Servair has bought an aircraft from one of its clients looking to upgrade to another model. The Citation Excel has accrued about 700 flying hours and has been operating as part of the company’s managed fleet for five years.

“We decided to buy the aircraft because we knew it well,” explained ceo Martin Helbling. “We were looking to fill that segment of the business and we knew that we wouldn’t find another aircraft of the same type that we knew so well.”

The company also operates a Citation II, Bravo, Gulfstream IV and a Falcon 2000. The Excel will be based at Zurich Airport – Servair’s operational base – and it will fly all over Europe and North Africa.

Although this time of year is traditionally a quieter period, Helbling expects business to pick up again during the winter months because the company has a strong leisure client base that usually wants to fly to the Alps, travel around for Christmas and the New Year, or flock to the beaches for some sunshine. “If we perform next year like we were able to this year, then we’ll be happy,” said Helbling.

Would he ever consider branching out into a different type of operation like medevac, though? “I’ll never say never,” Helbling concedes. “But there are many other companies here that offer the same service.

“When you’re number one, what’s the point of trying to compete? We’d rather wait for another opportunity where there aren’t so many competitors.”