger cabin, baggage capacity and very quiet cabin means that there is lots to love."

He says that Dumont is currently in high season with solid bookings. On the back of its IS-BAO and Wyvern approvals, the operator's customer base continues to grow. "The Falcon 2000 fleet is flying mainly within USA and to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. The NY to LA market is hot right now and the 2000 does very well on this segment.

“Our entire fleet has wi-fi and very up-to-date paint and interior. The customers really appreciate the interiors and we have enjoyed their positive feedback. The full galley is a huge improvement over the Falcon 50 and the lavatory is an upgrade as well."

Flying Falcon 2000s as opposed to Falcon 50s is not going to drastically alter the market that Dumont serves, but Piraino adds that modernising the fleet has simplified ops: "The biggest win is that the planes are identical for the flight crews and the maintenance operation as well. This streamlines the ongoing operation and support.

“We have introduced a fleet of Hawker 400XPs as well. This allows us to serve the light market that we have not been in previously.

“The economy will always be our biggest challenge. We have mitigated the fluctuations as much as possible as we are in several other spaces in the industry that allow us to grow the bottom line even in a downturn. We continue to see demand increasing, so we will keep growing to meet the uptick in demand. We have mainly focused on organic growth; however, we are exploring several opportunities through acquisition at the moment."

Dumont holds an FAA Part 135 and EASA and FAA Part 145 certificates at New Castle airport, EASA and FAA Part 145 certificates at Central Illinois Regional airport in Bloomington, Illinois and an FAA PArt 145 at Spinks airport in Fort Worth, Texas. Dumont Aircraft Charter currently operates 21 aircraft.