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flyExclusive has added two Challenger 350 aircraft to its fleet, continuing its planned expansion of high-contribution super-midsize capacity as part of the company's 2026 fleet modernisation and growth roadmap.
The additions bring flyExclusive's Challenger fleet to eight aircraft, marking another milestone in the Kinston, North Carolina-headquartered company's multi-year strategy to deploy capital into aircraft categories that deliver the strongest utilisation and contribution across charter, jet club and fractional ownership programmes. The Challenger fleet currently represents the most economically productive segment of the flyExclusive fleet, driven by strong customer demand, broad mission flexibility and favourable operating characteristics.
The Challenger platform will be the first aircraft in the flyExclusive fleet to be equipped with Starlink, with installations to begin immediately. This positions flyExclusive to deliver the latest industry standard in high-speed, world-wide, reliable connectivity that today's customers expect, delivering a best-in-class experience that matches the Challenger's reputation for comfort, range and dispatch reliability.
“These additions reflect a deliberate capacity strategy focused on long-term value creation, not opportunistic growth,” notes Jim Segrave, founder, chairman and CEO of flyExclusive. “The Challenger platform continues to demonstrate superior contribution and reliability across our customer base. Expanding this category improves availability for our customers while strengthening overall fleet economics. We expect multiple additional Challengers, as well as additional XLS and CJ3's to enter the fleet throughout 2026 as we continue executing this disciplined approach.”
The aircraft are part of flyExclusive's broader fleet modernisation initiative, which emphasises modern aircraft types with attractive lifecycle economics. Through its vertically integrated model, flyExclusive performs maintenance, refurbishment and avionics upgrades in-house, enabling consistent fleet standards, efficient entry into service and tighter control over operating costs.
As flyExclusive continues advancing its 2026 fleet plan, the company remains focused on aligning aircraft additions with demand trends, improving utilisation and strengthening unit economics across its service offerings. Management expects targeted Challenger acquisition expanding its super-mid category to remain a meaningful driver of revenue quality and operating leverage.