More than 100 additional VLJs could come into service each year in Europe leading to 700 being operational by 2015, according to Eurocontrol.

There are about 440 VLJs currently on order for operation in Europe. Of these, at least 230 are expected for delivery by the end of 2010, according to Alex Hendriks, Eurocontrol's deputy director of ATM strategies. "The majority of VLJs are expected to be used for air taxi type work," he points out. "Typically, this would result in each aircraft making an average of two to three flights a day, adding 200 to 300 extra flights per day each year. The growth in VLJs adds a significant extra dimension to the complexity of air traffic in Europe. VLJs have very different speeds and cruising levels from current commercial jet aircraft, so we need to conduct an impact assessment to see how they will affect the network as a whole. We also need to assess the technical requirements for onboard systems, including examining whether there is a requirement for ACAS."

VLJ manufacturers are making long-term plans to ramp up production to meet increasing demand. Eclipse Aviation and European Technology and Investment Research Center (ETIRC) Aviation have announced in Ulyanovsk, Russia, the firm progress of plans to set up an Eclipse 500 manufacturing facility outside the US. And the FAA has certified the company's second Level D Full Motion simulator. Vern Raburn, Eclipse ceo, says: "We can now train 20 pilots every two weeks entirely in simulators and the first customer pilots have already completed their initial type training. By April 2008, we expect to have a third simulator in operation. This will allow the company to train up to 60 pilots each month exclusively in simulators."

The agency is taking into account possible further increases in VLJ orders and manufacturer output as it promotes debate on its European VLJs integration platform set to assess and propose solutions for integrating VLJs into the European air traffic system.

Some VLJs may not make it into commercial production. Adam Aircraft has voluntarily filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. The court has appointed a trustee to liquidate assets which include the type certificate for the A500 piston twin, several A500s in various stages of production and three flying A700 very light jets that Adam was using for certification trials. But VLJ production is still likely to increase overall - manufacturers are holding job fairs in Denver, seeking to hire over 500 skilled employees that Adam Aircraft laid off.

The European Business Aviation Association and VLJ manufacturers and operators are participating in the Eurocontrol forum and the agency is preparing a simulation to assess the impact of VLJs. EBAA's Eric Mandemaker, says: "We are convinced that the services that these additional air taxi operators provide will only enhance the business travel industry in the region and the travel options open to customers."

Hendriks says: "An initial comparison of published VLJ performance and that of commonly-used commercial jet aircraft indicates that, for some of the phases of flight, the VLJs have very different speeds and cruising levels. For that reason, it is likely that VLJs will have a consid-erable impact on at least the take off and en-route parts of the network. Analysis will also be carried out on the technical requirements for onboard systems, as it seems that there may be difficulties in adapting some of the fully-integrated avionics systems currently employed in certain VLJs to particular navigation requirements."