Carlos Gericó, CEO of Spanish charter operator Gestair, says that this year is panning out better than expected, adding that the advantages of business aviation are clear to see: flexibility, security and a wide choice of destinations. “Gestair's fleet is characterised by its versatility; there are aircraft from all the main manufacturers and of all types of range, although long and ultra long predominate,” he remarks. “The characteristic common to all of them, in addition to safety, is their strong commitment to the environment through our emissions offset programme, Horizon. Today, we have more than 30 short, medium, long and ultra long range aircraft to offer to our customers what they need for each and every trip. With Horizon, they fly in a sustainable way as Gestair offsets the emissions of all of its customers flights it sells and are therefore carbon neutral. The emissions generated are offset through the purchase of carbon credits that lead to the development of emission reduction projects.

“In business aviation it is difficult for two flights to look alike. In addition, restrictions on mobility imposed by each country mean that it is now necessary to study flights from all countries from all points of view. No two flights are the same, and I would not highlight any one in particular, since confidentiality is also essential.”

The forthcoming inauguration of Gestair's new Madrid-Barajas Airport hangar is set to allow Gestair to have more than 23,000 sqm for housing and maintenance of aircraft in Madrid. The company will be able to continue growing, offering customers what they need, namely safe and reliable aircraft.

Gestair has also added a new Challenger 605 to its fleet. The aircraft's range is up to 8.5 hours at a cruise speed of up to 870 km/h, allowing it to fly non-stop from its home base of Madrid, Spain to Halifax in Canada. The cabin is 8.53m long, 1.83m high and 2.44m wide, and is configured for up to 10 passengers.

This addition means Gestair is continuing to increase the number of aircraft under management. The company has ultra-long, long, medium and short range aircraft in its fleet of just under 40 aircraft, and has two hangars at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport in which to house and maintain the aircraft.