Air Transport

^{By Kate Sarsfield in London}

NetJets Europe has acquired a Raytheon Beech 1900D twin turboprop to be used exclusively for crew and spare parts transport to support its growing fleet of business jets.

The aircraft, configured in a mixed passenger and cargo layout, will remove NetJets’ dependency on the limited timetables and destination airports of the scheduled airlines, the fractional operator says, adding: “The 1900D will allow NetJets Europe to fly personnel and equipment to where it is most needed without delay.”

The acquisition comes as NetJets Europe signs the 1,000th customer to its fractional ownership and on-demand block charter programme, the NetJets Card. The company is meanwhile finalising plans with German flag carrier Lufthansa to expand its business jet service to cover destinations in Russia.

Lufthansa Private Jet, launched in March last year, offers European connections to and from the airline’s hubs at Frankfurt and Munich using the light Cessna Citation Bravo and superlight Citation Excel operated by NetJets.

Lufthansa says the service extension means that business and first- class passengers can travel to any international airport in Russia, and take connecting flights from within the country using the Excel and probably, says NetJets, a mid-size Hawker 800XP and a large cabin Dassault Falcon 2000EX. Two Falcon 2000EXs are scheduled for delivery this year out of a total of 30 new business jets that are earmarked for the London, UK-based operator.

Lufthansa says it has seen demand for the Private Jet service soar since its launch from an average of two flights a day to around 10 flights a day. Further expansion is planned, the airline says, if demand for the service continues to grow.