Italy's Hi Fly Service is acquiring two more aircraft as it finalises its AOC and plans a versatile launch fleet of three jets. President Massimiliano Marsico confirms: "We are working on two more acquisitions, a mid-size such as the Citation Excel or Hawker 800 and a large cabin Falcon 900."

The acquisitions will be designed to complement Hi Fly's Citation Encore. "The Encore was chosen by range as the only small cabin aircraft able to fly Moscow-Olbia with six passengers," says Marsico. "That was a specific need that counted for more than the reliability, low operating costs and good maintenance network."

The Encore will be operated mainly on European routes to and from Milan. "But we have good customers in Moscow for destinations like London, Geneva, Olbia, Chambery. We'll perform several leisure flights in the peak seasonal periods in summer and winter and business travel needs for the most important European destinations," says Marsico.

"It is actually a strong, hot market that we consider is still growing due to rising European private transport needs. The European market is taking on the characteristics of the U.S. where any and every successful company considers a private charter or an aircraft share or acquisition as a necessity to improve efficiency and where private aircraft are standard business tools."

Marsico, a pilot, is partnered by Maurizio Locatelli, a former operations manager.