The Jetalliance Group of Vienna has placed a new order for an ACJ and two A318 Elites. Jetalliance Holding ceo Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer says: "We manage aircraft for many customers and, for those that want the best, the Airbus ACJ family is the natural choice."

Jetalliance has ordered eight Airbus jets to date. One ACJ and one Elite have been delivered to owners and Jetalliance is looking at meeting demand for larger aircraft which might include aircraft in the A330 and A340 class.

Lichtner-Hoyer says that clients are looking for turnkey solutions, an assertion which is borne out by EBAN research. "They don't want to get involved in all the details, they just want to enjoy their aircraft through one contact company that offers service and economy," Lichtner-Hoyer adds. "Clients want their aircraft to improve their lifestyle and business efficiency: they do not want to become bogged down in paperwork."

Jetalliance Group offers purchase, finance, operation and maintenance services. Its subsidiary, Jetalliance Flugbetrieb, operates dozens of aircraft with an average age of only three years. Lichtner-Hoyer predicts that demand for private aircraft travel in Russia, the Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and the former CIS countries will grow in the next ten years.

"One issue will be training enough pilots and maintenance technicians which is why we have expanded our Vienna maintenance bases in anticipation of demand," Lichtner-Hoyer says. Roger Whyte, Cessna svp sales and marketing says: "Jetalliance is opening up markets all over Europe for Cessna."