European Business Jets (EBJ), headquartered in Cambridge, England, is building a Citation fleet that it believes will attract large volumes of fractional, management and charter business.

Andy Baker, commercial manager, says: "The average passenger load on private aircraft is documented at 2.2 and so entry level five seat jets make very real financial sense for the fractional market." But there is scope for larger passenger loads. The CJ1s are configured for five seats, the CJ2s for seven and the Excels for eight.

"Cost-effectiveness is the main point," says Baker. "We ensure the right type of aircraft for our owners and charter customers so they are not always paying for empty seats. This approach results in value for money." EBJ has on order a CJ1 and a CJ2+ and there are two more CJ1s and a CJ2 "in the pipeline" that will augment the current fleet of three CJ1s, two CJ2s and two XLSs. "There will be continued and measured growth of the fleet and operational staff in line with demand and industry wide availability," adds Baker.

"Some of our owners have bought the XLS after being more than happy with the Cessna product for their repeated longer trips to places such as Malaga and Moscow. The Excels are made available for charter when the owners use the CJ fleet for their shorter trips."

EBJ aircraft are positioned "close to owners for their convenience and cost efficiency", Baker adds. Popular destinations include Sion, Samedan, Cannes, Paris and Geneva. EBJ reported full order books and rapid expansion just 30 months after launching on London's AIM stock exchange. Graham Deary, ceo, says: "It was then just an idea but each of our aircraft are flying in excess of 100 hours a month so it has come on leaps and bounds." Baker joins EBJ from London City Airport where he set up and ran Private Jet, the airport's in-house brokerage. "He is a key part of a rapidly expanding team," says Deary.