Fractional & Charter
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Inside this report: CitationAir has shifted its and TAG Aviation in 2000, and a share of Learjet 60 or Hawker focus during the past few years Cessna gradually acquired more 800XP to go from Texas to San • Providers surviving and growing …page 22 to offer whatever kind of sup- of the company over the years Francisco when a Phenom 300 Fractional Flight Activity • Major U.S. players gain confidence about plemental lift customers need, until finalizing the full pur- can do it for a lot less money?” growth in the hard-hit sector…page 22 rather than focusing solely on chase last year. Earlier this year, The successful adoption of the 40 August 2010 - July 2011 fractional shares. What cus- CitationAir recalled all of the Phenoms, he added, “reaffirmed August 2009 - July 2010 • International markets feel the squeeze, tomers want, he said, “is a pilots it had furloughed during the decisions we made several but still full of opportunity…page 26 combination of those product the recession, to handle growing years ago when we first ordered • NetJets holds the fort in Europe, elements with the best pricing. demand from new and existing the Phenom 100s and 300s.” looks eastward for expansion…page 32 They’re also looking for the least customers. AirShare’s Texas operation 35 amount of risk. The purchase For CitationAir, growth is not recently moved into a new facil- • Firms find traction in a flat market…page 34 of a share in this market has got reflected by changes in the num- ity at Dallas Love Field, where risk attached to it. For those for ber of fractional shares sold but the company also is a limited whom tax depreciation is impor- in the total amount of business Embraer service center for the Number of flights (in thousands) Major U.S. players gain confidence tant, we still sell shares.” But not generated. CitationAir’s frac- Phenoms. The Buffalo facility tional sales “shrank a signals AirShare’s East Coast 30 about growth in the hard-hit sector bit,” Harford said, but expansion plans. “I think Buffalo Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul by Matt Thurber that’s been more than is our springboard for potential made up by customers growth in the Northeast,” he said. Argus International’s analysis of fractional flying activity during the past year shows that total flights remained stable through February, then from March Avantair FBOs at its Clearwater, Fla., head- joining the Jet Access “We continue to see growth in through July this year flights were ahead of last year’s numbers. quarters and in Camarillo, Calif., program and taking adding owners and flying,” said Argus International Source: Avantair’s single aircraft type and Caldwell, N.J., those have advantage of other Plumb. “June was good, July CitationAir Sovereign strategy based on the Piaggio been refocused on handling inter- BILL BERNSTEIN CitationAir products. better, and August better than and we even did better in the sec- kind of a hybrid between jet Avanti twin turboprop is pay- nal Avantair customers, not retail all customers want to tie up their “We’ve had three times the num- July. I’m glad we stuck to our ond quarter in terms of new cards and fractional shares. “It’s ing off as the fractional operator transient operators. “We’re not money in an asset, especially ber of customers join us as have business plan.” growth.” The growth was a com- sort of a medium commitment,” EXECUTJET continues to grow. Recent growth looking to build the FBO busi- one that suffered steep drops in left,” he added, a result of the bination of renewals from con- he said, “but it allows customers has led to hiring of an average ness,” Santo said. “We’re looking residual value during the reces- company’s ability to offer more Flexjet tracts that ended recently and to fly their hours as fast as they of six pilots per month this year. to build our core business.” sion. Some shareowners realized than just fractional shares and Bombardier’s Flexjet flies an new shares sold. need to.” But more important, accord- One way of growing could as they came to the end of their also the company’s taking mar- all-Bombardier fleet Flight Options has a firm ing to CEO Steve Santo, is that be expanding outside the U.S. five-year share contract that ket share from competitors. of Learjets and Chal- Flexjet Challenger 605 order for 100 Phenom 300s sales and leases of frac- while they based their costs on lengers and the com- with options for an additional tional shares are key to an expected residual value of 80 Executive AirShare pany has already begun 50, and so far has taken deliv- FRACTIONAL the company’s high level percent of the price of the share, Executive AirShare