Turkey's Bonair expects business to slow in 2009 but is still confidently adding a Cessna Sovereign to its fleet in 2011 to join the XLS which became the 1,000th Cessna jet operational in Europe. Bonair president Ates Hanibu says: "Both aircraft will be a valuable additions and will complement our Bravo, Caravan Amphibian and three Cessna 172s."

The new aircraft will be deployed to meet demand in Europe, the CIS, Africa and the Middle East. "We chose the aircraft for their cabin size, ease of maintenance and competitive operational cost," Hanibu adds. "Compared to previous years we expect the coming year to be relatively quiet and attracting new business might be harder work, but we are a strong company that is always able to count on having the pilots, cabin and ground staff that we need when we need them."

Bonair was established in 1989 as a flying school and launched its charter service in 1994. It orders new rather than pre-owned aircraft and the company believes that, despite the economic downturn, it can continue to grow business through hard work. "We enjoy a good level of referrals through brokers," says Hanibu.