Jet Aviation has expanded its European private charter fleet with the addition of a Citation Excel. The company acquired the aeroplane in April and it has been available for commercial use from May 20.

The aircraft will be used exclusively for charter flights and

is expected to attract a range of clients, from banking executives to private individuals.

The Excel has been fitted with a brand-new interior and painted in the company’s private fleet colours to match the other Citations in the fleet – Jet Aviation already operates

three Bravos.

“The Excel is a very popular aircraft,” explained senior vp and general manager Martin Bernegger. “Although our clients enjoy using the Bravo, we had many requests for a mid-size aircraft. The Excel is very similar to the Bravo but it has a stand-up cabin and full size lavatory that provides a higher level of comfort.”

The aircraft features a small galley, leather seating and DVD players and seats up to eight passengers in a standard configuration. It will mostly fly without a cabin attendant, which Bernegger claims is the case for 90 per cent of Excel aircraft.

Based in Zurich, it can fly as far afield as Cairo or Moscow, but will mainly service destinations within central Europe, with an average flight time of one hour and five minutes.

Jet Aviation has already received bookings for the aircraft, Bernegger states, and despite a slow start to the year, he said he is “confident that this latest addition to the fleet will soon match the Bravo, reaching 60-70 hours’ flight time per month.”

The company is also planning to expand its management fleet. The European charter fleet already consists of a number of types and sizes of aircraft, including a Falcon 50, Bell 430 helicopter and a DC-8-72 aircraft, which is based in Basle.