London Executive Aviation announced this month that it has placed Cessna's largest European order for the new Citation Mustang very light jet.

With the first two aircraft scheduled to join the company's charter fleet by December 2007, and five more entering service by 2009, LEA hopes that the four-passenger Mustang will enable it to cut the cost of jet chartering by up to 25 per cent, thereby increasing the demand for private air travel.

Said LEA's ceo Patrick Margetson-Rushmore: "We expect to be able to charter out a Mustang at the

same hourly rate as a midsize turboprop aircraft, which is significantly lower than the cost of current entry-level jets".