News about Private Business Jets

Now that violence in Iraq has fallen to the lowest level since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, corporate aviation to the country is on the rise, says BusinessWeek. In fact, charter company Royal Jet is now flying twice a week from Abu Dhabi.

According to John Morgan, Royal Jet’s vice president for commercial operations:

“The constantly improving security situation combined with ongoing reconstruction and investment has created ideal conditions for private aviation into and out of the country.”

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Consulting firm AlixPartners has issued a study predicting consolidation in the business jet industry in combination with a slowdown in the market, according to AVWeb’ Russ Niles. The firm maintains a slowness in the industry is the “new normal” and that business aircraft makers will face a particularly tough environment after the political issues of last year.

Eric Bernardini, managing director of AlixPartners, told Dow Jones Newswire:

“…there are too many bizjet companies fighting over too few orders…production dropped 34 percent among OEMs and the fractional business, which accounts for a significant portion of bizjet orders, has also been hard-hit. In general…manufacturers are going to have to adopt different business, engineering and production models to stay afloat in the lean times ahead.”

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Many business jet companies and industry insiders say the business jet market is recovering, and Pratt & Whitney is one of them. John Saabas, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada, told Bloomberg’s Rachel Layne and Susanna Ray that the market will return to the same record levels seen in 2007, but not until probably 2015. Pratt & Whitney Canada also plans to pursue orders from large business jet makers. Along those lines, Saabas says “interest in so-called heavier jets exceeds both medium and light planes in the early part of the recovery.” Bombardier and Gulfstream are squaring off for dominance of the big business jet market, and Cessna is considering relaunching the Columbus model.

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Gulfstream parent company General Dynamics CEO Jay Johnson told Mary Carr Mayle at Savannah Morning News:

“First quarter revenues are up 15 percent over the last quarter of 2009, and the G650 order book remains strong. Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul demand is good.”

The company will deliver 77 large jets in 2010, and Johnson predicts continued slow recovery through the coming year. Gulfstream has received 200 orders for its new G650 ultra-fast and ultra-long-range business jet.

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Fly Comlux, a VIP charter and aircraft management company, is in expansion mode. With a new Bombardier Global XRS already on board, and another 4 aircraft planned, Fly Comlux expects to meet the rising demand for super luxury business jet travel. The 4 new aircraft include a Challenger 605, another Global XRS, an Airbus A318 Elite, and A320 Prestige. In addition, there are plans for another addition to the fleet, to specifically address the very specialized market of wide-body long-range aircraft - a 767-200ER BBJ.

Stephen Laven, CEO of Fly Comlux, says:

“With the arrival of these 6 aircraft the Comlux fleet is growing and will reach more than 20 aircraft by the end of 2010. My teams at Fly Comlux are already preparing the arrival of all these new planes, and in particular the 767 BBJ which is a new aircraft type in our existing fleet, in order to get a seamless entry-into-service. The 767BBJ will offer an exceptional cabin space for around 70 passengers together with an ultra-long range capability...”

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The Aerion Corporation may have some competition for its supersonic business jet (as I’ve mentioned previously). Turkish newspaper Hurriyet says Russian company Sukhoi has been working on a supersonic aircraft since 2005 and is now in talks to bring Italian company Alenia in as a partner.

The jet’s expected speed is 1,960 kilometer per hour, twice that of normal passenger planes, and a special engine design should mask the sonic boom. Manufacturing is scheduled to being in 2015.

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Japan is apparently rewriting some tough rules regarding business aircraft. AVWeb’s Russ Niles says an article in the Daily Yomiuri details a drastic drop in business aircraft traffic at Japan’s largest airports:

“Narita and Haneda…totals just 3,000 operations a year. By contrast, New York airports saw 255,000 business aircraft movements last year. “

For example, current regulations require private jets to book seven days in advance for a landing slot at Haneda and the maximum length of stay is five days; at Narita, the limit is seven days. Planned changes will also improve the customs and immigration process.

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Gulfstream has signed a maintenance agreement with Deer Jet in China that includes the growing fleet of 13 Gulfstream aircraft (with maybe 3 more on the way). With expectations that the Chinese business jet market is set to explode, industry insiders are waiting for the government to relax some regulations and make it easier to enjoy the benefits of traveling by private aircraft.

Gulfstream’s president of product support, Mark Burns, says: 

“The business-jet market in China is expanding rapidly, and we are committed to staying ahead of that growth with an expanding product support infrastructure.” 

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Jeremy Cox details how to figure out the true cost of your business jet for Forbes online. In his article, he lays out the 4 options:

• Purchase of a Jet Card or of Block-Time
• Fractional Ownership
• Charter
• Private Ownership

For private ownership, Jeremy says you are the

“King or Queen of your own destiny. You have full-100% depreciation available to you. Every time that you are on a trip, you can leave personal belongings on-board, because your jet is not leaving until you are ready to leave. Best of all, you control who, and who does not ride on your aircraft; you hand-pick your staff, and you outfit, equip, style and decorate the aircraft anyway that you so desire.”

In conclusion, Mr. Cox states that if you fly more than 240 hours a year, owning your own business jet will give you the lowest operating cost per flight hour.

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