Stuttgarter Flugdienst has brought a CJ2+ and a Citation Excel into service as it upgrades its midsize fleet with a major focus on greater comfort for passengers and increasing economy

of operations.

The Stuttgart-based charter operator plans to have three Citation Excels in operation by

the end of the year but keep its fleet at the "optimum" size of eight aircraft.

The current fleet comprises a Beech King Air C90, a Bravo, Ultra, Encore, Citation III and Citation VII as well as the Excel and CJ2+. Andreas Mundsinger, md, says:

"We plan to upgrade the Citation VII and Citation II to Excels with a second Excel arriving in the summer and a third by the end of the year." The CJ2+ replaced a CJ1.

"I believe that charter business could plateau in 2007/2008 and that eight aircraft is the optimum fleet size for us. We hope that business will remain at least steady but we are prepared, if necessary, for a slight decline from 2006 levels in the next couple of years," Mundsinger adds.

The Excel portion of the fleet is being expanded to meet a demand from clients for comfort, reduce the number of type ratings required and trim operational expenses.

Mundsinger says: "The Excel is popular with brokers and the clients like it because it is a very comfortable aircraft. It has an aisle along the whole cabin which gives passengers more space and there is certainly a growing demand for more comfort. Another plus is that the cabin is quiet. We have experience of Citations and believe it should prove economical to operate."

But he adds: "There was some discussion about Learjet 45s and 60s before we decided to go with the Citations. The Excel takes eight passengers which is a good number for us, we can use its DVD screens to good entertainment effect, and it is an economical aircraft for fuel and maintenance which should enable us to make operational savings."

Stuttgarter Flugdienst, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has a major business focus on central Europe with the U.K. and German markets key to its success. He estimates overall demand is 85 per cent business and 15 per cent leisure.

There has been a pattern of fleet upgrades since Stuttgarter Flugdienst launched in 1956 and operated first with King Airs, then in 1997 with King Airs and a Citation II, and now with seven jets and one turboprop.