Light fantastic

A new breed of jet looks set to bring privation aviation to a whole new market. Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker reports on the VLJ phenomenon. Mention private aviation to most business travellers in Europe and the response is likely to be: “I should be so lucky” or “You must be kidding.” Private jets are still seen as millionaires’ playthings, the preserve of those with more money than sense, or extravagant perks for the top echelon of corporate executives. But that could all be about to change, with the arrival of a new breed of aircraft which operators claim will make private aviation accessible to a much wider market. As the name suggests, Very Light Jets (VLJs) are smaller and lighter than their predecessors, but they can still manage speeds of up to 400mph and have a range of about 1,300 miles. They are, however, significantly cheaper. At US$2.6 million, for example, Cessna’s Citation Mustang is just over half the price of the Citation CJ1+, previously the manufacturer’s cheapest jet, while the even smaller Eclipse 500 is available for just US$1.6 million. Technological advances mean the jets are also much cheaper to operate. Fuel costs are considerably less because the engine is more advanced and fuel-efficient, and is smaller because it has to carry a lighter air-frame. In addition, VLJs are designed with 50 per cent of the parts a traditional jet would have, so maintenance is much cheaper. At the top end of the scale, these cost reductions mean that owning a jet will become a realistic proposition for a much wider range of companies. As aircraft have very low depreciation rates, buyers can usually get financing for 80 per cent of the cost, which means an initial outlay of just £280,000 for a Mustang. If the aircraft is then made available for charter when not in use by the company, running costs can also be all but eliminated. George Galanopoulos of London Executive Aviation (LEA) explains: “If we add the plane to our operating list, that will typically pay all operating costs and contribute significantly towards the capital outlay. At the moment, the traditional aircraft owner is a large corporation or a high-net-worth individual, but VLJs will bring the bar down to more medium-sized and even small companies.” The arrival of VLJs has also inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs to take a fresh look at the principles of private aviation. With traditional charter, clients hire a plane for a trip, and it then either sits idle at the airfield in readiness for the return journey or flies back empty, the cost of which is borne by the customer, either directly or indirectly. The new business model, being pioneered by Blink in the UK and Holland’s Bikkair, is designed to eliminate this “dead time” . Cameron Ogden of Blink says: “We looked at low-cost airlines, and took the principles that work there. We’re aiming at 800 hours flying time a year for each plane, compared with 400-500 at present.” Ultimately, these operators are hoping to establish high-utilisation services on what they call the “air taxi” model. Arie-Willem van Doorne of Bikkair explains: “If you get a network system going, with bases across Europe, you can just pick people up and drop them off, and not have to charge them for empty flights. You have the volume and you start operating like a London cab would, so probably 80-90 per cent of your distance will be paid for.” To achieve this, both companies have ordered Mustangs in unprecedented numbers – the largest traditional charter firms typically have fewer than 20 planes of varying sizes, whereas Blink has put its name down for 45 of the new jets, Bikkair is aiming for a fleet of 100, and Ireland-based JetBird has ordered the same number of the slightly larger Embraer Phenom 100, which will start delivery next spring. Of course, “air taxi” networks won’t be springing up overnight – both fleets and demand will take time to build. At present, Bikkair is hiring out its first Mustangs on a  traditional charter basis, while Blink plans to start by providing corporate shuttles for companies with pan-European facilities. Both operators, however, expect to have built sufficient critical mass to see their business models working within 12 months, and both are convinced of the need for an alternative to scheduled carriers. Ogden says: “Europe is on the tipping point of adopting and accepting travel outside airlines. Corporate travellers are fed up with high costs, inefficient scheduling and a sub-par airport experience.” He stresses the time-saving value of the planes to businesses, both in terms of cutting journey times and of making the best use of time onboard. “People see business jets as a luxury, but these planes are very functional,” he says. “It’s a briefing space, you can hold meetings there.” Van Doorne is also encouraging clients to see Bikkair’s “no-frills” offering as a business tool rather than an extravagance. “We’re not here to replace the airline you typically fly on,” he says. “This is for the hard-to-reach locations, for when you have three or four people in a plane, or you have to do multiple locations in a day. That’s when you should use us, and that’s probably only 5-10 per cent of your air travel need.” Dayjet, a Florida-based operator, is taking the air taxi principle even further. Since October, the company has been hiring its rapidly-growing fleet of three-seat Eclipse 500s on a per-seat basis, and is looking at replicating the model in Europe. Costs are currently as low as US$350 per flight and take-up has been enthusiastic, but European operators are sceptical about its potential in their market. As Peter Leiman of Blink points out: “It would compromise our idea of a boardroom in the sky – can you imagine saying to Morgan Stanley, ‘Do you mind if JP Morgan sit next to you?’” For more information, go to flyblink.com, bikkair.com, dayjet.com, flyjetbird.com. Flight check: Cessna Citation Mustang I took a test flight from the jet centre at London City airport to Farnborough on the first Mustang in the UK, which belongs to charter operator London Executive Aviation (LEA). Considering the size of the plane, the flying experience is very comfortable. The four leather seats are arranged in facing pairs, and while the legroom would be limited with four tall passengers, there is enough headroom to allow for anyone except a basketball player. There are two tray tables which pull out between the seats, and could probably accommodate two laptops (four would be a stretch), and holders are provided for water or drinks. The interior – one of the three standard options available from Cessna – is a pleasant light beige, and the large windows are cleverly angled to let in plenty of light and afford excellent views. Noise levels are low enough to make conducting meetings a viable option, and the ride is very smooth. The one big downside with the Mustang is that there is no bathroom – an “emergency toilet” is provided between the seating area and the cabin, and two curtains can be rigged up for privacy, but there is no outside drainage. However, since the average journey of these planes will be one or two hours, it shouldn’t be too difficult to hang on. LEA is due to take delivery of four more Mustangs in April/May and will have seven by the end of the year. CONTACT London Executive Aviation; tel +44 (0)1708 688 402; flylea.com.