is one of selling shares in the ery of eight. The Phenom 300 of activity, as opposed to the value had fallen to 40 or 50 what is now a rare breed, a pure new Learjet 85 all- offers performance that fits the jet cards. percent. “The price advantages fractional-share provider. Sub- composite jet. Begin- needs of light and midsize jet “We tried hard to are negated because the values sidiary Executive Flight Services ning in August, buyers owners, according to Silvestro, & CHARTER move people into longer- have shrunk so much,” he said. manages aircraft, but AirShare were offered an opportunity Some interest in new shares is and thus attracts former share- term programs,” he said. But on the other hand, while doesn’t charter the Embraer to purchase a share at a 5-per- attributable to bonus deprecia- owners of Beechjets, Citation “We’ve been focused on Avantair Avanti some customers want to fly a Phenom 100s and 300s in its cent discount, and this was tion benefits, according to Reid, Excels, Ultras and CJ3s and even shifting away from cards couple of times a year using a fractional fleet, and the Flight made available for the first four but he also sees buyers gaining Hawker 800s and Learjet 45s. and not [building] that A recent news report suggested jet card, others want reliable lift Services-managed Phenoms are Learjet 85s, according to Flexjet more liquidity and thus the abil- By the end of this year, Flight business.” Avantair still sells 30 that Tata Group, part-owner of provided by a reputable operator not offered for charter. AirShare president Fred Reid. As of late ity to buy a fractional share of a Options expects to add four to 35 cards a month, but Santo Piaggio Aero, might be interested flying aircraft with a low average recently expanded to the North- August, Flexjet had sold a one- jet. These buyers want to belong Nextant Aerospace 400XTs to PART ONE OF A TWO-PART wants to keep that business to in having a company like Avan- fleet age and a dedicated cadre east with a new facility in Buf- sixteenth Learjet 85 share. to a system like Flexjet’s that the fleet. Retrofitted with new by Charles Alcock, Ian Sheppard, about 15 percent of Avantair’s tair build a fractional program of pilots, Harford said. Citation- falo, N.Y., and a new Phenom Flexjet has diversified beyond provides redundancy and guar- Williams International FJ44- SPECIAL REPORT Matt Thurber, James Wynbrandt revenue because having too many in India. Although Santo said he Air’s Jet Access product isn’t a 300 began shareowner flights the core fractional share busi- anteed service. 3AP engines and Rockwell Col- cards that need to be serviced is can’t comment about any nego- jet card but offers access to the there in September. ness that it started with in 1995 Flexjet’s fleet should be add- lins Pro Line 21 avionics, these risky and isn’t a sustainable busi- tiations with Tata Group, he did CJ3, XLS, Sovereign or Citation By the end of this year, Air- and offers customers a variety of ing three to six new jets in the modified Beechjet 400s offer a focusing just on selling shares of aircraft but are ness model. “We like to keep that say, “We are exploring expanding X with a minimum annual com- Share will take delivery of two supplemental lift services, from coming year. “We’re measur- significant range improvement Providers surviving also offering to serve customers in whatever risk low,” he said. “It’s nice to get our brand globally and there are mitment of 50 hours. “It pro- to three more Phenom 100s and charter brokerage to jet cards to ing our retirements to remain and operating costs that are 20 way best suits their non-airline travel needs. If cash up front, but that’s not a some great opportunities.” vides a level of flexibility that one or two more Phenom 300s, whole-aircraft management and the fractional with the youngest percent lower than those of the and growing a potential customer doesn’t see the need to strong long-term business model. Another move that Avantair just does not exist in the frac- according to Keith Plumb, exec- fractional shares. While Flexjet fleet,” Reid said. “We’re now at original aircraft. The 400XT will If we make it a smaller part of the made this year was accelerat- tional program,” he said. utive v-p and COO. “We’ve offers whatever lift customers four years average age.” feature the same seven-passen- Like most of the general aviation industry, buy an asset that runs the risk of losing value, business, we can use it as an entry ing maintenance events such as Cessna Aircraft acquired the seen the trend shifting to more need, fractional shares remain ger cabin, but now with a divan the charter and fractional sectors have reported then jet cards or leases are an option.