Flight International – 11 June 2019

BUSINESS AVIATION

fiightglobal.com 11-17 June 2019 | Flight International | 23

Alaka’i seeks

leadership of

eVTOL space

Business Aviation P24

Top-end twinjets will accommodate 13 passengers and four pilots

Flexjet

King Air 350i forms mainstay of operator’s membership programme

Wheels Up

STRATEGY KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Flexjet offers share of G650 by the day

World Access scheme switches from hours-based ownership, targeting increased demand for longer transatlantic trips

T

he world’s second-largest

fractional ownership opera-

tor, Flexjet, has introduced a by-

the-day-based programme for the

Gulfstream G650. The aim is to

provide greater flexibility to

shareholders of the ultra-long-

range business jet and help boost

the company’s share of the high-

end private jet travel market.

Called World Access, the

scheme is a departure from the

traditional hours-based fractional

models, with fellow US firm Air-

share the only other company

known to offer a by-the-day pro-

gramme on its fleet of Embraer

Phenom 100 and 300 light jets.

Owned by private investment

firm Directional Aviation, Flexjet

is the sole fractional ownership

provider to use the G650, with a

fleet of three aircraft, and a fur-

ther two examples scheduled for

delivery this year. The aircraft are

from an October 2014 order for

up to 50 Gulfstream jets, which

also includes the G450 and G500.

The G650s are being modified

to accommodate up to four pilots,

including a forward crew rest

area, says Flexjet. Each aircraft

has seating for 13 passengers, and

can sleep up to eight, it says.

The operator hopes World Ac-

cess will appeal to travellers who

want to take full advantage of the

aircraft’s 7,000nm (12,950km)

range, without having to worry

about “burning through” their an-

nual hourly allocation.

“When the traditional fraction-

al programme was created [by

NetJets] 35 years ago, customers

purchased hours for segments

that were approximately 2h

trips,” says Flexjet chief execu-

tive Michael Silvestro.

“In today’s business world, in-

ternational travel is in demand,”

he adds, so Flexjet has “changed

the primary currency of hours to

a days-based model”. This gives a

user experience that is “much

more consistent” with whole air-

craft ownership.

A one-quarter share in Flexjet’s

G650 gives the owner access to

the aircraft for 75 days a year.

This compares with 200h for the

equivalent share in an hours-

based programme. Customers

also pay a monthly management

fee and an occupied hourly rate,

which Flexjet says is equivalent

to the direct operating costs of the

G650 of under $5,000 per hour. A

by-the-day leasing programme is

also available with the terms

spanning 30-60 months.

World Access is targeted ini-

tially at companies and high-net-

worth individuals based in Lon-

don and New York.

It is ideal for customers who

need to fly across the Atlantic

and then make several short hops

over a three- or four-day period,

says Flexjet.

The World Access programme

also gives owners use of Flexjet’s

130-strong business jet fleet at a

fixed hourly one-way rate, “so for

shorter trips or when customers

don’t want to use their days, they

will have a wide variety of op-

tions”, says the company.

Flexjet’s fleet also includes the

Bombardier Challenger 300 and

350, Global Express and Learjet

75, as well as the Embraer Legacy

450 and Phenom 300. It also has a

letter of intent for 20 Aerion AS2

supersonic business jets. ■

U

S membership-based private

aircraft firm Wheels Up has ac-

quired charter operator Travel

Management Company (TMC) in a

move designed to broaden its fleet

of “high quality” light business jets

and enhance the service offering

for its 5,000-plus members.

TMC’s 26 Hawker 400XPs will

join Wheels Up’s 93-strong all-

Textron Aviation fleet, which is

operated by Gama Aviation. The

branded line-up consists of 15 su-

perlight Cessna Citation Excel/

XLS, six super-midsize Citation X

and 72 Beechcraft King Air 350i

aircraft. The latter are from a 2013

order for 105 twin-turboprops, and

form the backbone of Wheels Up’s

membership programme.

Kenny Dichter, founder and

chief executive of the New York-

based company, describes the

acquisition as “a foundational

piece in our continued brand

evolution and mission to provide

our members with a total private

aviation solution”.

The 400XPs will continue to

be operated by Elkhart, Indiana-

based TMC and will form part of

Wheels Up’s new charter market-

place offering, which allows

members to book ad hoc flights

from “safety-vetted and verified

charter operators”. ■

ACQUISITION KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Wheels Up gains a boost from charter firm buy