JetBird struggles to get airborne due to delays at Embraer

JetBird the VLJ Air Taxi operator headquartered in Dublin has missed its latest start up date. Earlier this summer the company had said that it hoped to launch operations in Germany by the end of September. A number of factors of have led to the latest delay including a production bottleneck at Embaer which has stretched the manufacturer's ability to deliver simultaneous training to a large number of pilots.

The "Irish Times" reports that JetBird's returns for 2008 indicate that the company has been burning cash at a not insignificant rate as it prepares for operations. In 2008 the company made a loss of €4.27m, including administration expenses of €2.3m and business costs of €1.7m incurred during 2006 and 2007. The newspaper also quotes company sources as saying a pre-Christmas launch is now unlikely although Stefan Vilner, CEO of JetBird was recenlty quoted as saying that operations would begin "before the end of the year."

The initial funding for JetBird came from its founder Domhnall Slattery's Claret Capital. Saudi investors bought a 9.3% share in the company for €10m in 2008 and are expected to add another €5m to the pot to allow JetBird take delivery of it's first aircraft.