JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON
Sub-fractional ownership scheme Marquis Jet Europe expects to double its membership over the next year as it opens six new sales offices. The European arm of Marquis Jet Partners, which resells NetJets fractions in 25h Private Jet Cards, will be expanded to include Russia as it seeks to attract more business users.
Marquis Jet Europe chief executive Rob Hersov says the company aims to sign at least 20 members a month in the busy period between May and September. It has taken Marquis 14 months to sign its 140 members in Europe, and it expects to have about 300 by the end of the year, says Hersov.
Marquis Jet Europe differs from its US parent in that 80% of its customers use the aircraft for private business, compared with a 50:50 business/private split in Marquis Jet Partners. Marquis customers typically use aircraft for summer, skiing or shooting holidays, with several professional athletes using the cards to join professional tours, says Hersov.
Marquis will open a sales office in Barcelona this week, adding to offices set up in Berlin, Geneva, Monaco, Moscow and Paris over the past three months. Over 80% of the cards are sold in Italy, Switzerland and the UK, and Marquis believes it needs to improve its service in other markets, says Hersov.
The European scheme restricts card owners to four aircraft types - Cessna Citation Bravo, Citation Excel, Dassault Falcon 2000 and Raytheon Hawker 800XP - which is three fewer than in the USA. "The inclusion of Russia in the scheme means we are looking at offering another long-range type in Europe," says Hersov. He predicts 20 Russian customers before the end of the year.
New York-based Marquis Jet Partners reported first quarter revenue up by 350% earlier this month, citing a renewal rate of close to 100% (Flight International, 3-9 June). The main reason, says Hersov, is that no one offers a viable alternative, with other schemes "mixing block charter and charter brokerage and repackaging it as fractional".
Source: Flight International
