ExpressJet Holdings is set to launch its corporate aviation service on 31 December and has increased its fleet by a third to satisfy strong demand.

ExpressJet Corporate Aviation is designed to provide large group transport for companies, aircraft brokers, the hospitality industry and sports teams with a fleet of 15 Embraer ERJ-145XR regional jets. The aircraft were formerly in service with sister company ExpressJet Airlines, which operates in the USA as Continental Express.

"We had originally planned to launch the service with 10 aircraft, but we decided to add five more because the demand was so strong," says ExpressJet. The company says it is in various stages of contract negotiations with a number of "well-known companies", some of which have flight departments and will use ExpressJet to supply supplemental lift.

"The XRs in our fleet are less than a year old. If we need more aircraft we have access to 69 [out of a total of 104 XRs in the Continental fleet]," says the company.

Source: Flight International